Outwest Snake Catcher says Dubbo snake season will be busy

Kyle Lundholm, owner of Outwest Snake Catcher, has caught two eastern brown snakes - one in Dubbo and one in Wellington - and said the unseasonably warm weather likely brought them out of hiding.

"They're going to be pretty active ... especially [as it's] getting warmer a lot sooner than normal," Mr Lundholm told the Daily Liberal.

READ ALSO: Wipeout for python owner and surfing snake

The species commonly found around Dubbo include eastern browns, red-bellied black snakes, blue-bellied black snakes, and Murray-Darling carpet pythons.

"I find them in a range of different places from people's backyard pools; if you don't have doors closed properly or are not sealed properly they do get into houses as well, but it's mostly backyards where I'm finding them, especially in gardens," Mr Lundholm said.

When they are found in backyard pools, the likely scenario is they have fallen in while looking for a water source and can't get back out again.

Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson posted a video on social media he filmed of a suspected brown snake on the Tracker Riley Cycleway path in Dubbo.

"Public Service Announcement: Beware that snakes are already quite active on Tracker Riley. This video was from my bike dash cam a couple of days ago," the mayor posted on September 12.

A Facebook user commented: "And that's me done on the walkway until winter .... Thanks for warning".

READ ALSO: Snake season begins in Australia sparking safety call

Another user wrote they saw a snake on the path along the highway opposite the golf club.

Mr Lundholm said he had been hearing a lot of snake reports "on those tracks".

He recommended people should always check "where you're stepping, especially your footpaths and on the edge of footpaths if it's slightly higher grass or, even in shady spots because if it's a really hot day they're actually going to be sitting in the shade, trying not to cook themselves just like we're trying to do the same thing."

IN OTHER NEWS

If you are bitten by a snake, you should start first aid and call an ambulance as soon as possible while staying as still as possible, the snake catcher advised.

If you see a snake, leave it alone unless it's in your house or yard and then you could call a snake catcher if you're concerned about it.

"Just keep your distance. If it's minding its own business, just leave it there," Mr Lundholm said.

Reading this on mobile web? Download our news app here. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you alerts for breaking news as it happens.