Snakes Part II

We recently went to the Witchelina Homestead which was described to us by the locals in Leigh Creek as recently purchased by the Greens.  Catherine and I both envisioned a Mr. and Mrs. Green with a couple of kids and dogs setting up home and making a go of it on the Outback's arid landscape.  In fact, "the Greens" meant that the homestead was purchased by an Australian conservation group and is being transformed into a preserve.  Bottom line -  there was not going to be a family on the homestead for us to ask permission to go on the land.  Since the telephone number was out of service, and we did not have a number for the "Greens Conservation Association", we decided to head to the Witchelina Homestead and take our chances that some sort of manager lives on the premise.  

Witchelina is over 40 km off the main road on the way to Marree.  It is truly in the middle of nowhere.   We drove down the dirt track (road) for over an hour and finally came upon the homestead which was set back behind a barbed wire fence and locked gate.  When we arrived, there were two potential buildings with occupants.  One had a relatively new Jeep parked in front of it.  The other was larger and had the hum of a generator running near it.  We headed to the big house first.  It was eerie.  There were children's toys scattered on the porch, yet considering the dust collecting on their surface none of them had been played with for some time.  We knocked on all the doors and called out greetings, but the only response was the mechanical growl of the generator.  

We then turned and headed to the second house.  Smaller in size, but with the vehicle parked in front we were hopeful.  As we neared the house, we could hear pots and pans moving and voices inside.  The house was occupied by a young man and woman in their  late twenties early thirties.  We introduced ourselves, and Catherine asked about the possibility of going on the property.  The young man, Mike, apologetically explained that he too was a student who was just there for a weeks worth of field research.  What kind of research - snake research.  He gave Catherine the number of a gentleman in Adelaide to contact in order to get permission to go on the land.  While Catherine explained our situation and negotiated the options on the phone, I made small talk with Mike and his assistant.  

He is a biologist that is studying the genetic changes that occur in some of Australia's deadliest snakes.  He explained that the color patterns on snakes change at various times and he is trying to better understand why and how.  Fascinated by anyone with a desire to deliberately seek out these venomous reptiles, I immediately had a million questions.  Here are some of his answers as best as my over stimulated mind can remember them.

1. In the Wichalena area, Mike estimates there are as many as 2 brown snakes every 10 square meters.

2. Brown snakes, while not as deadly as the Taipan, can bite you without you knowing and the venom can be difficult to counter act .  These are facts that in hindsight I wish I had inquired more about.  Like how in the heck are you bitten unknowingly by a deadly snake?!?

3. At this time of the year, their body temperature is the same as it is in the summer and they are moving around just as much.

4. While these snakes are very dangerous, it is costly for them to use their venom and so they would rather hide or move away than attack.

5. They often like to hang out hear their dens.

6. Their dens are abandoned mice holes (note: We see hundreds of such holes a day). 

7. The best way to move through the bush is to keep your eyes peeled for these camouflaged reptiles and make noise so as not to startle them.

I asked Mike how he collected genetic DNA in the field.  He responded that they can't do it in the field, rather they bring the snakes back to Adelaide and run tests there.  This new information was slow to process.  Finally it occurred to me that this means any snakes they found were now somewhere nearby.  In fact, they had 6 brown snakes in the back room of the cabin.  The door to the room had a small Post It note that said "caution venomous snakes inside".   Considering the fact that we were their first visitors, I wondered about the seriousness of the note.  He offered to show me his latest catch.  It included two snakes - one male and one female.  They were two large, feisty, angry brown snakes coiled together in the bottom of a large canvas bag with a handle that reminded me of a butterfly net.  At this point ,Catherine was off the phone, and Mike asked if we wanted to stick around while that transferred the snakes into the individual sacks (aka pillow cases duct taped shut).  Intrigued, like spectators to a car accident, we could not refuse.  He recommended that we stand by the door for an easy exit in case one got loose.  There was no need to ask us twice.  Catherine and I wedged ourselves on the wall right next to the screen door with one hand on the door knob at all times.  Mike then used a large claw like device to remove one of the snakes from the original canvas bag.  With the snake's neck (or at least body nearest the head) pinched in the vice, he then grabbed the snake by the tail and let gravity pull its fangs towards the ground.  The female snake was especially angry, and attempted to twist back on itself towards its captor's bare hand, but with a reassured flick of Mike's wrist, its head fell back down towards the ground.  I have never seen anyone seem so calm and so fluid when dealing with something so deadly.  While holding the tail with one hand and opening the pillow case with the claw, he coaxed the snake to slither into the case.  Once in there, he slid his foot down the bag forcing the snake deeper into the sack.  With the snake then fully encased the pillow case, the end was taped, folded and taped again.  All this occurred before 10AM!

Needless to say, Mike's knowledge, ease, comfort, and reassurance around the snakes both set Catherine and me on edge and comforted us as we headed out into the field for the day.  Many times over the next few days, one of us would jump back or gasp uncontrollably, adrenaline rushing through our bodies after sighting a remarkable snake like stick or seeing a flicker of our own shadows.  It was not until about a week later, while we were sitting around the campfire that I went to reach for an actual poker stick next to me and realized at the last minute that my stick was in fact moving.  This snake was much smaller - less than a meter long with a diameter around the size of a penny.  Are smaller snakes less poisonous?  How close is its den?  Why is it out at night?  Were there others nearby?  All our questions fell unanswered in between high pitched squeals as we flashed our headlamps around the campsite.  If only Mike were around with his calm demeanor to set us once again at ease.