SWAN HILL region snake catchers were refusing to catch and remove snakes throughout December after council removed the infamous Tower Hill snake without a license.
Michael O’Brien, one of Swan Hill’s snake catchers, posted an alert on Facebook in October relating to a snake spotted at Tower Hill.
On November 22, he again posted on Facebook that Swan Hill Rural City Council (SHRCC) had told him they had removed a snake from Tower Hill. He continued on to claim council had killed it and disposed of the snake, an act that is illegal and attracts a $7000 fine.
He pointed out that even if the snake was not killed, the council still required a Wildlife Controllers license to be able to remove it.
On November 30 he officially announced he and the other two snake catchers would strike in protest.
Greg Keyes and Sam Purtell are also responsible for catching Swan Hill’s snakes and safely relocating them.
When The Guardian contacted (SHRCC) Acting CEO Ian Couper confirmed that a snake had been removed at the Tower Hill park by a staff member in the interest of safety.
For more info on this story, grab a copy of Wednesday’s Guardian (December 16).
