Snake safety when hiking in Australia | How to hike safely with snakes
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2023
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I was inspired to make this vid as a friend of mine was so scared of snakes it prevented them from getting outdoors and enjoying nature. After a chat, similar to this, they have now gone on to have many many adventures all over Australia.
I hope this helps someone feel a little happier and comfortable outdoors.
happy and safe hiking to everyone. - Розваги
Thanks for watching everyone. A Patrion Dave also made the great comment to take a “sharpie or a pen and if you can, circle the bite on your skin, and then again circling the area once bandaged. This makes it easier once you get to hospital, because the staff can then just cut the bandage at the bite site and swab the exact location, making identification of the snake easier.” Thanks Dave
Great tip if one got bitten. If around camp and you don’t have a pen, you can mark it’s location with some charcoal (pref not a red hot one)
I should have added, make sure you don't swab or clean the bite site before bandaging. The more venom accessible to medical staff, the faster the identification and the more targeted and precise the treatment can be, based on the proper identification.
And as Kate said, don't move and apply a compression bandage!
Contrary to popular belief, snake venom doesn't travel in your bloodstream. It travels in the lymphatic drainage system, which is run by movement of muscles - no movement = minimal venom travel = far less likely to die. The compression bandage also restricts the movement, by stopping lymphatic flow. That's why it needs to be a certain tightness - enough to stop the lymphatic drainage, not enough to stop blood flow.
They say you should also use the pen to write on the bandage the date and time you were bitten (so hospital will have that info if you have passed out by the time you arrive there)
Drop bears are much more dangerous!
Absolutely and the noise they make. I always pack earplugs just in case drop bears are around.
I heard most bites occur on the extremities, so I always try to wear gloves when collecting firewood. I also tend to run into snakes the most near water, they're always very easy to avoid. I think the story of your friend is actually a good one. Most snakes will feel you coming and get out of the way but also they can be a bit dopey sometimes and be really hard to see, being observant of where your feet are, especially at river crossings when you might have your shoes off is really important. fantastic video kate.
Oh yes great points. Little bit of extra thought and protection is wise. Thanks a lot.
As a male I hike naked, I find they look at me and start laughing and it gives me enough time to hide behind a tree and cry 😂
Better pack an extra snake bandage just in case 😬
Great little diagram at 2:30. It is also advisable to remove any rings, jewellery, watches etc before any swelling starts.
Oh great point. Cheers
Over the 40 years I’ve been hiking I can count 12 encounters with snakes in Australia. These include a tiger snake I just missed stepping on as it was camouflaged in the leaves, a death adder hiding in rocks, a brown snake under a metal sheet and lots of red bellied black snakes and unknown snakes (shades of grey) that slithered by my foot and scared the living daylights out of me or crossed the path ahead of me. Not one of them have attacked me. I always wear long pants and gaitors just in case though.
Absolutely thanks. So great to get more stories like these out there. Happy hiking
Well said, Kate! Be prepared (I always take 2 of the bandages too), but the chances are small. I hate leeches more!
Haha totally Ingrid. I once made the mistake of tarp camping in leech city
A big factor for why I like hiking in NZ, No snakes, spiders or leeches! (they do have some killer sand-flies though)
Wasn’t sure how to remove a leach easily with what was in my pack. Turns out they hate hand sanitizer - success!
@@hikerinaustralia no leeches? Count me in!
@@falvz4197 good to know!
I’ve been hiking in the Brindies / Namadgi for many years. The amounts of snakes I’ve come across has been a plenty. But none have ever had a go, they usually just stay stationary. As long as you respect it, they do nothing.
Your advise with fallen down trees is spot on. Especially when bush bashing through the scrub.
I carry a Garmin inReach now when hiking, Mtn biking in Namadgi, mainly for snakes or injury. I still can’t believe I went for years not having some Personal Beacon.
Totally thank ls for the info. So great to hear similar message coming in. Thanks for sharing. Happy hiking
Thanks for that. Great to hear some good advice
Thanks for watching
Thank you for the educational vid Kate. It’s always on my mind more so for my best mate my pooch. He’s always on lead and I try to stomp and make as much noise as possible to vibrate he ground, though I do let him stretch his legs later in the evening and that’s where I try to not take my eyes off him to monitor if he jumps suddenly or yelps etc. Not many think of their pets when out in the bush ay.
Oh yes absolutely. Wish it was easier to train our dogs to be aware of snakes
Beautifully elaborated Kate 👏
Thank you! 😊
Thank you Kate😊
You’re welcome 😊 thanks taking the time to comment
Yeah, I'm usually out on my own and even though I keep an eye out for snakes, I can't say I see many. Mind you, if it's well camouflaged, you might not see it anyway.
I wear long pants and gators for protection, but mainly to protect my shins from getting smacked about. At my age, it doesn't seem to take much to break the skin these days and end up having a wound to clean and dress. Snake bite is a secondary concern but it's the one you don't see that may be startled and strike. Gators are not a 100% guarantee against a snake bite but I recon it's better than bare legs or even thin pants. I see some folk bushwalking in sandals and I think they're nuts, but I guess if they're sticking to a marked trail it's probably ok.
(Edited)
Totally. I would love the freedom of sandals and shorts but I hardly ever do it. As you pointed out - off track your legs get shredded. I love my gaiters. Although on hot days they can be a bit warm.
Yep, in my experience, snakes you come across in the Aussie bush, are just trying to escape from you. My understanding is that if a snake is heading towards you, it's beacuse that is the way it wants to flee, it's not actually "chasing" you. And that is why the advice, when you see a snake on the path ahead is for you to 'stop' and then allow it room to escape. And for sure, we need to respect our animals and critters, they are not hunting us.
😉
Totally Shaz. Great to hear. Will be interesting to see how many snake stories this brings out. Hopefully lots of nice ones like yours.
Great flowchart! I went to a talk on snakebite presentation in the emergency department a while ago, and the dr said only about 2% of bites were actually envenomed, and most of those were in professional snake handlers or drunk idiots hassling snakes.
So good. Yeah it’s crazy hey. Love the 2% fact. Thanks.
Thanks for your great advice Kate. On a side note, I love your trousers...can I ask what brand please ?
Thanks they are Fjällräven a bit crazy expensive but very cool and hard wearing bit.ly/3z6IBdG
too true !
Sometimes if it seams like a really snakey day and environment and the snake paranoia starts Kicking in . I grab a walking stick and tap it on the ground as I am walking along . they will feel the vibrations and piss off way before i get anywhere near them . one exception , the deaf adder . they will stay put because they use ambush as their way of hunting . most other snakes are active hunters so will always piss off instead of hanging around
Totally. Love this. Especially the “deaf” adder. So good. I have had most of my close snake encounters in winter as you say they snakes piss off way before I get there in summer
Oh it’s you! I just finished watching Alone, I wished you’d stayed longer! Didn’t realise who did this video til I started watching 😂
Haha thanks. Was an experience. So great to see Gina still going strong at 67 days.
@@KateGrarock Welcome! Yeah, she’s a ripper, made of some tough, happy stuff
Never had a snake strike at me but i hear they are very accurate with their aim and they aim for the loose clothing or gaiters which is way away from your skin. do not hike in shorts or thongs. Keep your tent shut and In " snakey " ground step heavy, bang logs with your poles or stick and the vibrations they pick up move them on, like you said big things like us are not food, big things eat or trample snakes. Cool video thank you. Ray.
Oh yes great points. I’m loving all the additional info in the comments. Wish I could add them to the vid now. Thanks.
I’ve never been fussed with snakes while hiking on my own. I’ve encountered many in my travels and never had an issue. My anxiety comes from hiking with my new assistance dog who can’t wear protective clothing in the heat. Do you have any tips for navigating the bush with your dog? We are going to do some extra training so he learns not to chase them or go go near them but would love to know any other ways to keep my dog safe!
Oh yes good point. Hmmm sorry I don’t have any pearls of wisdom on this one. Let me know how you go. I’d love to take my dog more.
one of my first hikes i saw two snakes and almost stood on the first, but i was hiking at night with my partner and it was sleeping on the pathway , as i stood its darted off into the scrub and i barely even knew it was there and wouldnt have if my partner didnt yell out to me
Cool night hiking can be interesting.
The snake’s “ethos”, if we can call it that, is that other creatures are either a potential meal or a potential threat. Snakes do not want to risk getting injured or killed by a potential threat. I remember back in the 1980s when I was about 15 nearly treading on a probable copperhead snake(given I was in Tasmania’s central highlands, the most likely species of that size there), and noticing it at the last second I extended my step to miss it. We both continued on our merry ways… though I nearly need a change of undies! 🤣
Haha absolutely. Does get the heat racing for all involved. Love the beautiful white flecked scales on the side of their heads. Incredible how cold they can tolerate.
@@KateGrarock I didn’t notice the white flecked scales, but then I didn’t want to get too close! It can be hard to distinguish a lowland copperhead from a tiger snake in Tassie too. Sometimes the only way to tell the difference is looking at the head scales, and I’m not getting that close! It was unusually quite warm there, I remember being in a t-shirt. I’ve never seen so many snakes! I do love them though.
Love your channel. This is the best short I've seen on the snakebite topic...ua-cam.com/users/shortsG8_d3TUZ9yc?si=Hx5SBKymvlbbBCc9
Definitely recommend a snake awareness workshop, they are awesome for removing fear and anxiety.
Thankyou for this video, it's such an important subject.
Poor snakes are so poorly treated due to fear.
Thanks mate. Can’t get the short to work sadly. Yes I agree re snake awareness. It changed my understanding so much. Yes our poor snakes. Happy hiking to you.
@@KateGrarock I'm not sure why the short isn't working. It's from channel 'betterhiking', so hopefully you can look it up that way??
Ok….famous last words here, as later this year, my wife and I are heading back to Tassie for a holiday…we live on the small island of Jersey…long way away…so I hope to see snakes, but from a comfortable distance, respect them and all the flora and fauna…ie…I’ll try not get bitten by anything than the wife……on a serious note, back in 2017, on our first trip to Australia, stayed in beautiful Melbourne…well one day crossing the very busy road up from South Melbourne beach, the lights went green on the crossing, my wife just about to cross…I suddenly saw a car speeding and jumped the lights, I grabbed my wife at the last second……we were very lucky, so it was not the animals that were the danger, no it was a stupid car driver……in saying that in 2019, second trip, I was bitten by a spider…was not at all well for a while….but hey ho…I must have disturbed it while walking ….I did and do carry two pressure bandages with me at all time….love Australia, respect the wildlife…but goodness watch out for some crazy drivers out there…..good video her I thought, thank you for sharing
Haha what an amazing story. Sorry to hear about your experiences. Hope this trip is trouble free. But I absolutely agree that the roads are more dangerous than any critter you will find out in the bush here. Happy hiking to you.
Shhhh. We tell the world how dangerous Australia is to keep tourists away!
Hahahaha totally
Hey Kate, thanks for another brilliant video! An abundance of valuable information in such a compact package. Quick question - do you use a mobile phone when hiking, or is a compass and physical map your preferred method? I personally leave my phone at home as I find it can be quite distracting out on the trail. 🧭
Thanks a lot. I do a bit of both. Lovely to have the map of the phone dies for whatever reason. However I do love the gps capability of my phone these days. I leave my phone on flight mode and the gps still works well without the annoying interruption