#074-365 Dangerous

Special Warning for Tammy's Children, this is one Aussie Critter you don't want to say Hello to!

I don't know if he can talk or not, I don't get close enough tp find out. This is a Taipan - It has a reputation that makes big bronzed Aussies pale just at the thought of them, this is a medium sized specimen about 2.1 metres long. Not many people die from their bite now as an anti-venom has been developed in recent years, but some still do in isolated areas.

When I first went to Townsville North Queensland, I met with an Aborigine Soldier who in spite of being a good worthwile soldier had a heavy drinking problem, he spent his fortnight's wages in the first week, which was a disaster - No booze money for the second week! I asked what he did for cash as he never borrowed money, and he offered to show me.

We drove out of town for about an hour or so and came across a field of Sugar Cane and stopped. He got out so I did too, and we started walking along the rows of cane, then whoosh like lightning, he bent down and came up holding a three metre Taipan, (I paled) from his back pocket he took a medium size bottle with a rubber type top and positioned the snake fangs first onto the bottle (I was amazed) while this was going on he repositioned his hold on the snake so that it and the bottle were secured by his left hand with the thumb on the snakes head. He then reached down and came up with an even bigger snake, in his right hand and then almost instantly trapped another under his right foot and almost at the same time put his left foot on another then said to me hey grab that one over there, but he was talking to the wind I was back in the car Windows wound up so tight that the handles were at risk of snapping and I was shaking like a leaf.

Now I know he was nuts and you know he was nuts but the venom that he was collecting actually went to the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) who paid him a pittance (In my opinion - I wouldn't have done that for millions) and they along with a group of laboratories were able to find the Anti-Venom. The last time I saw him he asked me to come out and give him a hand then nearly choked laughing at my terrified reaction - Takes all Kinds.

The Black line is the glass divider and yes the glass was thick - I checked. Later there is a shot of a Red-Bellied Black snake which is also dangerous and as I was trying to get it in focus a little girl came and asked what I was doing, her Father came looking for her and I advised him to pick her up and show her the snake so that she would know what to look for, he said he wasn't worried as he lived in Blacktown a western suburb of Sydney, I told him that their habitat include all Sydney Suburbs so he picked her up and when I left they were both remembering what it looked like..