We have an amazing campus here at Orana. It has a vast array of flora and fauna and as the weather starts to warm up, we are likely to see a few snakes around the School. Gavin from ACT Snake Removals (and an Orana Parent) came this week not only to share his passion and experience with snakes, but to educate our student on the importance of snakes in the natural environment and break down the misconceptions that snakes have been labelled with in society.
Joined by his capable assistant Sylvie, who also happens to be his daughter and a Class 3 Orana student, explained that even though around 40% of people are very fearful of snakes, that they are far more scared of us as humans and only want to get to safety unharmed. The most common type of snakes we will see at Orana or in Canberra are Eastern Brown Snakes and possibly Red Bellied Black Snakes. These are highly venomous so should be treated with respect and not interacted with but that they are not to be feared.
Gavin and Sylvie demonstrated what to do if students see a snake here at school which is:
- Don’t panic, stay calm.
- Stop, stay still, and slowly back away if it is safe to do so.
- Students are to notify a teacher immediately.
- If you see one when on site, please call Nick (our fantastic site team member) on 0422 625 841 and if it is safe to do so try and keep an eye on it so that when he arrives he can locate and safely remove it from the campus.
- If bitten by a snake, stay as still as possible and call for help from someone who can help administer appropriate first aid and call an ambulance.
Students also had the opportunity to pat a python as well as a shingle-back lizard and blue-tongue lizard to see the difference between a lizard and a snake. The students were very enthusiastic and already had a good understanding of snake behaviour and what to do if they come across a snake which is very encouraging.
