Glen Peacock knows all too well how dangerous snakes can be. Photos: Pam Peacock.
Snake catcher Glen Peacock has attended thousands of callouts from residents throughout the Illawarra in the past nine years, but one stands out starkly from the rest.
It was 2022 and he’d been running around doing snake recovery jobs when he was called out to Wongawilli, where a snake was sighted in a circular garden bed.
“It was a red-bellied snake entwined in a bush so I grabbed the tail before it got away, but the bush was very dense and I didn’t see the head come around until it bit my little finger,” Glen, 45, recalls.
He knew snakes often give a dry bite as a warning, but this was a bad bite that injected venom deep into the finger.
“The pain and burning sensation were intense, so the ambos rushed me off to Wollongong Hospital, where doctors and nurses began monitoring for signs of damage to vital organs,” he says.
Shortly after being admitted, Glen developed a bad migraine and vomiting as the venom spread throughout his body.
Snake catchers like Glen are not always eager to go for the antivenin knowing that multiple doses, even over years, may cause serious problems and even death.
“I initially argued against taking it but I agreed to have it after tests showed it was affecting my heart and kidneys,” he says.
It took a fortnight for the swelling to settle and another six months for the full use of the hand to return, but Glen treated it as a lesson learned about not becoming complacent.
Glen, from Albion Park, worked for a company that made locks when he left school, but 25 years later he decided it was time for a change.
“I’ve always loved animals and I’ve been around them all my life but I particularly love reptiles,” he says.
To make the career change to become a snake catcher, Glen underwent several courses before he was granted a National Parks and Wildlife licence in 2015, and he has never looked back.
With his wife, Pam, and two other handlers, Glen runs Illawarra Snake Catcher, a business offering 24-hour service to catch and relocate snakes that turn up in domestic or business environments.
Glen recovering in hospital after the 2022 red-bellied black snake bite.
It took a fortnight for the swelling to settle and another six months for the full use of Glen’s hand to return after the bite.
They are also trained to relocate the reptiles back into a suitable natural environment, usually the escarpment.
Glen rates Shell Cove, Figtree and Dapto as the three suburbs with the highest callouts.
“Shell Cove is a natural swamp area and the other two are close to the escarpment,” he says.
Illawarra has a number of snake species but his favourite is the tiger snake.
“They are more venomous than the red belly but I find them fascinating because of their different colour patterns, their mean-looking head shape and the sound they make when they are angry – it’s almost like a growl,” Glen says.
His busiest month is January, after snakes give birth and are looking for sustenance.
In general, snakes take shelter in houses usually because of extreme weather and they are masterful at finding tight spots to hide in.
“Their rib cage has amazing flexibility, enough to slip under doors and into crevices where you would never think they could fit,” Glen says.
“Just the other day, I got called out to a job at Oak Flats, where a red belly was found in the sunroom where the only way it could have got in was the cat flap on the glass doors.”
Glen has found red bellies on ledges in bedrooms, in toy boxes and even under kickboards in the kitchen.
“I’ve also had numerous calls to train stations because they are part of nature’s corridor, which is like a superhighway through suburbs with plenty of overgrown bush and rubbish for snakes to hide – but I’ve also found them on platforms,” he says.
One of his regular business callouts is to Kembla Grange, where new cars are dropped off in lots before they are distributed throughout the state.
“What was happening a while ago was red bellies were getting into some of the cars and turning up in showrooms days later, so now strict surveillance routines are set in place to call us out when the snakes are sighted so we can relocate them,” Glen says.
For all its risks, Glen has never regretted his career change.
“I love what I do, and even after my close call with the red belly, I couldn’t wait to get back into it again.”
Glen charges $150 to catch and relocate a snake. Contact him and the team on 0418 162 441.
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