Tableland Snake Catchers

Tableland Snake Catchers Tableland Snake Catchers for the safe licensed removal and relocation of problematic wildlife

Permanently closed.
16/08/2026

Thank you to everyone for checking in on us this week, we all have a cold at the moment.

There was a bit of confusion after one the Malanda calls on Wednesday. The people and their neighbours are older and there were several different people calling us for a Snake Catcher on both our numbers.
So, we referred them to another catching service and then the residents would ring back because they couldn't reach them straight away.
Then we gave them a second snake catching service's number as well. Apparently, He was off getting an injection in Cairns, but called in on his way back, or some such thing. The residents also posted on Facebook for help and got the usual unhelpful comments and the circular reference back to us. This is something that often happens if we can't respond immediately, it makes the entire process complicated and potentially ends with all three services attending.
With no satisfaction, the residents added to their Facebook post that all the Catchers they called were sick or getting treatment! So, we got another 20 messages and calls asking if we had been bitten or had cancer or some such thing from a heap of other people.
Talk about a misunderstanding!

Anyways, we decided years ago that is not viable for us to service any of the most northerly Tablelands Region. Mareeba, Bibhoora, Dimbulah etc. We have never been keen on these calls as they are too far away from us.
Over the years we have gone as far as Mt Molloy, Dimbulah, Mt Surprise and Innisfail for exceptional cases. Like Coastal Taipans in houses or King Brown's stuck in house dams!

Normally, we serviced Mt Garnet, Ravenshoe, Millaa Millaa, Malanda, Yungaburra, the top of the Gillies and Tinaroo, Atherton, Tolga, Wondecla and Herberton.
We always charged a standard call out base fee, ($120) trying to make the service as equal and fair as possible. The close easy calls being a subsidy for the more distant ones. If we were there for hours, moving half the house or shed we charged an additional hourly rate ($40/hr). We live near Ravenshoe, so for most calls we could attend with the hour, sooner if we were already closer. Often with the two of us, someone could be there in 30 minutes.
Over the years we were caught out repeatedly and not paid over various things; incorrect purchase orders, unauthorised persons asking for the service, people just not paying and prank calls that sent us off to non existent addresses at 1 am. etc. etc.

Providing this service 24/7 has been difficult but also awesome, we have met some really great people, saved thousands of snakes from misunderstandings and educated thousands in how to better understand and not be scared of these remarkable creatures. How if you give the snake time and space it will always move off, it just takes longer than 5 minutes. However, this has meant giving up any notion of "spare time", holidays, Hardly ever getting a good night's sleep and having other people cover our " normal " jobs.
We have always tried to provide an Id from a photo first, and offered the option to just give the snake time to move off. 15 years ago, everyone wanted the snake gone; regardless of what it was. Today, a lot of people will happily leave the Carpet Pythons in the roof and calmly let the Eastern Brown in the yard go on its way, back into the bush or paddocks.
This year, with the " increasing cost of living", a lot of people have been taking the "I'll just leave it option". But an increasing number started to say that " you are too expensive" and " why don't you do it for free"?
I have mentioned in other posts the costs we have in running vehicles, insurance, training and equipment.
Last year we had a simple service done on our Triton, it ended up with the head gasket being replaced and costing a fortune. But, no blame accepted by the incompetent mechanic!

So, we have had enough!

If I am at home and accept a call out to Atherton it takes an hour to get there, time to find and catch the snake, assess it and find a suitable location to release it, then drive home. No time left out of three hours! = ($40/hr). If I am at work and respond, I am passing on $45/ hr to possibly not get paid. In the last few months our phone reception has taken a dive as well, so we often don't get calls or messages in a relevant time. It's no longer fun, it's expensive for us, frustrating and disappointing.
So, we are calling it, we are CLOSED!

We would like to thank everyone that has supported our endeavours over the years and
Wish you all the best.
Regards Leslie, Ruth and boys from Tableland Snake Catchers.

Have you spotted one of these signs? These are simple core flute signs that do a lot to let motorists know about Cassowa...
23/06/2026

Have you spotted one of these signs? These are simple core flute signs that do a lot to let motorists know about Cassowary crossings. These particular signs at several locations across the Atherton Tablelands aren't provided by the Tableland Regional Council or the Department of Transport and Main roads, they are actually provided privately by our staff and operations at Tableland Snake Catchers. We had the core flute material donated to us, and the signs are all hand painted!
So, it's disappointing to see them being removed and stolen for no particular reason, if they were going to other locations then we wouldn't mind, but reach out and ask us for them,
To those persons that take them it's a low level of community spirit.

Brush Tailed Possums are adaptable opportunists, feeding on a variety of plants, fruits and leaves, but they also take b...
13/04/2026

Brush Tailed Possums are adaptable opportunists, feeding on a variety of plants, fruits and leaves, but they also take bird eggs and nestlings. Brush Tailed Possums normally seek shelter in hollows in trees, but in urban areas they may have to take advantage of whatever is available. Like many Urban possums, this one took advantage of what was available and found himself a feed or eggs and spilt grain from the chooks, and a temporary hiding place. At least that is until the place he was gaining access to the chooks run through was blocked off.

This little cutie caused a bit of a ruckus when she showed up in an office area in town. It's always best to leave ident...
13/04/2026

This little cutie caused a bit of a ruckus when she showed up in an office area in town. It's always best to leave identification to experienced snake handlers, the colouration of this one closely resembled that of an Eastern Brown Snake.

🐍☕ NORTH QUEENSLAND CHEESERY/CAFÉ PUTS SNAKE VENOM ON THE MENU — AND WE'VE TRIED IT! ITS AWESOME!!!We've been sitting on...
31/03/2026

🐍☕ NORTH QUEENSLAND CHEESERY/CAFÉ PUTS SNAKE VENOM ON THE MENU — AND WE'VE TRIED IT! ITS AWESOME!!!

We've been sitting on this secret for a few weeks now, and we're finally ready to share it.

Queensland's northern most Cheese Factory is turning heads — and probably raising blood pressure — with some cheese ingredients unlike anything seen in Cheesemaking before. In a joint partnership between Gallo Dairyland and Tableland Snake Catchers. The factory has begun offering a new range of native tastes cheeses it calls a "cheese with extra bite" — a range of cheeses micro-dosed with highly diluted Coastal Taipan, Eastern Brown snake, Red Bellied Black Snake and Death Adder venom, ethically sourced with the assistance of the local snake catching professionals. At $100 a kilo it won't be for those that are faint of heart and it's not cheap. But the queue out the door yesterday suggests that Gallo's is absolutely ready to bite.

Now, we don't usually cross promote stuff on this page — but when we first thought of the idea we reached out and asked if we'd be able to help promote the responsible venom sourcing for the project. Like other native tastes in foods the public were cautiously intrigued.
So, would you like to try some cheese with a little extra bite?
People ask why would you do that? Well, To make people realise that snakes are useful. The science behind it is simple, once the neurotoxic peptides, when diluted to sub-therapeutic levels, act as a natural nootropic — sharpening focus, reducing brain fog, and delivering a sustained energy release that regular cheeses alone simply can't match. Of course doctors and pharmaceutical companies have been using venom compounds in medicine for decades. We're just the first ones brave enough to put it in something to eat! Perhaps it will work to build people's immune response to venoms and therefore make people resistant to snake bites.
A win win for people and snakes.

We've been handling snakes across the Atherton Tablelands and Far North for decades. We've always said venomous snakes were underrated. Hopefully someone was listening, and locals will support this product.

From here All we can tell you is, you have to try it.

Gallo dairyland | Open 10am – 4pm daily
Would YOU try a cheese with some extra bite? Tag someone who you think would be game to try one. 👇🐍.

At another hot spot for wildlife crossings this big fella was just having a quiet morning stroll. I wonder if the rest o...
31/03/2026

At another hot spot for wildlife crossings this big fella was just having a quiet morning stroll. I wonder if the rest on the family group was nearby? It's amazing what you can see in the far north in April!Hopefully we can get The Department of Transport and Main roads on board with some signage!

31/03/2026

Timing and Location can be everything. What an unbelievable morning. We received a call at 5:00 am from a distressed homeowner at East Palmerston with a very large Amethystine Python in their house. As we headed back up the Palmerston range at 6:00am we were treated to a sighting that lots of locals talk about but very few have seen. Definitely not something you will see everyday!! For these extremely rare animals we can't disclose the exact location.

If you're cleaning up outside or in your shed after the wet weather, please be aware of wildlife, including snakes. Snak...
12/02/2026

If you're cleaning up outside or in your shed after the wet weather, please be aware of wildlife, including snakes. Snake often seek refuge under things where they feel secure. This is a sub adult Red Bellied Black Snake,Pseudechis porphyriacus that was hunting for frogs, and hiding out under some children's toys.

Quite possibly the classiest table lamp we've seen, from a call out the other night. That's right, it's a set of legs as...
11/02/2026

Quite possibly the classiest table lamp we've seen, from a call out the other night. That's right, it's a set of legs as a lamp, and oh there's a Brown Tree Snake there too.

Recently, we have received several messages questioning why we charge for our snake catching or our services. While we u...
08/02/2026

Recently, we have received several messages questioning why we charge for our snake catching or our services. While we understand that this can be an unexpected expense, we believe it is important to clearly explain why professional snake catching is a paid service.

Why do snake catchers charge fees?

1. This is our full-time profession. Snake catching is our primary occupation, requiring us to be on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so during nights, weekends, and public holidays. A few times our team has missed Christmas lunch/dinner with the rest of family as they were out catching snakes, keeping the animals and humans safe.

2. Our service is not government funded in Queensland. Tableland Snake Catchers operates as a privately owned small business, not a publicly funded or council-run service.This will not change ever. The Department of Environment, Technology, Science and Innovation struggles to fund education and awareness towards snakes let alone funding a snake catching service. Queensland Government doesn't fund services to privately owned properties.

3. 24/7 availability requires significant personal sacrifice. Being constantly on call impacts sleep, family time, and personal commitments, yet prompt response times remain essential for public safety.

4. Licensing and compliance are mandatory. Queensland Snake Catchers must hold government-issued permits, which require training, experience, and ongoing compliance with strict regulations.

5. Operating costs are substantial. These include insurance, WorkCover, wages, superannuation, GST, taxes, administration, accounting, advertising, computing and IT and telecommunications.

6. Vehicle and fuel expenses are unavoidable. Fuel, servicing, maintenance, registration, and insurance are significant costs, especially when travelling daily across the large areas of the Atherton Tablelands.

7. Staff Uniforms and protect clothing/equipment/tools. Constantly updating tools and equipment plus new uniforms for the team. Equipment/tools we carry include multiple snake bags( as only one snake is placed in one bag, for safety, and the bags is only used for that snake and then needs to be washed and disinfected) and hooks, ladders, drills, crowbars, digging tools, torches, inspection cameras etc.

8. Public education and engagement. Time and resources are invested in creating educational and safety-focused content, responding to community questions, and providing accurate information through social media. As a company we respond 5-10 times per day across our social media channels and various community pages, which gives us the best chance of educating the public and creating positive awareness around snakes. We also give free public education talks to schools and community groups.

9. It is a professional service. Like any skilled trade or emergency response service, professional expertise, availability, and risk management must be financially supported.

10. Free ID and rescue services are still provided. We offer free advice, snake identification, and assistance, as well as rescuing injured snakes at no cost every single day, and assist Tablelands Wildlife Rescue Australia a, Tropical Vets Atherton, Tableland Veterinary Service, and a number of other wildlife care groups. We can receive up to 15-20 enquiries a day during summer, where people are after free advice or snake identification. With social media a number of these are not from local sources.

11. High-risk work requires specialised skill. Catching and relocating venomous snakes from complex situations involves significant risk and expertise that few people are qualified to perform safely. Unfortunately, some individuals believe that they have done a one or two day course and this makes them competent, yet their behaviour, risk assessment and identification skills leave a lot to be desired.

We understand that snake removals are not something most people plan or budget for. For this reason, we do our best to be flexible – sometimes offering payment plans, making reasonable exceptions, and assisting where we can. However, charging fees ensures that our trained, licensed catchers can continue providing a safe, reliable, and professional service to the community.

I hope this clearly explains our position. For those people who live in a different world. All wildlife in Queensland is protected under the Nature Conservation Regulation. Deliberately handling, harassing, harming or killing any wildlife is illegal and has been for 40 years. Snake catchers require a current Damage mitigation Permit issued by the Department of Environment, Technology Science and Innovation. If you don't have that permit, you're breaking the law. There is no excuse to be so scared by an animal that you need to put yourself or your family at risk by trying to kill it. Interfering with the snake is how many serious bites occur, and given you are 200 times more likely to die in a car accident in Queensland then from a snake bite, don't risk it.
Regards Tableland Snake Catchers.

Address

Atherton Tablelands
Atherton, QLD
4888

Telephone

+61473169779

Website

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