COURIER-MAIL (Brisbane, Australia) 04 January 11 Gunman blaze away at snakes (Peter Michael)

Graphic footage obtained by The Courier-Mail shows snake hunters killing clusters of reptiles stranded in trees by floodwaters.

And officials have warned that the group may yet face prosecution with a community deeply divided over the "indiscriminate" killings.

The footage shows a boatload of men, armed with a shotgun, stalking snakes on a tiny island refuge on the flooded Brisbane River near Lowood before New Year's Eve.

One gunman can be seen blazing away into a tree with one of two volleys from the shotgun before felling a one-metre long snake.

Experts warn deadly snakes are on the move in vast swarms to escape the rising tide of the states inland sea of floodwater.

Extra anti-venom has been flown north as flood victims report a surge in the number of close encounters with potentially deadly reptiles.

As the reptiles move to high ground to escape the flood torrent, dozens of onlookers watched on as the group of Lowood locals took the chance to "thin out" the snake population.

Melanie Sinclair, 26, of Brisbane, who took the video footage, said she was offended by the open display of bravado by the men and the indiscriminate slaughter of the snakes.

"Whether they are red-necks or old fashioned country folk, whatever, they seem to think it acceptable to carry a gun and shoot snakes in trees," said the landscape photographer.

"The locals watching were saying it was a good opportunity to get rid of the snakes. They see them as pests, vermin and a threat to humans.

"They reckon shooting them out of the trees is best because they are easier to spot and eradicate."

She said the snakes had clustered in the dozens in trees on a small island surrounded by floodwaters.

"I don't love snakes. But I respect them as part of the ecology and food chain.

"And Im not for shooting them in public.

"I can respect that might be how they do things out west. But is not something for them to make a spectacle of in front of little kids.

Michael Beatty, of the RSPCA, said the shooting was a likely offence under the nature conservation act.

"Certainly indiscriminately blazing away at groups of snakes is wrong," he said.

"There is no need for gangs of hoons to go out and kill large numbers of snakes.

"Why harm an animal that is not harming you?"

He said self-protection was an acceptable defence under the act governed by the Environmental Protection Authority.

"You'd never get prosecuted killing a brown snake in your kitchen.

"But if you go around wiping out snakes of all sorts in clusters of trees you would stand a chance of prosecution.

"We're sure the shooters are not checking if they are brown or black snakes, or whip snakes, or carpet snakes, or pythons.

"They are just blazing away at the wildlife."

Somerset Mayor Graeme Lehmann, who has property and a service station near Lowood, said he was unaware of the incident but not all locals had a deep-seated hatred of snakes.

"I got bitten by a red belly black snake and spent last New Year's Eve in hospital, so, they are not my best friend," Mr Lehmann said.

"But I think if they leave you alone, leave them alone.

"We see snakes in the paddock all the time and they keep pests down.

"Some people just have an indescribable hatred for snakes.

"Or these guys might have just been young blokes, doing what young blokes do."
Gunman blaze away at snakes

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• AUS Press: Gunman blaze away at snakes - W von Papineäu, Thu Jan 6 10:29:25 2011