REDCLIFFE & BAYSIDE HERALD (Australia) 10 October 13 Snake catcher Julia Baker is hoping to become the next big thing (Amy Hutchinson)
Got a snake? No problem. Give Julia Baker a bell and you'll make her day.
The qualified snake catcher and hopeful television star from Brisbane's northside is a motorbike riding, super-glamorous mum of two - and she'll just as easily wrangle an eastern brown as a blue tongue lizard.
"I just love them," Ms Baker said.
With warmer temperatures on the rise, Ms Baker said mating season was in full swing and they had been kept on-the-go since September, when mating season officially began.
"We've had quite a number of call-outs already with the hot spots being Albany Creek, Arana Hills, Ferny Hills, Petrie, Eatons Hill, Caboolture, Brendale, Kedron, The Gap, North Lakes, Deception Bay, Bracken Ridge, Cashmere and all over Pine Rivers," she said.
Recently, 1300 Catch It has found red-bellied black snakes at Rothwell and Deception Bay, a one-eyed snake at Arana Hills, eastern browns at Caboolture and Samford, a wall full of six green tree snakes at Wishart, keelbacks at Kippa-Ring and more carpet pythons than you can poke a stick at.
But the professional advice is never to touch a snake in your house or garden, no matter how confident.
"If you have one in the house, keep an eye on it, take a picture of it ... and call a professional snake catcher."
And some are, in fact, useful to have around the place and may not need to be relocated if there's no chance of small pets or children being bit.
"Red-bellies are good, they eat eastern browns and they're reluctant to bite," she said.
"And keelbacks are often mistaken for eastern browns but they're extremely handy to have around ... because they eat toads."
Holding her first snake 10 years ago at Australia Zoo, the English-born beauty said her love affair was cemented in a heartbeat and then set a goal to become a snake catcher.
From that, 1300 Catch It was born and this year, Ms Baker and her partner John Gallacher have been busily filming their exploits for quirky documentary-style Snake Sheila.
She said the exciting thing is all call-outs recorded for the show are real, and are local to Brisbane.
"It's looking pretty promising to be picked up by UK broadcasters," she said.
"We've got so much to offer here."
Passionate about snake education, she can often be found rescuing terrified homeowners from a slippery visitor hiding in sound systems, chicken coops, beds, curtains, garage doors and in roofs.
"I want people to get off this whole thing that (snakes) are all scary and they're not, they're wildlife and they're quite important," she said.
Mr Gallacher said what many people don't realise is that snakes are protected and killing them can carry heavy consequences.
"It's an $80,000 fine if you kill the thing," he said.
Visit facebook.com/brisbanesnakecatchers or phone 1300 228 244.
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