Byron snake catcher racks up 10,000 serpents

By Rod Stevens

When George Ellis rescued a carpet python from the road and tucked it inside his jacket in 1996, he never imagined he would wrangle thousands of highly venomous reptiles and respond to 10,000 phone calls for assistance.

This Tuesday marked the 10,000th call out milestone for the 65-year-old Byron Bay based snake catcher, who saved a family of Guinea Pigs from being a carpet python’s lunch at Bottlebrush Crescent, Suffolk Park.

But Mr Ellis would never have relocated a reptile if he didn’t visit renowned snake catcher Russ Maslen for advice after capturing his first carpet python, only to learn he had retired.

Concerned about who would serve the community and help out elderly people with snake issues, after training and mentoring from Mr Maslen, Mr Ellis responded to his first call out on November 8, 1996.

His task, to relocate the world’s second most venomous snake, an eastern brown, from a property at McAuley’s Lane, Mullumbimby.

‘I still remember that call, there were three brown snakes there,’ Mr Ellis said.

Since that baptism of fire, for almost 21 years, Mr Ellis has relocated more than 10,000 snakes from around the Byron shire.

‘Often when I am called out I find there are two snakes that need to be relocated,’ he said.

Delving into his records reveals Mr Ellis has caught various species of snakes that measure a total of almost 15km in length, on more than 6,000 days, including almost 4,000 eastern brown snakes.

All of the snakes Mr Ellis catches are relocated locally, in a safe spot, close to where they were caught.

With its restaurants and cafe’s attracting a favoured food for eastern brown’s, rodents, Byron Bay’s CBD is a hot spot for the deadly serpents.

‘The busiest area for brown snakes is the Byron Bay CBD and in descending order Jonson, Marvell, Lawson, Fletcher and Middleton streets and Gillmore Crescent,’ Mr Ellis said.

‘The Byron Bay CBD and the greater Byron area has more than twice as many brown snakes caught than Mullumbimby, the next closest area for eastern brown’s.’

The longest eastern brown Mr Ellis has captured was in the Byron CBD area.

‘The longest eastern brown was in September 2006, at the Taste of Byron festival, and that was 2.45 metres on Lawson St,’ he said.

For every 10 eastern brown snakes Mr Ellis said he catches, he bags about seven or eight carpet pythons.

‘Carpet snakes are the second most numerous species I have caught after browns and the longest carpet snake was over three metres,’ he said.

The dangerous brown snakes are already on the move this season.

‘I’ve already had two sets of mating browns so far this season,’ Mr Ellis said.

While he has endured several bites, fortunately Mr Ellis hasn’t been involved in any fatalities during his captures.

If you see a snake inside your house, Mr Ellis said keep very still and keep your eyes on it while you try to confine it to a room and phone someone for help.

When you spot a snake outside, follow the same rules of keeping still, quiet, and watching the snake, until it slithers away or you have to move out of its way.