Aust, warning on snakes

Press, 10 March 1984, Page 11

Aust, warning on snakes

NZPA-APP Canberra Stuffed venomous snakes with venom glands, ducts and fangs intact could kill their unsuspecting, proud owners, the Australian Federal Government has warned. In a statement released yesterday the Minister for Home Affairs and Environment, Mr Barry Cohen, declared that stuffed venomous snakes were now considered to be “unsafe goods,” under Section 62 (2d) of the Trade Practices Act and therefore banned from retail sale. “Stuffed venomous snakes which have not had their venom glands, ducts and fangs removed are prohibited from sale as they present a possible hazard to both adults and children,” he said. The venom in stuffed snakes is crystallised in the drying process and loses none of its potency over time. “If this crystallised venom is introduced into the

bloodstream through a cut or scratch, the consequences could prove fatal,” Mr Cohen said. Particularly dangerous are the king cobra, the cobra and the Russell viper, and the Minister warned parents that snake specimens should be kept out of children’s reach and be displayed behind glass to avoid accidental poisoning. A spokesman for Mr Cohen said that although the snakes were banned from retail sale, they could still be sold privately and he admitted a black market for the stuffed snakes with “real venom” could develop.