SNAKES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18965, 12 March 1925, Page 7

SNAKES.

Sir, —I am p.< .< v., 1 "~y Council has i'Oi ti ' ■ ' . - a ii .v..'if I ol >■ m b; r * : ;/ t - '•./j ,~;, { . • :$ Ii ■I, • . ! ' J '*" " " )>;' j Sir,—To allay th# iwrs of vo r ponients wlio are perturbed ft Ui> i uiiiiy of tiie lA.ioduciiou ol snuJit* << .» New Zealand, may I refer them to stu,-< a 30 of the Am ma is Protection and bamo Act, 1921, which prohibits without uie consent of the Minister for Internal Affairs (subject to regulations in that behalf) the importation into New Zealand of any reptile, and at sub-section 2 slates the Minister shall not grant permission to introduce or import into New Zealand any venomous reptile or insect. The penalty is j a fine of £'2oo, or imprisonment for six months, and it could doubtless be increased without much opposition. WaRRIOA. Sir, —Will you kindly allow me space for a few lines just to say that having lived for over 30 years in the Australian bush I can fully endorse the remarks of Mr. A. S. Wilson in last Saturday's Heralo with reference to introducing snakes into New Zealand. In view of the possibility of their escaping from captivity, they would simply prove to be a curse to tho country. Referring to their propensities for breeding, I may mention that I onca saw a black snake killed with' 42 young ones in her, each about the length of an ordinary dinner fork, the mother enako being only 3ft. long. A week later, near the same place, another was killed having 50 young ones. So if they ever get a footing here I reckon the New Zealand bush will be a lovely place to keep away from. Tros. S. Carter. Sir, —I agree with what the Rer. Jasper Calder says in the main, but although the black snake belongs to the poisonous order and has poison glands, etc., I have never succeeded in discovering a case where its bite or strike proved fatal to a human being. Wild pigs soon clear a jungle of snakes, so we need not fear that any escaped snakes would long survive here, especially as their main food, frogs, is so scarce. The argument against the introduction of snakes for exhibition purposes, because of the danger that might arise from these creatures escapng into onr bush, is very weak and illogical, because the experience we have had all over the world shows that zoos do not loose specimens; or, if they do, no harm has arisen. The only dangerous snakes in Australia are the big brown snake, the really dangerous deaf (death) adder, and the very rare tiger snake. The carpet and diamond snakes make nice pets, and would be an acquisition in certain ferret and ratinfested districts in New Zealand. The diamond snake, if much teased, will strike a human being, but the carpet snake will never bite anyone, and many hundreds are the beloved pets of children in Northern Queensland. PoKENOv