A hundred years ago, it was legal to kill snakes, catch snakes, keep snakes as pets or do anything else you wanted with snakes. In fact there was no regulation of them whatsoever.
So what happened?
Well in the 1970's keeping snakes and other reptiles was outlawed in Australia and Snakes were effectively removed from the private sector.
Governments across Australia outlawed private ownership of frogs and reptiles, under threat of big fines and/or jail.
None of this had anything to do with the welfare of the snakes or wildlife conservation in general.
In fact it was all about driving people to the government-owned zoos and natural history museums to see the snakes there instead.
That way they made more money.
You may not know this, but customer surveys at zoos worldwide show the snakes and reptiles the most frequently visited exhibits at zoos.
Laws were changed in the 1990's to allow most Australians to be able to keep snakes as pets yet again.
Unfortunately now you need to get a license first and cannot go bush and catch your own. You must "buy" from a legal licensed supplier.
No license and you are still liable to be jailed if caught!
Getting a license is easy.
Just hand over your cash and the government gives you the bit of paper.
It is that easy.
Remember it is all about money!
In some states you are allowed to keep common species of snake without a license, but please get it right first before you launch into the path of keeping any reptile without licenses.
It may end in tears!
Getting over the license hurdles and you will find snakes make amazing pets, even if they do little more than sit around doing nothing all day.
Some snakes even live for decades.
Problem is that when they do get old, some just slow down and age gracefully, while others look great way beyond their time and then die with very little warning.
But the clock always gets them in the end!
Specialist pet shops usually sell a selection of snakes and if their range is down, then they usually can direct you to breeders themselves.
Venomous snakes are either outlawed, or only allowed with a specialist license and in any event most pet shops won't touch them.
Enjoy the journey of snake keeping and take the warning:
Snakes are addictive.
