Australians warned to brace for more encounters with deadly venomous snakes
Australians are being warned to be prepared for increased encounters with venomous snakes as the deadly reptiles move closer to homes.
Snakes are migrating towards densely populated coastlines with rising temperatures, making their traditional inland habitats unsuitable, according to an international research project.
The expected change will occur along the east coast of Australia, including Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
Australia has already felt the pinch of this trend in 2024, which has been confirmed by the World Meteorological Organization as the hottest year on record; The country has seen a 35 percent increase in emergency calls for snake bites.
In the spring and early summer of that year alone, between September 1 and December 20, the NSW poison information center received 320 calls about snake bites.
Approximately 400,000 injuries occur each year due to snake bites, 138,000 of which result in death.
The World Health Organization aims to reduce these numbers by 50 percent over the next four years.
The new study, published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, tracked the habitats of all 508 medically important species of venomous snakes that can cause serious illness, death or long-term disability.
He predicted how their range would change by 2050 and 2090.
“Prior to this study, surprisingly little was known about the exact distribution of many medically important snakes, even common snakes that cause large numbers of bites,” the study says.
The top three medically important venomous snake species in Australia include the inland taipan, eastern brown snake and coastal taipan.
The research team found that the species with the most overlap with humans was the eastern brown snake, followed by the coastal taipan.
The eastern brown snake is the second most venomous snake in the world and the leading suspect in fatal snake bites in Australia.
According to the study, the snake’s range is expected to expand southward along the densely populated east coast by 2050 due to rising temperatures.
“Our predictions can be used to decide where to stock which antivenin, how to ensure adequate capacity of individual healthcare facilities, how to improve accessibility to healthcare in remote at-risk communities, and where to focus conservation efforts for threatened snake species,” the study authors said.
