Get smart about snakes with Luke

Every day Luke Cheyne comes face to face with the world’s most venomous snakes - voluntarily.

What is even more incredible is that even though he has been around them since the tender age of four, he has never been bitten.

Whether it is sheer luck, or his knowledge and handling of snakes which has kept him safe so far, he isn’t sure.

“I think it might only be a questions of when,” Luke said.

“But this is why we teach people about reptiles, so we can avoid being bitten.”

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Luke, who owns Luke’s Reptile Kingdom on the Gold Coast, and his team of handers will be at the South East Queensland Expo to present a range of demonstrations including what to do when you see a snake, what to do if you are confronted by an angry snake and how to treat a snake bite.

Watching his show might mean the difference between life and death.

“I had a mum come up to me at a show and she said her two boys had been out in the backyard and a brown snake had shot out of the grass and stopped right at one of the boy’s feet.

“He froze and the snake slithered away.

“He had seen my show three or four times, and he had drummed into his head that he shouldn’t run when he saw one. She was so thankful and the kid was proud to say he listened to what I said.

“I’ve also had farmers who have killed up to 32 snakes a season, who after seeing the show have left snakes alone. What we do is all about educating people and inspiring youth about conservation.”

Staggeringly, 90 per cent of snake bikes in Australian occur as a result of people trying to kill snakes.

“If we left them alone, we would save 90 per cent of bites,” Luke said.

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The show will not only feature snakes, but a range of monitors, goannas, lizards and a saltwater crocodile, which expo goers will have the opportunity to meet. 

Keep an eye on the South East Queensland Expo Facebook page. The expo is giving away 25 free kids passes to Luke’s Reptile Kingdom and five free wildlife photos with a crocodile hatching each day.