A Flagstone man who said was lucky not to be bitten when he stepped barefoot on a black snake at his property has been forced to defend himself against claims his actions were deliberate.
Well-known local honey producer Jason Roebig said he accidentally killed the baby black snake when he trod on its head near his back door on Monday.
It comes as snakes are on the move with wet weather forcing them to search for dry spots around homes, like a Daisy Hill woman's letterbox.
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Mr Roebig, who owns Bee All Natural with wife Natasha, said he was lucky not to have been hurt in the early-morning encounter at his Bushman Drive address, as he walked outside without shoes on.
He looked down and saw the 50 centimetre snake still moving, before checking himself to make sure he had not been bitten.
Mr Roebig posted a photo of the snake on social media to make people aware they were in the area.
It attracted criticism, with one person saying the injuries in the photo did not stack up with a snake being accidentally trod on.
But Mr Roebig said he would not deliberately hurt an animal.
"It's a load of rubbish," he said.
"We have a strong respect for snakes. We might not like them but they play a role in our environment.
"I'm more about education, telling people they are out there, and to be careful.
"Where we live, we've got to accept that they are there.
"I am trained to catch snakes and I have appropriate certifications to do so.
"Why would I get trained to rescue and relocate snakes if I wanted to kill them?"
Mr Roebig had seen multiple snakes on his property over the years, and preferred seeing black ones.
"There's that old wives tale that they keep the brown ones away," he said.
OzCapture Snake Relocations' Glenn Lawrence said that was not true.
"It comes down to the bigger snake attacking the smaller one," he said.
Snake in the mail
A Daisy Hill woman found a special delivery in her mailbox on Tuesday - a two metre coastal carpet python.
Mr Lawrence said it was typical of the snakes he had rescued from that area.
"They are some of the biggest around," he said.
"And they're all so thick, plenty of girth. That's why it's important to put them back in the area, no miles away."
Mr Lawrence said rain and storms had snakes looking for dry places to wait out the weather.
"Places like under eaves and in barbecues," he said.
"I was stoked that it was in the mailbox and that no one had put letters in.
"It was a good call-out, that one."
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