On May 12, 2:29 am, "FarmI" <ask@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
be given> wrote:
> "Nick Maclaren" <n...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
> > > Des Higgins <dazzhigg...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:
> > |> It is very hard to have a sensible conversation about venomous
animals
> > |> with Australians in the room. They are apt to interject with
> > |> statements like:
> > |> "the ones back home are the size of a dog and will take your leg
off
> > |> clean at the knee as soon as they look at you."
>
> > Indeed. They do have a point that they do have some seriously
venomous
> > animals, though not as much so as they often make out.
>
> My experience has been a bit different, but then I live in Australia. I
can
> understand the expat/tourist hyperbole put on for an audience of
> non-Australians, but the odd question from the listener should sort out
the
> genuine from the liars. I find it rather depends on where the
Australians
> live and what their experiences have been with our venomous wildlife.
>
> I've found that Autralians born in large towns and who have never lived
in
> the country are far more paranoid about s****s than those who are
country
> born. I haven't yet come across any Australian who is more than mildly
> observant about sharks or spiders.
>
> And Des, they aren't as big as a dog, but the Brown s**** I have living
Ok ok; I am just jealous :-).
> somewhere in my garden is about 4 ft long (but we haven't managed to
kill
> him yet so we haven't measured - the mongrel has lived in my garden for
at
> least the last 6 years) and the Tiger s****s we've killed here have been
> about 3 and a half ft long and the Red Bellied Black s**** that lives
under
> our other house on our other farm is about 5 ft long but much less
venomous
> than the other two mentioned. So they are adults and the Brown and the
> Tiger have enough venom to kill a Jack Russell in about 20 minutes but
the
> Red BelliedBlack would take longer. Also enough to kill a human if not
> treated. The only person I have heard of who has been bitten by a s****
in
> this area in the last 20 years suffered no ill damage as the first
strike
> from the brown s**** puctured his jeans and his skin but injected no
venom.
|
