Snake catcher Peter Child thinks people are too ready to reach for the phone when they see a venomous snake in the garden.
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Too often, he feels, the eastern brown is no danger and should just be allowed to go on its way. He was speaking as the hot weather brought snakes indoors.
"Canberra's the bush capital. If you can't learn to live with snakes, you're probably living in the wrong place," the head of Canberra Reptile Zoo said.
"Snakes can come and go so, if you see one in a playground or a garden and there's a way out, don't call.
"If you see a snake, you're safe because once you've seen them, all you've got to do is avoid them. It's that simple.
"It's good to observe the animal and to notify people, so keep an eye on them, even just for a peace of mind. It's good to know where these animals go.
"If you do see them and you do leave them alone, I guarantee they will definitely leave you alone as well."
He said that callouts to snake catchers ranged from $100 to $150, and the charge was paid even if the snake had taken off by the time the catcher got there.
His own organisation, he said, was not-for-profit but it had to cover the high cost of insurance.
All the same, he emphasised that people should call a catcher if a snake got into a house and was trapped.
"Anytime the snake is in a position where it can't exit that position easily, then you need to call us. Maybe they'll hide inside a washing machine or shoes, you'll catch a glimpse of them," he said.
"So it might be inside your house, which is clearly a time to call someone like us.
"It might be trapped in a courtyard where it can't exit, it might be in a playground, but the playground would have to be enclosed.
"If you are concerned, you can always call and we are happy to talk you through whether we feel you need someone like us or not."
In the past four weeks, the Reptile Zoo has had a big increase in calls, including on Christmas Day.
"A lot of the time when we attend these callouts, the snakes don't actually need to be interfered with or removed,' Mr Child said.
"People just see these animals in the wild and feel that because it's there they have to do something about it."
Mr Child was planning to give educational talks on snakes at the Reptile Zoo on New Year's Eve at noon.
"We just need to appreciate the fact that these animals are here all the time and they're around us all the time, and they're not a threat to us unless we interfere with them.
"So the best piece of advice I can give to people is that if you are concerned about snakes in your yard, don't leave rubbish, clean under, scrub out.
"If you've got children playing in the yard, don't leave their toys out upside down."
