Ten years of wild animal rescue reveals insights into human-reptile interactions

A new analysis of a decade-long collection of wildlife rescue records in New South Wales has provided new insights into how humans and reptiles interact in urban environments.

Researchers from Macquarie University worked with scientists from Charles Darwin University and the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water to analyze more than 37 000 records of snake and lizard rescues in the Greater Sydney region between 2011 and 2021.

Their study, entitled “Interactions between reptiles and humans: a perspective based on wildlife rehabilitation files”, is published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

Lead author Teagan Pyne, who completed a master’s degree in conservation biology at Macquarie University, says the data allowed her team to bring together a unique set of perspectives on human-wildlife interactions in urban areas.

“The paper highlights how wildlife rescue models reflect public perceptions of different animals,” she says. “Larger reptiles attract people’s attention, out of fear or because they are seen as a nuisance, unlike wild mammals or birds which are usually rescued when injured,” says Pyne.

“In contrast, small, common reptiles like garden skinks barely show up in our data, not because they are rare, but because people simply don’t notice or report them.”

Increased human interactions

The paper’s corresponding author, conservation biologist Dr Chris Jolly from Macquarie University’s School of Natural Sciences, says the research offers timely insight into human interactions with urban wildlife through the lens of reptile rescues.

“As urbanization grows globally, interactions between humans and wildlife will inevitably increase,” says Dr Jolly. “This study helps us understand the patterns behind these interactions.”

Australia’s largest city, Sydney, is teeming with scaly life, and Dr Jolly says the surprising abundance of large reptiles can be partly attributed to the city’s conservation of large tracts of bushland, benefiting native wildlife .

“Sydney’s natural landscape, with its waterways and rolling hills, means we have the joy of having reptiles, such as eastern blue-tongued lizards, in our suburban gardens,” says -he.

Size matters

The study found a clear trend toward larger reptiles in rescue records, with two species accounting for nearly two-thirds of all reptile rescues. These are the elegant but highly venomous red-bellied black snake and the eastern blue-tongued lizard, often considered a harmless garden companion.

“Wildlife rehabilitators receive calls to rescue injured animals, and they often rescue injured blue-tongued lizards,” says Dr. Jolly. “But our data shows that the most common reason for rescuing reptiles is ‘unsuitable environment,’ often code for removing snakes from yards.”

Another apparent trend in reptile rescues was seasonal, with numbers tripling between August and September as the Australian spring began. Spatial patterns saw rescues concentrated in areas with denser human populations and along main roads.

But if the activity of reptiles varies according to the seasons, human activity also varies; and Dr Jolly says wildlife rescue data depends on the combination of reptile activity and people’s behavior and location.

Yet despite the large number of reptiles living in the urbanized area of ​​Sydney, including many large, highly venomous snakes, very few snake bites are recorded.

“People call to have venomous snakes removed because they fear them, but public awareness also means that people wear shoes when they go out and know which snakes are venomous and which are not,” explains the Dr. Jolly.

Lead author Professor Rick Shine says the team compared the data with a similar survey conducted 20 years earlier.

“Even though the number of rescues has increased tenfold, the same large species continue to dominate reptile rescue records,” says Professor Shine.

He says wildlife rescue datasets are a remarkable resource that can provide valuable insights into human-wildlife interactions and complement traditional survey techniques.

The researchers also highlight the potential of wildlife rescue data to inform targeted public education campaigns and management strategies, particularly regarding seasonal snake activity and prevention of road fatalities.