- Tony Harrison, 57, from Logan Village, Qld always has always been fascinated by Aussie reptiles
- He started his business Gold Coast Snake Catchers by the time he was 30
- Along with his wife Brooke and son Jensen, they catch snakes and release them into the wild
Here Tony shares his story in his own words.
Spying an eastern brown snake wedged between two couch cushions, I gingerly grabbed the slithery sucker by the tail.
A frightened bloke, who lived down the road from our home, had called me to remove the reptile from his lounge room. I’d been in the middle of something when he phoned, so I brought along my wife Brooke, 32, and our son Jensen, nine, to help.
‘Open the bag please, mate,’ I instructed my boy.
Holding the deadly creature at arm’s length, I carefully deposited it inside the large sack that Jensen was holding.
As I twisted the bag shut, my neighbour let out a sigh of relief.
‘Well done, mate!’ I smiled at Jensen.
Wrangling snakes isn’t typically a family activity, but my boy’s been handling reptiles since before he could even talk!
”Help! There’s a snake in my shoe!‘ someone panicked.’
As a young fella myself, I’d always been fascinated by Aussie reptiles.
Growing up in Kellyville, NSW, I’d ride my bike around the nearby bush where I’d spot all sorts of wildlife.
When I was old enough, I adopted my own pet snakes.
Time passed and, in my late 20s, a red belly black snake bit me and I was rushed to hospital. Thankfully, I didn’t need any antivenom.
Although it was scary, it didn’t stop my passion for serpents. If anything, it made me want to catch snakes and place them back in the wild so other people didn’t get hurt.
By 30, I’d started my business, Gold Coast Snake Catchers.
Every day I’d have messages from locals asking me to come and remove reptiles from their homes. Often the animals would be hiding in the most obscure places.
Help! There’s a snake in my shoe! someone messaged me in a panic one day.
Another time one was hiding in a lady’s undies’ drawer!
After carefully capturing the slithery creatures, I found so much joy in setting them free back in the bush where they belonged.
In 2013 when I was 45, I met Brooke, then 22, at our local servo where she worked. She mentioned she wanted to buy a python and, when I told her what I did for a living, she asked if she could join me on my next job.
I never imagined that when I got called out to catch a snake, I’d wind up catching a partner too!
We soon became inseparable and a few months later, Brooke got her reptile permit so she could work alongside me.
When she fell pregnant the following year, we were stoked. Incredibly, she still kept working but could only handle non-venomous snakes.
I was overjoyed when our son, Jensen, was born in April 2015.
Our boy was helping catch snakes at just one day old!
On the way home from hospital, we stopped in at Wet’n’Wild theme park for a quick job. Brooke handed our son to a security guard, then she and I climbed through a 20-metre hedge to catch a green tree snake.
‘Our boy’s already helping catch snakes at just one day old!’ I chuckled.
As Jensen grew, so did his passion for reptiles.
He loves being near the crocs, turtles and lizards we have in the enclosures at our house, for our reptile shows at schools and events.
Jensen was just two years old when he caught his very first snake – a non-venomous keelback.
‘He’s Australia’s youngest snake catcher!’ I cheered.
Handling the animals with care and fascination, it was clear he’s a natural with them.
So when he asked to come along to work with us, we couldn’t say no. He loved helping out by either holding the bag or shining a torch into the nooks and crannies where the reptiles hid.
And our clients loved seeing how fearless our boy was around the slithery serpents.
‘They’re more frightened of you than you are of them,’ I’d tell people.
But I have had some hairy moments over the years, including several bites from venomous reptiles, which meant I needed antivenom.
By the time I’d met Brooke, I’d had so many vials of antivenom administered, that I’d built up a resistance and become allergic to the life-saving shot.
‘If you get bitten again there’s a chance you’ll die,’ the doctor warned me.
But I couldn’t give up my passion.
The day came in October 2024, when Brooke, Jensen and I were at a property to catch two eastern browns – the second deadliest snake in the world.
As I lifted the mating pair by their tails, one of them reared up and sank its teeth straight into my right wrist.
While my friend Ayla, another snake catcher at the property, safely removed the snake, the customer called an ambulance, which arrived in minutes.
‘Don’t die on us,’ Brooke pleaded.
As I was loaded into the ambulance, I was terrified it might be the last time I ever saw my family.
Arriving at Logan Hospital, paralysis kicked in. My tongue swelled and my eyes began to droop.
I’m a goner, I thought, panicked. I’ll never get to see my boy grow up.
Unable to administer antivenom, doctors gave me paracetamol and antihistamines.
While I fought to stay awake, Jensen lay next to me in the bed.
‘Get better, Dad,’ he said.
‘I’m the luckiest man alive.’
It was all the encouragement I needed to cling on and, incredibly, just a few days later, I’d made a full recovery.
I’m the luckiest man alive, I thought, as Brooke drove us all home.
These days, I’m much more careful when it comes to catching snakes, not wanting to put myself or my family at risk.
As long as I’m around to see my boy grow up, I’ll be a happy man.
My family mean everything to me.
