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Snakes Plague Pipeline Project
By John Anderson
July 07, 2004
 

THOUSANDS of toads, snakes of all persuasions, lizards by the score, wallabies, dingoes, echidnas and even the odd cow or two have fallen into the 370km gas pipeline trench under construction between Moranbah and Townsville.

With the exception of the toads, all have been returned to the wild by reptile experts Steve Wilson and Gerry Swan, who are working on the pipeline project.

The two men are employed by the pipeline construction authority, the North Queensland Gas Pipeline Alliance, to rescue and relocate animals which become trapped in the trench.

During the four days July 2-5 the pair rescued 134 snakes from the trench and returned them to the wild. Since work on the pipeline started in March they have recovered well over 2500 animals. They have even caught three large freshwater turtles which tumbled into the trench.

Mr Wilson, who is on six months' leave from the Queensland Museum, said he and Mr Swan, a fauna consultant to the Australian Museum, placed wet bags every 250 metres along the trench. He said reptiles that tumbled into the trench sought shelter under the bags.

He said earth ramps located every 500 metres along the trench allowed larger animals such as wallabies and dingoes to escape.

The pair said they had not encountered any king brown snakes and feared the species was being killed off by toads. Few goannas had also been rescued, sparking fears that they too were falling victim to toads. They said they had yet to catch a taipan in the trench.

But they had caught a large number of highly venomous eastern brown snakes.

A number of animals thought to be rare were turning out to be common. The ornamental snake which resembles the death adder is listed as vulnerable but was found to be plentiful in the Moranbah and Collinsville area.

"We've pulled 98 out of the trench," Mr Wilson said.

Dead animals in the trench are being saved for the Queensland Museum's collection while DNA from others is being sent to the Australian Museum.

Queensland's Environmental Protection Agency also will benefit from data collated by Mr Wilson and Mr Swan.

Journal articles also will be written for the pipeline industry on the methods used to save and repatriate animals caught in trenches.

"The pipeline industry has a duty of environmental care when digging long, open trenches and the North Queensland Gas Pipeline Alliance is addressing this," Mr Wilson said.

He said a second article would be prepared on the species found along the pipeline while a third journal article would be devoted to the large numbers of ornamental snakes encountered.

Source: Newspaper. Townsville Bulletin, July 07, 2004.