Before anyone gets too close
Broad yards call for accurate landmarks
Pools, tennis courts, garden sheds and bush-facing fences can be far apart. The last exact landmark is more useful than a broad area description.
PET EMERGENCY CONTACTS
St Ives veterinary contacts
Keep these details separate from the snake-removal number. The catcher handles the snake; a veterinary team assesses the pet. If both are needed, make the veterinary call without waiting for capture.
snake near a pool, court or shed
sighting at a school or playing field
movement towards national-park vegetation
Keep people and pets back
Bring pets and children inside and do not walk the perimeter. Watch from a window or sheltered patio well away from the snake.
Do not touch, trap, corner or try to kill the snake. Bring children and pets away and call a trained reptile handler.
What to look at later
Control rodents, store sporting and garden equipment neatly and maintain a clear strip around frequently used outdoor areas.
No property can be completely snake-proof. The practical aim is better visibility, fewer hiding places and less food for rodents, without harming native wildlife.
PET SAFETY / DETAILS CHECKED 17 AUGUST 2026
Where to ring about a pet
The first card is a practical clinic for the local area. The second card is a hospital that advertises 24-hour emergency care. Neither requires you to move closer to the snake or transport it.
Open seven days at the time checked; confirm availability by phone.
The Artarmon hospital states that it is open 24/7 for emergencies.
Selection from the middle of St Ives cannot account for every road or open clinic. Confirm where the veterinary team wants you to go before starting the trip.
Independent contact information only. Snake Catcher 24/7 Sydney is not affiliated with these veterinary providers. In a life-threatening pet emergency, follow the veterinary team's instructions immediately.
The best way onto the site
Name the driveway, school gate or field and identify a fixed object near the last sighting. Mention long internal access roads.
Let us know whether the snake is inside or outside, whether a gate or door is locked and whether animals are still on the property.
A calm description is enough
We will ask where the snake was last seen, what sort of property it is and the safest place to meet you. An existing photo can be useful, but nobody should move closer to take one. Once we know the situation, we can give you an honest indication of availability and travel time.
LOCAL VISUAL / REGIONAL CONTEXT
Suburb map and regional view
Buffalo Creek — a regional reference for the creek lines and bush corridors threaded through northern Sydney.
Photo: Maurice van Creij / Wikimedia Commons ↗ · CC BY 3.0 ↗. Cropped for display.
St Ives map: use this to check the wider road, reserve and waterway pattern—not to approach a snake. Provider attribution appears inside the map.
Local habitat and snake activity St Ives
Bushland gullies, sandstone and mature gardens can produce encounters with diamond pythons and smaller forest snakes; wetter creek lines may suit red-bellied black snakes. Venomous species can vary in appearance, so every unknown snake deserves distance.
Diamond python
Can use mature trees, roof spaces, thick gardens, rockwork and sheltered structures.
Do not use this as an ID: Do not approach because a pattern appears familiar; large pythons can still defend themselves.
Australian Museum species guide ↗Golden-crowned snake
A small nocturnal snake associated with moist forest, sandstone, leaf litter, logs and rocks.
Do not use this as an ID: The pale crown can be incomplete or hard to see, and a defensive posture is not a safe ID test.
Australian Museum species guide ↗Red-bellied black snake
Often associated with wetter habitat such as creeks, drains, wetlands and dam margins.
Do not use this as an ID: The red or pink flank may be hidden from view, especially from above.
Australian Museum species guide ↗These are habitat-based possibilities for the wider district, not a claim that any species is common on a particular St Ives property. The Sydney snake identification guide explains the limits of visual identification.
Call 000 immediately. Keep the person still and calm, apply a pressure immobilisation bandage, and do not wash, cut or suck the bite. Follow the emergency operator and Healthdirect guidance ↗.
Common local questions
Answers for St Ives
Can you attend a St Ives school ground?
Yes. Move students away, stop grounds work and have a staff member meet the catcher at the agreed gate.
Is the snake moved humanely?
The aim is safe capture and humane relocation in line with current NSW requirements. The snake should not be handled by an untrained person.
Can I make a St Ives property snake-proof?
No property can be made completely snake-proof. Control rodents, store sporting and garden equipment neatly and maintain a clear strip around frequently used outdoor areas.
The local background comes from NSW Environment — Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park landscape ↗, with snake safety checked against NSW Environment guidance ↗. Habitat can vary from street to street, so we do not claim that a particular species is common at any address.