SHOWS, DISPLAYS, LECTURES, PARTIES, ETC
'Snakebusters is Australia's best "hands on" live reptile show' (Monash Journal 27 June 2005).
To find out why more Australians see "Snakebusters" than any other mobile reptile show, read on.
Most expertise
Most "hands on"
World's Deadliest Snakes (Devenomized) - Zero Risk! (see below)
Most reptiles
Best education
Best "extras"
Most fun!
"Snakebusters", the multi-award winner is owned by Australia's Snakeman, Raymond Hoser.
"Snakebusters" and Snakeman Raymond Hoser are always in the media.
This includes on TV as a wildlife expert, in the news for discovering a new species or some other scientific breakthrough, regular radio spots, Melbourne's best-known emergency snake catching expert and more.
But the major part of the enterprise is reptile shows, displays and the like. Snakebusters and Snakeman Raymond Hoser are synonymous with the best live reptile shows in Australia. Comparisons of various travelling live reptile and wildlife shows by independent news media journalists have consistently rated snakebusters as tops. Based on major events bookings, snakebusters is easily Australia's largest (most seen) live reptile show business as well. And unlike three outfits that first started in 2006/7, also claiming many years of "experience", everything we say about ourselves is easily independently verified!
Click here to view some of our upcoming (free to the public) festival and event show venues.
Twice voted as Australia's most respected herpetologist, there is probably no one else who knows his stuff more than Raymond Hoser. In 1989 his first book, the definitive 240 page "Australian Reptiles and Frogs" was published by a commercial publisher (Pierson and Co.). It is still regarded as the mandatory reptile book for Australian reptile people.
His often world-first research findings into creepy crawlies, as published in more than 150 scientific papers and articles are cited everywhere. As for his snake shows, no one can entertain like Snakeman Raymond Hoser and his expert staff.
His energy and sense of humor is legendary and those who have had a Hoser snake show or display would swear never to have another by someone else ever again.
Raymond Hoser's unrivalled talent, leading reptile expertise and celebrity status are legendery and always a drawcard when promoting an event with Snakebusters. Most people have seen Hoser's face on TV shows as diverse as "Totally Wild" (10), "Talk to the animals" (9), "The Magician" (9), "Coxy's Big Break" (9), "AFL Footy Show" (9), The news (all networks), "Today Tonight" (7), "A Current Affair" (9), "7.30 Report" (2) and documentaries as well as in dozens of newspapers, including all the major metro dailies and in major reptile show events in shopping malls and the like across Australia. But what really puts the snakebusters shows above all others is the reptiles themselves. These are the biggest, brightest, healthiest and best of all, snakebusters shows are "full on - hands on".
HANDS ON?
As a rule we let audience members handle everything (except the deadlies - see below).
Inferior outfits sometimes also claim "hands-on", but there is a vast difference between snakebusters "hands on" and the others. For the few rival outfits that have "hands on", the trend is to bring one or two of each kind of reptile. This means that only a few people get to hold them, people have to wait a while for their turn (bad when there are bored fidgeting kids), or the "hands on" is really "hands off" as the person is forced to hand over their reptile to the next waiting person. With a snakebusters show we bring lots of each kind (typically 15 pythons at a time and a similar number of lizards, etc), meaning that people don't get bored waiting for their turn, and the show really is full-on hands on.
Shows are tailored to fit the audience at hand and Raymond Hoser (or his skilled co-worker/s) will adapt the show or display on the run (if neccessary) to better fit his customers.
For example, some people are afraid of anything scaly and have to be treated differently to those who have little or no fear of reptiles. The same applies in terms of how much people know or the age of the audience.
While most talks and shows go just under the hour, these can be varied, although as a rule, audiences are spell-bound for as long as Raymond Hoser talks or the reptiles "walk".
For School groups and similar, most of the time, the audience is kept to about 30-50 people (one or two classes at a time) and they are spread out in any configuration that suits, so long as all can see, whereafter Raymond or his staff bring out the reptiles and then show, tell and do "hands on" in the interactive show that puts Snakebusters ahead of all others.
However unlike other outfits that strictly limit audience size, there is no upper limit to the number of people who can see a given show, which is a bonus for those with budgetary constraints. This must obviously be the case for large festivals and shows which sometimes have hundreds or even thousands of people seeing a single Snakebusters show.
In almost all talks, tame non-venomous snakes are brought out and freely handled by the audience and likewise for slow-moving lizards.
CROCODILES, TORTOISES, FROGS, ETC?
We have these too and as a rule these critters feature in our shows ... yes you can hold a croc and scream "Crikey" if you want.
Snakebusters are the only live show outfit in the world with world's five deadliest snakes (Taipan (1), Inland Taipan (AKA Fierce Snake) (2), Brown (3), Tiger (4), Death Adder (5)), lots of pythons, crocodiles, lizards and tortoises. Anything else is only part of a show!
This makes Snakebusters the only "full" show in Melbourne!
VENOMOUS SNAKES.
These are our most popular shows and even the venomous snake talks end with the nicer (harmless) snakes as invariably almost everyone wants to touch one. While in the past professional snake handlers such as Raymond Hoser minimised the risks of bites due to their expert handling skills, snakes being snakes may still occasionally bite either handler, one another, or in worse case scenarios a member of the public.
This minimal risk has scared people away from venomous snake shows in this age of public liability and legal actions. To solve this problem snakebusters have for several years routinely used (venomous) snakes that have had their venom glands surgically removed ... the snakes look identical (it is impossible to tell the difference, other than by doing surgery to check), so as to make sure that there is ABSOLUTELY NO RISK to anyone.
Snakebusters are the only reptile lecturers to have such snakes in Australia (we call them "venomoid"), being the only people to date to have successfully performed the operation faultlessly on dozens of snakes (including all five deadly species from Victoria and adjacent areas, as well as better known northern Australian kinds such as Taipans), making them the first choice for in-school and other "close quarters" talks for people concerned about safety matters.
Putting it another way, you'll never look at deadly snakes the same way again!
From an animal welfare point of view the venomoids are better off than their "hot" counterparts due to the need to no longer "neck" (head lock) or tail handle (pick up the snake by the genital region), which is generally the only safe way to handle otherwise deadly snakes, both of which painfully stress and torment snakes every single time it's done.
Legal note: Snakebusters are the ONLY government licenced reptile demonstrators operating in Victoria, to have had approval from an ethics committee, DPI clearance AND been formally cleared by Worksafe Victoria to take venomous species into public places for the purposes of doing demonstrations. Furthermore, since July 2005, it's also a criminal offence under "Section 32" the "Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004", to demonstrate venomous snakes that have not been surgically devenomized in public, which explains why in Victoria at least, other wildlife demonstrators either don't use venomous species, or break the law doing so. Any alleged insurance protection by the demonstrator is void if the law is broken.
If it isn't Snakebusters - then it's a risk!
VARIETY.
Snakebusters have a huge variety of critters, including some that no one else have. So whether it's newly discovered snakes like "Acanthophis woolfi", "Acanthophis bottomi" or "Acanthophis cummingi" (all being species discovered and named by Raymond Hoser), Jaffas (AKA "Collett's"), favourites like Inland Taipans (sometimes rated the deadliest snake on earth), or the pythons (the big harmless lumps), snakebusters are the only reptile outfit in Australia with these and the other kinds that count.
MORE.
Raymond Hoser only uses reptiles in optimal health and condition for his shows. Hence there is no known germ or disease risk from the reptiles. Furthermore, there is no undue cruelty or stress on the reptiles, (including in terms of the venomoid operation, that significantly reduces stress and cruelty on captive snakes in the long term). This is also evident by the placid and unagitated nature of the show snakes and other reptiles, including for example the many Tiger or Eastern Brown Snakes that make no attempt to bite or flee from the handler. (Tiger and Brown snakes routinely handled with hooks, pinning sticks and tongs (normal with "deadly" snakes) tend be be stressed and agitated and will generally attempt to flee or bite). No one besides Raymond Hoser will do a show holding in his hands ten Tiger Snakes, half a dozen or more Death Adders, Browns, Blacks, Copperheads, Taipans and other deadly species all at once allowing for an unparallelled comparison of different species and varieties.
In terms of the snakebusters reptiles, you'll be amazed at just how much handling and human contact these reptiles will happily put up with.
Actually, most take it in their stride!
For groups who've had a snake or reptile talk before, Raymond Hoser can bring along different kinds and give it all such a different slant that it'll definitely be an experience not to be missed. Generally, Raymond Hoser's shows are regarded as being so superior to others, that anything else is simply regarded as dull and second rate.
Raymond Hoser and snakebusters operate out of Melbourne Australia, but travel across the country to do lectures and talks and have in the recent past done presentations in NSW, the ACT and Queensland. However due to legal and travel requirements, the booking and pricing schedule for non-Victorian or out of Melbourne reptile displays is not quite as flexible, although we will do our best.
ETHICS.
Snakebusters operate with the highest ethical standards. Besides the fact that all staff have all the mandatory clearances, such as National and Victorian Police checks, (Victorian) "Working With Children Check", demonstrators and/or other relevant permits from the wildlife authorities (various states), DPI and animal ethics committee approvals, and worksafe clearances, all staff have also had further integrity checks done at our expense. They have also been formally trained in Australia's most highly regarded reptile handling course, meaning that the customer only gets the best. Everything on our website is accurate and you will not find unsubstantiated and false claims on our sites or "sale pitch". The most common false claims seen elsewhere being alleged years of experience with reptiles that are in reality "non-existent" or alleged expertise with reptiles that in reality also does not exist. If newly licenced companies can't tell the truth in terms of things like time in business, experience and the like, should they be trusted at your home, business or with your children?
EXTRAS.
Snakebusters are the only outfit with ALL the extras. Whether it's expertise for tricky situations, the widest possible range of species and kinds of critters, Books, CD's, DVD's, Videos, consulting, invitations for birthday parties, downloaded or posted out or a library of thousands of photos for pre-publicity for an event, we've got it.
Major events (e.g. shows) that book Raymond Hoser and Snakebusters can tap into these resources and greatly increase their attendance by promoting the act beforehand due to the widspread recognition of both names and the fact that they are synonymous with the best reptile shows and the most expertise in Australian reptiles. This is particularly important when more than one event may be on a given weekend (as is common in warmer months) and an event with Raymond Hoser and "Snakebusters" will invariably pull a greater crowd and be better received than any inferior wildlife show at a competing event.
Shopping malls routinely book several seasons in advance to get the jump on rivals by having Snakebusters as their School Holiday entertainment feature.
In terms of costs, there is a widespread perception that because Snakebusters are the industry leaders, they must also be the most expensive. This isn't so. In fact our costs are within the same ranges as newer inferior outfits.
For availability, pricing and other details please phone (within Australia): 0412 777 211.
Non-urgent email inquiries via our bookings page at:
http://www.snakebusters.com.au/sbsboo1.htm
Event and party bookings and urgent inquiries please phone:
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia:
(03) 9812 3322 or 0412 777 211