Another Successful Working with Wildlife course!!!

The Working with Wildlife team have just returned from Queensland where they conducted a 2 day Catch & Relocate Venomous Snakes - Remote Regions course for North Goonyella Coal Mine.

Check out the feedback!! - 

Good Afternoon,

A big thank you must go out to you and your people. I have asked most people that attended the course last week and they have nothing but praise for you.

“Awesome”

“Amazing”

“Best ever”

Makes me want to attend myself. When they speak of the day they are animated and I can see they enjoyed themselves immensely. Thank you.

Regards

Caroline Miles

Training Administrator

North Goonyella Coal Mine

Peabody Energy Australia

It is fantastic to receive feedback like this - the goal of Working with Wildlife courses is to make the work environment a safer place by teaching people about snakes and their behaviour when they come into contact with people, but it is just that little more satisfying when people thoroughly enjoy what is being shown to them - shouldn't that be the purpose of any training course that you send your staff to - educational and enjoyable?

Is it worth considering a Working with Wildlife training course for your staff?

Check Out The Online Snake Awareness Course Now!!!

Readers of this blog that are interested in the Working with Wildlife Online Snake Awareness Course will be pleased to know that there have been a number of enhancements made to the course after feedback we have received from participants.

Among other things, you now get two chances to successfully complete the course!!! We added this functionality because there is so much information available through the course that it may take a couple of runs through it to absorb all the information it provides.

Give it a try - it is a fantastic course if you want to learn about snakes and their behaviour when they come into contact with people - we are sure that you will thoroughly enjoy it and have a much better understanding of snakes and their behaviour once you have completed it.

Want To Make A Real Difference?

People who have been to Working with Wildlife presentations, or read the information available on our website, will know that one of our goals is to help people get a better understanding of our environment and surroundings.

A great part of this business is that you get to meet people who have a similar mindset.

It is through meeting these likeminded people that we have recently been made aware of a competition that is being held in South Australia, called the Zero Carbon Challenge.

The competition involves builders who have been set the challenge to build a Zero Carbon Home.

There are 4 finalists left in the competition and Working with Wildlife's vote is going to Energy Aspect Living. This group is passionate about making a real difference in how homes are designed and built to reduce your carbon footprint.

They have set up a website called Zero Carbon Home where you can read about the Challenge.

Now, here's how you can make a difference!!!! As part of the Challenge, a Facebook Page has been set up where you can vote for the builder you think should win - we would encourage anyone who wants to make a real difference in how homes are built in the future to vote for Team Energy Aspect Living - they are second on the list.

Good luck Energy Aspect Living - you definitely have our vote!!

Snake bite fright in Banksia Park - Local News - News - Heidelberg Leader

Snake bite fright in Banksia Park - Local News - News - Heidelberg Leader

Looking For A Unique Christmas Present - Here It Is!!!

Just over a week to go before Christmas - are you still looking for a present to give a friend or relative that you can guarantee no-one else will give them?

What about the Working with Wildlife Snakes & Us - A Sensible Perspective e-Book?

If you, or people you know, live or holiday in areas where there is a chance that you could come into contact with a snake, the e-Book is the perfect gift to provide suggestions on how to reduce the chances of being bitten.

The book provides information on snakes, their actions when they come into contact with people and things that you can do to make your home, or holiday destination, less "snake friendly".

There is also Snake Bite First Aid instructions that come with the book - print these off and keep them in your car while you travel in the unlikely event that you, or someone you know, gets bitten, as these instructions contain the most up to date snake bite first aid techniques available.

Buying the book is easy - simply pay online and shortly after you will receive a link to download your copy as a PDF - that's it!!!

If you are buying the book as a gift, simply forward the download email to the person you are giving the gift to on Christmas Day with an e-Card!!!

Save it to your laptop, computer, e-reader, or anywhere else where you can read PDF documents and enjoy the contents.

Buying the Working with Wildlife e-Book just got easier!!!

People familiar with Working with Wildlife training resources will be aware of our e-Book - Snakes & Us - A Sensible Perspective.

We have been receiving feedback from customers asking if the e-Book could be more easily accessed as it tends to get "lost" amongst all the other equipment we have for sale in our shop.

We listened - the e-Book now has its own webpage where you can purchase it with as few as two clicks!!!!

If you have attended one of our awareness sessions and would like something to use as a "ready reference" for the information provided at these sessions, then our e-Book is the perfect choice.

Even if you haven't attended one of our awareness sessions or training courses and you're just curious about the information Working with Wildlife provides when presenting, our e-Book will give you a very good idea about what you will learn from our training.

We hope you enjoy the book and look forward to any feedback or questions you might have after reading it.

The Online Training Course Access Just Got Easier!!!

Long time readers of this blog are aware of our Online Snake Awareness Course where you can learn about snakes, their behaviour when they come into contact with people and things you can do to reduce the chances of being bitten by one through the courses we have available on the Net.

We have received feedback that getting access to the course is a bit of a hassle - emails and logins going back and forth to enrol when people just wanted to buy it and start the modules.

We're listening - you can now buy the online course direct from our webpage!!!!

Simply click the Buy Now button and complete the purchase via PayPal or by using your debit or credit card.

Once payment has been received your login details will be emailed to you and off you go!!!

If you run a business, there is a link under the Buy Now button to generate an email enquiry to us - you can pay full price for the course directly from the website if you like, but bulk enrolment discounts apply, so isn't it worth asking if you are eligible for a discount when you have numerous people that you need to enrol?

Thanks go out again to the team at Lumient - once again they listened to our requirements and provided us with a solution quickly and professionally.

To all those people who have asked for quicker access to course enrolment, there you are - and good luck with the course!!!!

Quality Online Snake Awareness Training Has Arrived!!!!

Long time followers of this blog and people who have checked out the Working with Wildlife website in the past would know that for some time now we have been working on a project to get the content of our snake awareness sessions online so that people who are unable to attend our snake awareness sessions in person can still learn about snakes and snake behaviour by training via the Net.

We are very excited to announce that the Working with Wildlife Online Snake Awareness Course has now been launched!!!!

A HUGE thank you must go out to Paul Coldrey and the team at Lumient who have created the course for us - to say there have been "issues" with the software development of this course is an understatement, but once we started using the services of Lumient the whole process went smoothly, on time and on budget - if you need any customised software development to improve your business give Lumient a call - you'll be most impressed.

There is still a small way to go before access to the online course is totally automated, but you can sign up for the course now simply by registering your interest via our website.

If you think you, your employees, or anyone you know, would benefit from knowing about how snakes react when they come into contact with people and actions you can take to reduce the chances of being bitten by one, contact us and we will be happy to provide you with further details.

Another Successful Presentation

With the weather starting to warm up again there has been an increase in snake sightings throughout Australia and the need for snake handling and awareness training is again on the increase.

The Working with Wildlife team has recently completed another successful 3 day Catch & Relocate Venomous Snakes course, this time with staff from Parks, Conservation and Lands in the A.C.T.

The Canberra Times did an article whilst we were up there, where Parks A.C.T. staff and Julian Craig from Working with Wildlife were interviewed on the subject of snakes, things you can do to discourage snakes from coming onto your property and ways to reduce the chances of being bitten by a snake if you happen to come into contact with one - have a read of the article via this link.

Thank you to all the staff at Parks A.C.T. - it is always a pleasure conducting courses for people who are keen to learn correct snake handling and relocation techniques.

For anyone who may come into contact with snakes now that the weather is beginning to warm up, please take a moment to have a look at the Working with Wildlife website - with the various handling courses, awareness sessions and equipment we have available, you will find everything you need to be better prepared for an increase in snakes in your area.

It's Starting To Warm Up Again!!!

I have just been reading this article where a 17 year old appears to have been bitten by a brown snake while walking in bushland.

The weather is starting to warm up again, so now is a good time to remind everyone about the services that Working with Wildlife can provide.

Whether it be "in person" training and awareness sessions, catching and first aid equipment, or something as simple as an e-Book, or online training course to get a better understanding of snakes and their behaviour, it is worth considering having a look at the Working with Wildlife website to see what we have to offer.

Remember, it has been a relatively wet winter throughout Australia this year, so there is more undergrowth around and as the weather warms up, this means there are more places for snakes to hide.

If nothing else, make sure you download a Snake Bite First Aid Instruction Sheet to keep in your car - hopefully you will never have to use it, but it is handy to know that it is in the glovebox just in case you, or someone you know, is unfortunate enough to be bitten by a snake.

Check Out The USA e-Book!!!

Long time readers of this blog would be aware that Working with Wildlife also has a website to learn about snakes of the USA - if you have never had a look at it, click here - there is a heap of information that makes for fascinating reading.

After many hours of work, the Snakes & Us In The USA - A Sensible Perspective e-Book has been completed and is now available.

If you are interested in snakes from other parts of the world (for all you readers outside the USA), if you intend to travel to the USA (as an example, the Australian Dollar is very strong against the U.S. Dollar at the moment - it might just be the right time to visit the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty and all the other wonderful sights of America), or you are simply looking for a fascinating read on an animal that is greatly misunderstood, then this e-Book is well worth a read.

We look forward to hearing your feedback on the book - and don't forget our Australian e-Book - it might be worth getting both just to compare the differences.

It Is Great To Hear Positive Feedback

Working with Wildlife recently received an email from a course attendee that we would like to share with you -

"I have completed a few courses since I did yours last year and I must say keep up the good work. By far the course you offered was far more thorough and had a far better safety focus on it (may be because industry courses have a higher safety aspect to the course??). Most other courses have been given with an implied knowledge of snakes which can, in some cases, be a disadvantage."

It is great to get this type of feedback because safety (of both the attendees and the reptiles) play a huge part in all of Working with Wildlife's training courses and awareness sessions.

Check out our website, see the courses we have on offer and consider doing our Online Snake Awareness course, or perhaps have a read our e-Book - we are confident that you will gain a much better understanding of snakes and their behaviour after doing so.

Remember, you can always contact us if there is any aspect of snakes and snake awareness that interests you - we are always happy to discuss any aspect of this subject with anyone interested in the topic.

Wildlife Animal Ethics Committee Approval

Working with Wildlife is proud to announce that the Department of Environment and Natural Resource's Wildlife Animal Ethics Committee has just granted us our licence (Number 272) to use animals whilst presenting our training courses!!!!

The significance of this achievement is that we have satisfied the committee that our training techniques and housing facilities take into account the care, safety, health and well being of our reptiles.

This is one aspect of our business that we have always been very conscious of - at all times the safety and well being of our trainees is paramount, but we are also very aware that our snakes need to be housed, transported, handled and rested appropriately at all times.

This is just another example of the level of professionalism you can be confident of receiving at a Working with Wildlife training course - not only will you receive what we believe is the best training available in this industry, but you can also be confident that our reptiles are always being well looked after.

Working with Wildlife USA Goes Live!!!!

We have just finished the Working with Wildlife USA website and updated the USA blog - check them out to learn about snakes and their behaviour in the USA.

Keep following these posts - we are working on a number of very exciting projects at the moment, so stay tuned for some VERY interesting developments on Working with Wildlife and our training courses!!!!

Introducing The New Business!!!!

For a number of years now we have been providing quality Snake Awareness and Snake Handling training via our old company - Balanced with Wildlife.

If you have a look at our old website you will notice that there have been a few internal changes and we would now like to introduce you to our new business Working with Wildlife.

As a customer you can be confident that little has changed, except for our name and our revamped website. Our contact numbers remain the same, you will still speak to the same team members you know through discussions over the past couple of years and you will receive the same quality training and information that you have come to expect from our business.

Check out the new website and contact us if you would like to know more - the same quality information is there as it always has been and there are also a few new surprises!!!!

Another Successful Working With Venomous Snakes Course

Balanced with Wildlife staff are back from another successful 3 day Working with Venomous Snakes course, this time for Rio Tinto in Tom Price, Western Australia.

The feedback from the course ranged from -

Brilliant, simply brilliant! Delivered by very professional trainers. This is the second course I have completed and by far the best. I was slightly apprehensive at the start but my fears were soon put to rest very quickly. The guys were brilliant, concise and friendly, very approachable and ran the course professionally. Thank you. Cheers.

to -

Graphics/slides could be bigger. Add basic catching tools into the price of the course. Overall very good. I learnt a heap. Very informative on identification and handling skills. Cheers!

We would like to thank all participants for their feedback - our trainers are currently reviewing our graphics/slides to see if they can be improved in any way and we have already been in contact with all participants and a large number of them have already ordered our catching kit packages.

Thanks go out to the staff at Rio Tinto Tom Price - our presenters commented on how well they were looked after whilst there and how receptive all participants were on the course.

Could This Have Been Prevented?

ANOTHER article about ANOTHER person who has died after being bitten by a snake in Nepal - it never ends.

On this occasion a 7 year old girl has lost her life.

This article highlights the need for appropriate snake bite first aid training to be made available to all people in Nepal - if what you read is accurate, the victim was unable to receive treatment on time because there were no doctors at the hospital.

Could appropriate first aid training have prevented this young death?

What A Horrible Read

Just reading this article from Nepal where an 18 month old child has died after being bitten by a snake while playing in his front yard.

These types of articles are almost impossible to imagine while we sit in the comfort of our homes watching our children play in our yards.

It makes you realise just how lucky we are.

Another Successful Snake Awareness Session

Balanced with Wildlife presented a 4 hour Snake Awareness Session to staff at the District Council of Mallala today and it was a resounding success!! Julian Craig was the presenter at the session and the feedback is already back on how good the presentation was.

One attendee writes -

"Riveting experience. Julian was the best and most interesting course instructor we have had in the last 10 years. The subject was very pertinent to our rural area with snakes an issue we have to deal with in our everyday lives. SENSATIONAL! Thank you"

Just to prove that we are being impartial, here is the "worst" comment we received (and there were over 20 feedback forms received) -

"Top course. Not boring and learnt a lot. Very interesting"!!!!

Well done Julian - if the comment above is the "worst" we ever get, then we have nothing to worry about!!

Just another example of the level of professionalism you receive when Balanced with Wildlife conducts a course for you - if there is a chance that your staff could ever come into contact with a snake in their workplace contact us and we will be happy to provide you with training or awareness sessions that are second to none.

The Tragedy In Pakistan

I am just reading this article from Pakistan with a very heavy heart - it discusses the increase in deaths by snake bite to children in Pakistan due of the unavailability of antivenin because of the current floods.

This issue is very close to the hearts of Directors of Balanced with Wildlife because a close friend of ours, now living in Australia but originally from Pakistan, has family still living there who are currently raising donations to help the Pakistani people in the flood ravaged areas - fortunately our friend's family's region was not affected by the floods.

Our thoughts go out to the Pakistani people affected by these floods and we hope that as much antivenin as you require to save the children and anyone else bitten by a snake is not far away.