BY NATALIE GALLENTI
A SNAKE handler who performed at this year’s Brimbank Festival believes he is being unfairly targeted by the Department of Sustainability and Environment.
The self-proclaimed “snake man” Raymond Hoser from Snakebusters was sentenced in the Melbourne County Court last month for breaching his Commercial Wildlife Demonstrator Licence.
However, Mr Hoser said his guilty plea to nine offences committed at demonstrations between November 2008 and July 2009, was to save on extensive legal fees.
“The County Court case was a guilty plea as I could not afford to take on DSE in a trial estimated to run at least 10 days,” the Park Orchards man said.
He also hit back at claims that he put his daughter and the wider public at risk when showcasing his devenomised snakes. A video showing a taipan and a death adder biting his 10-year-old daughter in a bid to show they were devenomised and safe caused shock waves throughout the community, but Mr Hoser said it was blown way out of proportion.
“All the fuss made over the video was a cynical twist. I was made out to be the father from hell. This was all commercially motivated.” Mr Hoser said it was now “business as usual”. “We have put on 10,000 shows in seven years and there has never been an incident. Instead of being hailed as the good guys, we have been demonised.”
