On Monday this week, the Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) unlawfully demanded in writing that Snakebusters® hand over their legally held Venomoid (surgically devenomized) snakes to be used by the DSE for their own inferior reptile shows, which they operate in competition to Snakebusters. This followed on from them abusing their commercial and regulatory position by having unlawfully shut Snakebusters down in March this year on false pretexts.
Snakebusters are the only reptile display company in Australia that takes safety seriously and has the expertise to have these snakes.
Yesterday, a Judge at VCAT made an order prohibiting the illegal demand by the DSE. They are not allowed to steal the legally owned property of Snakebusters – it is that simple!
Today in separate proceedings the Supreme Court of Appeal agreed that a different VCAT Judge (Pamela Jenkins) had broken the law to have cancelled Raymond Hoser / Snakebusters licences on 9 March this year on instruction from DSE, causing chaos with hundreds of bookings cancelled and costing Snakebusters tens of thousands of dollars in lost income. On top of this was the vast amount of adverse publicity for the company arising from false and defamatory media releases by the DSE widely promoted by inexperienced business competitors of Snakebusters seeking to benefit out of the situation. It should be noted that two other newly licenced reptile display companies in particular had engaged the "services" of a friend in the DSE to launch the illegal attacks on Snakebusters so as to enable them to steal established Snakebusters clients.
While it is gratifying to see a wrong and unlawful decision reversed by a court of law, this reversal came too late for at least one man (Andrew Smith) who is now dead from snakebite as a result of Snakebusters being unable to provide services as originally booked and him then having to engage the services of a less experienced and unsafe provider.
With Snakebusters now operating as normal again, people across Australia can again avoid taking risks by booking with Australia’s best reptiles and the only guaranteed risk free venomous snake shows, operated by Australia’s leading reptile experts.
Snakebusters are alone in our industry with experience in the reptile business in excess of 30 years and a perfect safety record.
Snakebusters are also again providing the only internationally recognised snake handling courses taught by experts with verifiable experience in excess of 30 years! There is now no need for people to take risks with inexperienced imitators who teach wrong and dangerous handling methods.
Finally, we thank our many loyal friends, clients and fellow wildlife lovers who have given all possible support in these trying times as we have fought these unlawful attacks from DSE officers and others.
We also wish to thank those people within DSE and the Victoria Police who contacted us to apologise for the criminal actions and misconduct of their work colleagues.
Snakebusters do intend serving a demand for damages and compensation on DSE for their gross misconduct and unlawful actions, including criminal damage to property in a heavily armed raid on 17 August last year, which caused damage to property and in which they killed a number of perfectly healthy snakes.
More detail will be published on the Snakebusters website shortly!
In the meantime we hope that the DSE will now cease and desist from their unlawful activities and allow the Snakeman® Raymond Hoser and the dedicated Snakebusters team to concentrate on what they do best, which is educating Australians with the best hands-on reptile shows in Australia.

Snakebusters® – Australia’s best reptiles® shows.
Phone: 03 9812 3322

© 8 June 2012, Snakebusters®, independently rated as Australia's best reptiles®. All Rights Reserved.
Snakebusters®, Snake Man®, Raymond Hoser® and trading phrases including, Hold the animals®, Hands on reptiles®, Handle the animals®, Snake Catcher®, Reptile Party®, Reptile Parties®,includes variants that accurately describe our business and are registered trademarks, for which unauthorised use is forbidden. We will take legal action for breaches! This is including for activities indicated underneath: