60 Years a Herper.
Neville Burns celebrates a significant landmark by remembering, as best he can, a life
devoted to reptiles.
I am often asked by people who hear that I have been
bitten by venomous snakes, “Why do you still like
them?”
How does one explain to someone who doesn’t under-
stand or like snakes the fascination that these creatures
have for a keen herper? Any animal has the right to
defend itself, and if you work with them you must accept
this and always be as careful as possible. I find myself
looking back at a life that has been driven by a passion
for all animals, but particularly reptiles, and despite some
serious envenomations, to me the good far outweighs the
bad.
The 21 st of October 2017 marked 60 years since I first
became involved with reptiles. Sure, it wasn’t clever of
me to catch a small Eastern Brown Snake as an eight-
year-old kid – and I am always telling children to avoid
snakes in the wild – but I still remember the thrill of
discovering that little snake, and the absolute joy it
brought me. Then when I was 12, I felt a driving need to
tell people the truth about reptiles, and attempt to share
with them an enthusiasm which 56 years later has never
dimmed.
Looking back now I know that if I had my time over
again I would not change my life, except for perhaps
studying for a degree to increase my knowledge of
herpetology, but would I have had all the adventures I
have enjoyed if I had done that? On a field trip to look
for Broad-headed Snakes with Rick Shine and other
scientists, I told Rick that I envied his knowledge, but he
replied, “Nev, you are doing a job educating the public
that National Parks and Wildlife cannot pay someone to
do.”
I was grateful for the encouragement and support, and
realised that this was my niche. I’ve always taken pride
in trying to present reptiles to people in a positive light,
attempting to the best of my ability to overcome the
damage done by myths and fallacies. The fascination on
the faces of school children when I lectured at schools,
the pleasure they got from hands-on experience with live
reptiles, and the chance to shape an appreciation of
nature gave me a sense of accomplishment that money
could not buy.
1.
1. Neville with his grandfather ‘Bumpy’ c. 1840.
2. With his grandmother’s dog , ‘’Mickey’. Cute, huh?
(the pooch, not Nev).
3. At Tom Crutchfield’s place, a couple of years back,
with one of Tom’s large iguanas. The alligator tooth
necklace was given to Neville by Albert Killian, a Florida
snake handler.
2.