"We could have someone who finds a snake and want to help so much they put it in a container and transport it for an hour to see a specialist, take it back home and let it go," Reptiles Victoria's Simon Watharow said.

"And we can have the opposite, where someone will not leave the house because there's a blue tongue outside. It's so wide that you need to be prepared for any response."

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Mr Watharow's group will run two free sessions on reptiles in Bendigo over the weekend, one of which is aimed squarely at busting myths about snakes.

"We really want to reinforce the very positive nature of snakes and take away the negative ones, especially when they are not true," he said.

Mr Watharow said that it was amazing how much damage can be done when people perpetuate myths.

He pointed to historic examples not only of animals being killed, but humans too.

"These myths can last for 100s years," Mr Watharow said.

They include first aid treatments that can be life threatening.

Mr Watharow said one deadly treatment from the past even included drinking brandy.

He cited a case from the past where someone bitten by a snake died in hospital from alcohol poisoning after well-meaning people plied him with brandy.

"We'll be talking about some more recent cases on Friday night," Mr Watharow said.

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The public session will give people insights into what to do when snakes come onto their property and tips on ways to keep them out.

Other sessions will help wildlife rescuers working with injured reptiles.

They will go over the most common injuries to reptiles in central Victoria.

Mr Watharow said that turtles, snakes and lizards were often hit by cars and rescuers needed to know how to properly set up to rescue them, transport them to the vet, rehabilitate them and return them to the wild.

He said it was not just cars that endangered reptiles.

Other common injuries that can be traced back to humans directly or indirectly include lawn mowers, whipper snippers, dog and cat attacks and entanglement in fishing equipment.

"Fishing hooks in turtles are really common, as well as being hit by boats," Mr Watharow said.

"So there is certainly a wide range of trauma that comes from human-made instruments."

The snake session takes place at Napier Street's Lakeside Hotel on Friday at 6.30pm.

To book or find out more, email reptilesvictoria@gmail.com

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