Snake Man of La Perouse

The Snake Man is the common name for a reptile show at La Perouse, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. Also known as 'the snake pit', an occasional Sunday afternoon visit to the Snake Man was a tradition for generations of Sydney families.HistoryThe show was held on the same site in La Perouse since the early 20th century.The original Snake Man was "Professor" Frederick Fox, also known as the "Snake King", who was proud of the immunity to snake venom that he had developed. However, like other such showmen, he did have his own special antidote. In 1913 Fox travelled to India to sell his antidote. Another local, Herbert See, took over the La Perouse show but he was bitten by a tiger snake and died in hospital. While demonstrating his antidote in Calcutta in 1914 Fox was bitten several times by a krait. He treated himself but overlooked one bite and died after a few hours.George Cann took on the show in the 1920s and the Cann family ran the show thereafter. Snake bites were an ongoing hazard.John Cann was awarded an OAM in 1992 for service to the community, conservation and the environment. The area surrounding the snake pit has been named Cann Park. The last snake man, John Cann, indicated in 2010 that he was soon to retire. His last show was held on 18 April 2010. The 7.30 Report broadcast a story on Cann on 13 April 2010.Since John Cann's retirement in 2010, the Hawkesbury Herpetological Society has been conducting the shows every weekend. John Cann is still an active member of the Hawkesbury Herpetological Society, of which he is the patron.