Posted on 02/21/2016 9:02:00 PM PST by BlatherNaut
Outrage at 'snake island': Massachusetts residents' anger at rattlesnake colony planned for uninhabited island but wildlife officials insist there is no risk
Plans to establish a colony of venomous rattlesnakes on an island in Massachusetts have been met with outrage due to fears that the animals could escape.
Timber rattlesnakes are indigenous to the New England state, and with only about 200 left, wildlife officials are fighting to save the endangered species.
Tom French of the state's Division of Fisheries and Wildlife hopes the snakes, which currently inhabit five scattered pockets throughout Massachusetts, can come together on Mount Zion, the largest island in the Quabbin Reservoir.
But people are concerned about their own safety - especially since rattlesnakes can swim and the island is connected to the mainland by a pair of narrow causeways.
French, who is directing the project and representing the state at a public meeting on Tuesday to address concerns, said people are driven by irrational fears. He said: 'People are afraid that we're going to put snakes in a place of public use and that they are going to breed like rabbits and spread over the countryside and kill everybody,' he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Funny way of showing it.
Think about it this way. Their eyesight is poor. They are seeing lights and darks. To them, dark means safety and shelter. You come up on one and startle it, it’s going to run to the first cover it sees.... since it’s focused on you, it’s going to see the dark under you from the shadow under you. It’s going to go for that dark safe spot.
The key is not to panic. Most of the time, they’ll realize their mistake and keep on hauling right past you.
Venomous snakes rely on their venom to kill prey. It’s a last ditch defensive resort as it takes a lot of energy for the snake to produce that venom. They don’t just waste it on anything walking by. 99.999% of venomous bites in the US are purely defensive. People trying to kill the snake or otherwise harm it and the snake defends itself. Given how the mouth breathers like to have round ups, I can’t really say I blame the snakes when they do tag some of these idiots.
Impressive beast... Where was that photograph taken?
I dunno, saw it online a while ago, found it and posted it... not mine. :(
Yes indeed.
Yours is a frightening creature... if you took a well framed photo of the entire snake it probably would have gone viral on Facebook.
Glad it was in your garden and not mine! :)
Actually lost an acquaintance to a rattler -- he kept some at the house and used to give them water by hand!!! Well one got oissed off and struck him. Been bit many times and he knew what to do, but it was one too many and this one got his heart. Sadly, his old lady found him on the ground.
Strictly speaking, the more common danger in this region is copperheads. And when we lived in Kansas, a neighbor was walking through some grass that probably should have been mowed, in sneakers, and got nailed by a copperhead she didn’t see. She was pretty sick for a couple days.
But not too far from here, in an area called “Little Grand Canyon”, some roads are actually closed during the snake migrations, which include healthy numbers of timber rattlers. Their numbers are down since the 1930’s though, when they were REALLY common. Still, when I worked summers as a boy, building trails and such, in the National Forest, we were required to wear boots, heavy work pants, and metal leggings at all times in areas where concealed snakes might be possible...
One public fishing area near me has nearly as many copperheads as (harmless) water snakes. I’d guess I see one copperhead for every 20-30 hours of fishing time.
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