CHICAGO TRIBUNE (Illinois) 07 January 10 Snakes moved to old septic tank (Tim Kane)

Sandie Cosner never minded sharing her house near Lindenhurst with the 200 snakes in the basement.

So it was something of a roommate reunion Wednesday when she came by to watch as some of those western fox snakes were moved to a new winter home in an old septic tank buried near Fourth Lake.

Last fall, when the reptiles made their annual return to the home along Grand Avenue only to find it had been demolished, Cosner was also among a dozen volunteers who helped corral them for the move. The snakes were stored in a terrarium for several weeks as their body temperatures were slowly lowered so they wouldn't die from the shock of hibernation.

Fox snakes hibernate in places like abandoned groundhog holes or rotting tree roots, said Michael Corn, retired College of Lake County biology dean.

"If their temperature dips below freezing, it is likely they will die. You have to make sure that where they spend the winter is in the ground, below the frost line," Corn said as one of the snakes -- passive and cold to the touch -- coiled around his arm.

On Wednesday, clutching a pillowcase that held the squirming ball of snakes, Lake County Forest Preserve District wildlife biologist Gary Glowacki descended on a ladder into the subterranean vault, called a "hibernaculum," and placed the snakes on specially made plywood shelves. Forest preserve officials are keeping the location secret so the snakes won't be bothered. The reptiles have, however, been fitted with tiny electronic tracking devices to monitor their movements.

"They're not on the list of endangered species yet," Corn said, "but you don't find very many anymore."
Snakes moved to old septic tank

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• IL Press: Snakes moved to septic tank - W von Papineäu, Sun Jan 17 13:27:49 2010