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MACON TELEGRAPH (Georgia) 29 September 06 Ecsssscentric specimen - Griffin man rescues rare albino rattlesnake (Liz Fabian)
Griffin: When Jason and Sarah Clark got the call Sunday that an albino canebrake rattlesnake was found in Lamar County, they were skeptical.
At Southeastern Reptile Rescue, they're accustomed to callers confusing species of snakes or their length - like a 6-foot snake that turns out to be about 3 feet.
But this time, the man on the phone was right. They are now the proud caretakers of an extremely rare baby snake that would likely fall victim to predators without the usual camouflage markings.
"We thought it was a corn snake when the man called us, but when we saw it, we were like, 'Oh, my gosh,' " Sarah Clark said.
The pale yellow albino canebrake or timber rattler is about a foot long with orange markings. But you won't catch it rattling. At less than two weeks old, it only has one tiny button at the end. When it sheds its first skin, it will have another rattle and the two will be able to make the characteristic noise that gives the snake its name.
Suggestions for this snake's name are coming into the couple's Web site, www.SnakesAreUs.com.
And although the snake's sex is not yet know, that's not hindering its attraction.
"We've already gotten people lining up wanting to mate their snakes," Jason Clark said.
Though the snake has a few years to go before hitting puberty, one perfect match could be waiting in Aiken, S.C.
The University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Lab has a 5-foot-long albino canebrake rattler that was caught in someone's yard and donated to the lab several years ago.
J. Whitfield Gibbons, a UGA professor of ecology at the lab, said the Clarks' snake is a significant find.
"It's so rare; that's the second one I've ever heard of," Gibbons said Thursday. "It's a beautiful animal. It will be one of a kind."
But in a few years, there could be many if the Clarks' snake turns out to be a girl.
The albino strain is a double recessive gene, which means offspring of two albinos will be albinos, Gibbons said.
Gibbons and the Clarks share a love for the slithering creatures. They work to persuade the general public not to harm snakes.
The Clarks conduct animal demonstrations throughout the state. They always keep about 50 snakes in a room in their house, but sometimes have nearly 100 on hand. They look for good homes for many of the snakes they rescue and offer them up for adoption.
Jason Clark developed his affection for snakes when he found his first snake in the side yard when he was 7 years old.
Once his father assured him it was not poisonous, Mike Clark told his son to let it go.
But he didn't.
He kept playing with it until he had been bitten several times.
He excitedly ran into the kitchen and showed his mother the blood dripping from his fingers.
"It was exciting to me," Jason Clark said. "I got my first snake and my first snakebites all in the same day."
These days he keeps an anti-venom "cheat sheet" handy in case he passes out before help arrives. In his animal demonstrations, he has yet to find a doctor or nurse who has treated a venomous snake bite, and he wants to be sure health professionals will know how to save him.
If he gets bitten, he would open the book to the snake that bit him and paramedics would find instructions on how to treat that bite.
Although Sarah first warned Jason she wouldn't marry him unless he built a separate building for the snakes, two years later she's living with dozens of snakes, three alligators - one named Gatorade - and a crocodile named Crockpot.
"I figured if I loved this man, I had to love reptiles," Sarah Clark said.
The whole family is embracing the newest addition, even Jason's mother, who softened over the years after that first horrifying experience.
"I told somebody at work my grandsnake spent the night with me," said Jane Clark. "We now help him with his snake shows."
By day, her son is a Clayton County police officer. Rescuing snakes is his hobby and passion.
Although both duties worry his mother, his aim is to save lives.
"We try to tell people, 'Leave the snakes alone.' Most snake bites happen when people are trying to kill them," Jason Clark said. "A snake is the lowest creature on the face of the earth, and if we can get people to treat them well, imagine how they'll treat the rest of nature."
The Clarks' next challenge is to get the rare snake to eat in captivity. If all goes well, the snake will be a regular in their shows.
Professor Gibbons thinks that's a good thing.
"Anything that draws attention to snakes and is of interest to people, it's good for snakes," he said.
Griffin man rescues rare albino rattlesnake

DOUGLAS DAILY NEWS (Georgia) 28 September 06 Albino is only second of its kind (Robert Preston, Jr.)
Douglas: People who rescue nuisance snakes often doubt the descriptions their customers give them about a troublesome snake.
It is with good reason that their cynicism exists. Rattlesnakes often turn out to be gray rat snakes, coral snakes are often harmless scarlet king snakes and six footers are often no longer than two or three feet.
So when Jason Clark of Southeastern Reptile Rescue, located in Griffin, received a call Sunday night about a possible albino rattlesnake, he wasn't buying it.
"The person who called told me it was a rattlesnake, and he thought it was an albino, maybe 10 or 12 inches long. I didn't think it was. I figured it was a canebrake rattlesnake with a lot of yellow on it or maybe even a corn snake," said Clark Wednesday afternoon.
When he finally laid his eyes on the animal in question, he realized that his caller was indeed telling the truth. "It was an albino canebrake, maybe a foot long. It only had a button on its rattle, which means it hasn't even shed yet. It's probably less than two weeks old," said Clark.
The caller captured the snake on a road in Lamar County, located just northwest of Macon.
An albino canebrake rattlesnake is indeed a rarity. The canebrake, known in some areas as the timber rattlesnake, is the most widely-distributed of Georgia's rattlesnakes, and can be found in the swamps of South Georgia all the way up the North Georgia mountains.
While several albino eastern diamondback rattlesnakes have been found in the wild, only one other albino canebrake has been discovered in Georgia. That specimen, which was found several years ago, resides at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory in Aiken, S.C.
In an article from the winter 2000 edition of The University of Georgia Research Magazine, Whit Gibbons, an ecology professor at the Savannah River site, said that he had been offered $10,000 for the snake. Of course, he turned it down.
Clark has been in touch with Gibbons, and he hopes that this latest discovery is compatible with the Savannah River site's snake.
"Hopefully, we'll get the snake eating this weekend. In a few months, we'll sex the snake. If it's the opposite sex, we hope to start a breeding project with the other albino," said Clark.
The little rattler was lucky to be found. Albinos don't usually live very long in the wild. Their coloration, which results from a genetic mutation that alters the pigmentation of the snake's skin, makes albinos of any species easy to locate by both prey and predator alike.
That the snake was captured saved its life, and has given researchers around the state something to talk about.
Clark expects the animal to do well in captivity. "Small canebrakes have few problems adjusting to captivity. Since it probably hasn't had a wild meal yet, it should be free of internal parasites," he said.
The snake's albinism hasn't affected its venom; it is just as dangerous as a normal-colored canebrake. Canebrakes are capable of delivering a deadly dose of venom that contains both hemotoxic and neurotoxic properties. Fortunately, bites are rare and those that do occur are rarely fatal. However, they are very painful and often result in significant tissue damage.
Albino is only second of its kind