WINNIPEG FREE PRESS (Manitoba) 22 April 05 Narcisse dens slither to life - Warm weather fuels snakes' love-fest (Josiah Thiessen)
The snakes of Narcisse are already out and looking for love, several weeks earlier than usual.
April's unusually warm weather is already luring tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes out of Narcisse's world-famous snake dens for their annual mating rites.
"The season is in full swing," says wildlife technician Dave Roberts.
It usually takes until the last week of April before tourists and sightseers have the chance to watch the love-fest, as snakes emerge from hibernation through fissures in a series of limestone bowls, and mate in wriggling spaghetti balls.
But Roberts says a shallow frost layer due to this winter's thick snow cover, combined with an early thaw, is bringing the snakes out ahead of time.
As the snakes emerge, so do the tourists. Every spring 40,000 to 50,000 visitors including scientists and snake enthusiasts from all over the globe visit the Interlake snake pits. The dens scattered throughout the region are believed have the highest snake population in the world.
Interpreters at the site, who provide visitors with information and see that the snakes are handled properly, are also at work earlier than usual this year. They encourage the curious and squeamish to gently pick up the harmless reptiles and let them slither from one hand to another.
Roberts says anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 snakes can already be seen on any given day.
After 10 a.m. when the snakes crawl out onto sun-warmed rocks is the best time to visit. The site is visitor-friendly, equipped with a parking area, marked walking trails, washrooms and a picnic area.
By the May long weekend, Roberts expects the snakes to have finished mating and dispersed into surrounding marshes to fill their empty stomachs after their long winter's nap. In fall they'll slither back to the Narcisse dens to hibernate through anotherwinter.
Directions to the Narcisse snake pits can be found on the Manitoba conservation website at www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife bookiet@hotmail.com