WHITEHORSE STAR (Yukon) 05 May 06 Rattlesnakes emerge from hibernation as den excavated
Kamloops, B.C. (CP): Five rattlesnakes captured as they emerged from a doomed den will spend the next several months in captivity while biologists ponder their future.
The snakes, small adults of various age, were captured as they emerged from winter hibernation over the last few weeks, said Kamloops wildlife biologist John Surgenor on Thursday.
It's not believed there are more snakes in the den, a rocky crevice. This will be the last winter snakes use that den, as the area is set to be developed.
Dave Cooper, owner of DDC Construction and the property in question, said last year he had no idea the snakes or the den were there.
He met with biologists at the site in December and saw for the first time the opening to the subsurface den and agreed to postpone excavation work until May, to give the rattlers a chance to leave the den.
He was going to excavate the hillside in January, something that would surely have killed the rattlers as they hibernated.
At the time, he indicated the area was to be levelled in preparation for a housing project, but has since suggested he wants to operate a gravel quarry.
Regardless of what is built, the snakes den - a crucial habitat feature that allows the cold-blooded reptiles the ability to survive winter - will be destroyed.
There are only a handful of known snake dens in the Interior.
Rattlesnakes always return to the same den, year after year. Biologists believe most dens have been used by rattlesnakes for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.
The future of the snakes remains unclear, said Surgenor.
For the moment, they will stay at a B.C. Wildlife Park, but biologists are considering an attempt to relocate the snakes to a new area.
Williams said if biologists decide not to attempt a release, there is a chance the park will be able to keep the snakes and expand its rattlesnake exhibit.
The park already has two rattlers on display.
This part of B.C.'s Interior represents the northerly tip of range for the western rattler.
Rattlesnakes are considered a vulnerable or threatened species by federal and provincial governments, mostly because of concerns about loss of habitat.