KRIS (Corpus Christi, Texas) 05 October 07 Snakes stake their claim on south side, residents beware (Erin Cargile)
Corpus Christi: A police officer that was bitten by a poisonous snake over the weekend was still in the hospital Thursday night, and just Wednesday night, residents near Oso Parkway rallied around a rattlesnake on their street, trying to figure out what to do with the reptile.
These types of encounters will probably become more frequent. Residents on Keltic Street were still talking about the slithering sight they spotted Wednesday.
He rested in the shade underneath a parked car - a five foot long rattlesnake. While police and residents waited for animal control to arrive, they decided to take measures into their own hands.
Normally, Mike Allein is the one who shows up with his special skills to safely remove rattlesnakes near residents' homes. He picked up a diamond back about a year ago in King's Crossing.
"A resident found it out behind his house, and he was a little bit concerned for his family," Allein said.
And rightly so...
"He's got a lot of venom right there on that tooth," Allein said.
He has picked up about a dozen of those in the past year, all on the south side.
"With the construction that keeps pushing out south of the city, most of our rattlesnake calls are out that way," Allein said.
Five weeks ago, his own wife fell victim to the venom on their property off FM 43.
"When I felt the pain and burning, the swelling had already started," she said.
She had no warning because the snake did not have a rattler, which is rare. For those living on the south side recognize the sound and rely on the experts to safely handle the situation.
Snakes stake their claim on south side, residents beware