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CAPITAL JOURNAL (Pierre, S Dakota) 27 August 03 Rare rattler - Area ranchers kill an albino prairie rattlesnake (Dorinda Daniel)
It was a snake of a different color.
Or lack of color.
"I've lived in the country all my life. I'd never seen an albino rattlesnake," said Lura Kirkpatrick, who lives eight miles southwest of Hayes.
Neither had her husband, Don, or both their families.
That changed last summer.
The Kirkpatricks were in a pasture gathering cattle when Lura's son saw a rattlesnake.
When her father-in-law got off his horse to kill it, another snake was seen nearby.
"At first, neither one of us realized what it was," Lura said.
When the snake became agitated and started rattling, she realized they were seeing an albino prairie rattlesnake.
An albino is abnormally lacking in color.
Steve Thompson, who works for the S.D. Department of Game, Fish and Parks, said, "It is rare in the wild to come across the actual albino. When they get big, it's easier for predators to see them. They don't survive long in the wild."
The albino rattlesnake was 34 inches long and weighed 14 ounces, with six rattle segments. Thompson estimated that the female rattler was between 2 and 3 years old.
There is a greater chance of there being an albino prairie rattlesnake than an albino of some other species because prairie rattlesnakes are widespread, Thompson said.
Still, he said, it is rare for someone to catch an albino rattlesnake in the wild.
Lura thought about keeping the unusual rattlesnake alive, but since she was on horseback and lacked anything in which to bring the snake back to the house, the snake was killed.
She went back later that day and retrieved the dead albino snake because she wanted the hide.
Lura had Thompson skin the albino snake and tan the skin. She plans to put it on a piece of tanned leather and display the snakeskin in her home.
The Kirkpatricks see rattlesnakes regularly on their land, mainly when they are moving cattle or out working.
No albino rattlesnakes have been seen since the one last year.
Area ranchers kill an albino prairie rattlesnake

I cant believe they found an albino in the wild. Too bad they killed it, must have been beautiful.

I can't believe that the ranchers would just kill it without wondering what it was. Even if you have no knowledge of snakes what so ever you must recognize what is normal and what is not. The rancher said that they had never seen an albino before which should have sparked some interest to find out what it was instead of just killing it. People never cease to amaze me. Thats my opinion

That would have took Tolerance...A rare comodity amonst "hairless apes"....Frank

She didn't have anything to carry it home in, so she killed it? Why not just walk away?