TORRINGTON TELEGRAPH (Wyoming) 16 July 08 Snakes are slithering into town (Kevin Bottrell)
On Monday morning, a four-foot bull snake was discovered and captured by animal control around West C Street. As temperatures continue to stay high, Torrington may see a number of these new residents in town.
“They come to town for the water and they come to eat the baby birds,” said Animal Control Officer Teri Smith.
Many snake species also hibernate during the winter, emerging in late April or May.
Several kinds of snakes are common in the Goshen County area. Garter snakes are small, some variation of green or grey and are usually less than 2 feet long with a diameter of only a few centimeters. Their diet includes small rodents, insects, eggs and frogs. They are often found in gardens.
While garter snakes do produce a neurotoxin in their fangs, they’re considered harmless because of their small size and the relatively small amount of toxin that can be transferred by a bite.
Bull snakes can grow to more than 6 feet in length. Like the garter snake, they thrive on a diet of small animals such as birds, rodents and insects. Bull snakes are not venomous and will often flee from humans rather than attack. Because of their size and brown/light brown coloring, bull snakes are often confused with rattlesnakes.
The most dangerous snake species in the area is prairie rattlesnakes. While rattlesnakes are venomous, they will not usually strike unless continually provoked, and in many cases will not use the venom in defensive situations. Smith said she rarely deals with rattlesnakes – the last incident she recalls occurred in the mid-1990s.
According to Smith, she and other officers usually capture snakes and release them in unpopulated areas of the county. All officers keep animal catch poles in their vehicles in order to snare animals, and these can be made small enough to capture snakes as well.
According to Police Lieutenant Jeff Lamm, the decision of whether or not to destroy a rattlesnake during a call is left up to the officer on the scene.
Smith said the department handles about 10 snake calls per year on average, the majority of which occur in the summer. Residents who need help dealing with snakes within city limits may contact the police department.
Snakes are slithering into town