DESERET NEWS (Salt Lake City, Utah) 05 May 10 Wrangling rattlesnakes and other critters could get new restrictions (Amy Joi O'Donoghue)
Salt Lake City: It's a chance encounter that can leave anyone rattled.
Curled up in the foyer, dozing in the garage or sandwiched in the crevices of the retaining wall, there it is.
A rattlesnake.
As the reptiles begin to emerge from months of hibernation — as they are doing now — they find their way to backyards in the Avenues, to homes along Wasatch Boulevard or residences near Camp Kostopolus.
Recommendations regarding the release of these so-called "nuisance" rattlesnakes once they are captured will be considered Thursday by the state's wildlife board.
"Up to 98 percent of these snakes have no repeat interaction," said Krissy Wilson, the state's coordinator of the native aquatic species program. "We don't want to kill the snake. Our job is to be protective of all wildlife, not just the popular ones."
The recommendations involve altering the distance the snake can be moved after its capture and are related to the volunteer work done by Reptile Rescue founder James Dix. He and his crew are registered with the state Division of Wildlife Resources and are certified to conduct reptile removals.
"We think what he is doing is a good thing," Wilson said. "A lot of people don't really care about rattlesnakes — the only good snake is a dead snake — and especially a rattlesnake. But we want to be humane and protect them."
Dix uses a menagerie of animals to educate the public about the value of protecting all species — from lumbering tortoises to assertive monitors to skittish but domesticated coyotes.
An assortment of snake cages and reptile containers are stacked high at the rescue foundation's headquarters, presenting a mixture of animals Dix has rescued over the years because they have grown too big or expensive to feed or ones he has acquired on his own.
Wilson said Dix's work — particularly with snakes — fills a critical need for the wildlife agency, augmenting its mission to protect even the most feared of creatures.
The new recommendations under consideration come from studies that have found that rattlesnakes are vulnerable if moved a long distance from their winter den, Wilson said.
"If you take a rattlesnake and move it too far away from its home range, it will circle and circle until it dies," she said.
Both Wilson and Dix say rattlesnakes are typically passive creatures that avoid people.
"The majority of these snakes want to get away from you, they don't want to hurt you," Dix said.
His rescue organization, established in 1998, does snake removals for free and works in tandem with the state agency. In addition to training animal control and wildlife officers, Reptile Rescue offers educational classes, safe-handling forums for certain species of snakes and puts on exhibits at public events.
After Dix or his crew captures a wayward rattlesnake, the animal's rattle is actually marked so his group and others in the field will no if it becomes a "repeat offender."
Each year, they use a different color — this season, it is fluorescent green — so the reptile can be tracked overtime.
As the snakes shake off the inactivity of hibernation, they roam their range in search of food. Dix said surprise encounters with people can occur after the snake has eaten and it's lolling about while its food digests.
Like the wildlife agency, Dix's ultimate goal is to save the snake and protect people.
He said most bites occur when people wrongly — and illegally — go after the snake and try to kill it.
"They think because it is on their property they own it and can kill it, but they can't," Dix said. "It would be same thing if a deer showed up in your yard. You just can't shoot it."
Because Reptile Rescue is willing to show up and wrangle rattlers and other creatures, he said wildlife officers have their time freed up to investigate poaching and other complaints.
Wrangling rattlesnakes and other critters could get new restrictions