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MACON TELEGRAPH (Georgia) 29 September 06 Ecsssscentric specimen - Griffin man rescues rare albino rattlesnake (Liz Fabian)
Griffin: When Jason and Sarah Clark got the call Sunday that an albino canebrake rattlesnake was found in Lamar County, they were skeptical.
At Southeastern Reptile Rescue, they're accustomed to callers confusing species of snakes or their length - like a 6-foot snake that turns out to be about 3 feet.
But this time, the man on the phone was right. They are now the proud caretakers of an extremely rare baby snake that would likely fall victim to predators without the usual camouflage markings.
"We thought it was a corn snake when the man called us, but when we saw it, we were like, 'Oh, my gosh,' " Sarah Clark said.
The pale yellow albino canebrake or timber rattler is about a foot long with orange markings. But you won't catch it rattling. At less than two weeks old, it only has one tiny button at the end. When it sheds its first skin, it will have another rattle and the two will be able to make the characteristic noise that gives the snake its name.
Suggestions for this snake's name are coming into the couple's Web site, www.SnakesAreUs.com.
And although the snake's sex is not yet know, that's not hindering its attraction.
"We've already gotten people lining up wanting to mate their snakes," Jason Clark said.
Though the snake has a few years to go before hitting puberty, one perfect match could be waiting in Aiken, S.C.
The University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Lab has a 5-foot-long albino canebrake rattler that was caught in someone's yard and donated to the lab several years ago.
J. Whitfield Gibbons, a UGA professor of ecology at the lab, said the Clarks' snake is a significant find.
"It's so rare; that's the second one I've ever heard of," Gibbons said Thursday. "It's a beautiful animal. It will be one of a kind."
But in a few years, there could be many if the Clarks' snake turns out to be a girl.
The albino strain is a double recessive gene, which means offspring of two albinos will be albinos, Gibbons said.
Gibbons and the Clarks share a love for the slithering creatures. They work to persuade the general public not to harm snakes.
The Clarks conduct animal demonstrations throughout the state. They always keep about 50 snakes in a room in their house, but sometimes have nearly 100 on hand. They look for good homes for many of the snakes they rescue and offer them up for adoption.
Jason Clark developed his affection for snakes when he found his first snake in the side yard when he was 7 years old.
Once his father assured him it was not poisonous, Mike Clark told his son to let it go.
But he didn't.
He kept playing with it until he had been bitten several times.
He excitedly ran into the kitchen and showed his mother the blood dripping from his fingers.
"It was exciting to me," Jason Clark said. "I got my first snake and my first snakebites all in the same day."
These days he keeps an anti-venom "cheat sheet" handy in case he passes out before help arrives. In his animal demonstrations, he has yet to find a doctor or nurse who has treated a venomous snake bite, and he wants to be sure health professionals will know how to save him.
If he gets bitten, he would open the book to the snake that bit him and paramedics would find instructions on how to treat that bite.
Although Sarah first warned Jason she wouldn't marry him unless he built a separate building for the snakes, two years later she's living with dozens of snakes, three alligators - one named Gatorade - and a crocodile named Crockpot.
"I figured if I loved this man, I had to love reptiles," Sarah Clark said.
The whole family is embracing the newest addition, even Jason's mother, who softened over the years after that first horrifying experience.
"I told somebody at work my grandsnake spent the night with me," said Jane Clark. "We now help him with his snake shows."
By day, her son is a Clayton County police officer. Rescuing snakes is his hobby and passion.
Although both duties worry his mother, his aim is to save lives.
"We try to tell people, 'Leave the snakes alone.' Most snake bites happen when people are trying to kill them," Jason Clark said. "A snake is the lowest creature on the face of the earth, and if we can get people to treat them well, imagine how they'll treat the rest of nature."
The Clarks' next challenge is to get the rare snake to eat in captivity. If all goes well, the snake will be a regular in their shows.
Professor Gibbons thinks that's a good thing.
"Anything that draws attention to snakes and is of interest to people, it's good for snakes," he said.
Griffin man rescues rare albino rattlesnake

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