Snake Tangled Up and Dying in Garden Rescued by Determined Man

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.care2.com/causes/snake-entangled-dying-in-garden-rescued-after-dark-by-determined-man.html

by Laura SimpsonSeptember 22, 20145:30 pm

Editor’s note: This post is a Care2 favorite. It was originally published on January 4, 2012. Enjoy!

Written by Steve O’Neil of EarthShine Nature Programs

Late one summer evening I received a wildlife rescue call from a man who said that he had a Copperhead entangled in a piece of yard netting. I asked the man if he was sure that it was a Copperhead because people often confuse several different species of harmless snakes with Copperheads, but whatever kind of snake it was, I knew that I had to hurry. The snake had been stuck in the netting for 48 hours!

I drove the 20 miles or so to the location and found that the snake was indeed a venomous Northern Copperhead and it was severely entangled in a mass of plastic yard netting. The homeowner, a concerned lover of all wildlife, had taken the time to set up a work light over the area where the snake was tangled in order to make the work easier for me. After looking over the situation I quickly realized that I would need tools to keep me away from the business end of the snake.

The Snake Was Exhausted and Dehydrated from the 48 Hour Struggle to Break Free

I borrowed a pair of scissors and an X-acto knife from the homeowner and began to cut away the netting. As I cut I saw that the snake was exhausted. Its lengthy entanglement in the netting had pushed it to the edge. It was so tired that it could barely move. It was undoubtedly dehydrated and possibly in shock from spending the day in the summer’s heat even though the homeowner had the foresight to keep the snake in the shade and occasionally sprinkle cool water over it to keep it from overheating. These actions are what surely kept the snake alive.

I worked slowly and carefully moving from the tail toward the head cutting the netting one strand at a time. I used scissors where the netting was looser and had to use the X-acto knife, a type of razor, to cut the net strands where they were pressing tightly against the snake’s skin. When I got close to the snake’s head I had to be very careful not to hurt it and not to get hurt myself.

He Flicked His Tongue

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/snake-entangled-dying-in-garden-rescued-after-dark-by-determined-man.html#ixzz3EFN1KUTZ

FULL story at link.

[MineralMan]

1. That's terrific! You can expect some

replies suggesting that the snake should have been killed, though. Not from me, however.

[narnian60]

23. Not from me either!

[Omaha Steve]

28. I thought the same thing

But it has been mostly pro.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. I like snakes.

Many species are very beautiful. Of course you want to avoid the venomous ones but I don't understand why people kill them just for being snakes.

[MineralMan]

5. Any day when I encounter a snake is a great day.

Sadly, I've not seen one since I moved to Minnesota. I'm hoping that changes soon.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. Garter snakes are pretty common here.

They hibernate in gopher holes and rock crevices, and during the summer they hang out in places like woodpiles. The only venomous snakes are the timber and massasauga rattlesnakes, which are very uncommon. They live along the Mississippi River in the cliffs. I've never seen either of these but I've seen a lot of garter snakes. They're harmless but if you catch one be sure to pick it up right behind the head because they do bite.

[Mariana]

8. Snakes eat rodents and insects.

Therefore, they are welcome around my house. Venomous ones are exceedingly rare where I live - rare enough that it's illegal to kill them under state law. But most people around here seem to believe otherwise, and vastly overestimate the likelihood of running into one.

[Whiskeytide]

21. What if you view yourself...

... as a guardian angel for rodents and insects????

I'm kidding. I try to let snakes go when I can - but I have to admit I have killed a few venomous ones around the house when my kids were a little younger. Didn't really like it much, but you have to weigh the consequences, I suppose.

[Mariana]

29. A guardian angel for rodents and insects?

Not bloody likely. Eat up, snakes. Invite your friends.

My dad had very small coral snake living in his yard for awhile. I saw it when I went to visit, pretty little snake. My mom said she was going to kill it so he took it away and let it go in a nearby state forest.

[hfojvt]

19. I kill venemous ones

for being venemous. Whatever function they serve can be taken over by non-venemous snakes.

[Scootaloo]

20. Wow. The mind boggles.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

22. We kill the venomous ones, as well

If it's in my yard, it could get my kids or grandkids. Period.

I don't have to honor every living creature.

Especially mosquitoes.

[seveneyes]

3. Natural born killers

can yield stories like the The Farmer and the Viper

[Coventina]

4. Hooray for people that care!

[rhett o rick]

6. very cool, thanks for posting. nm

[Tree-Hugger]

9. Good people

Thank you for sharing this.

[Gothmog]

10. Great story

This was very interesting

[hlthe2b]

11. Well, I'm all for giving wildlife a chance...

Can't say I'd be likely to do so for a venomous snake, though I would for a non-poisonous one.

[TygrBright]

12. Thanks for posting! Glad the snake made it.

Venomous snakes don't want to encounter you any more than you want to encounter them. If you see one, odds are that it's going to try to avoid you. (Don't take chances, of course. Retreat slowly, giving the snake plenty of room, and a wide escape radius.)

Here in New Mexico, snakes are welcome partners in keeping rodents under control, and since in this area rodents have been known to carry both hantavirus and plague, they are greatly valued, even the rattlers.

That said, if you have kids and dogs, and it appears a venomous snake has decided to share your yard, the smart thing is to call a licensed wildlife rescue to have it relocated.

appreciatively,
Bright

[ginnyinWI]

13. why didn't he take it to a wildlife rescue to be fed and hydrated?

That's what I think should have been done. How did he know the snake had the strength to hunt?

[BobbyBoring]

14. I freed a black snake in my yard that got tangle in netting.

It took over an hour and the unappreciative bastage bit me!

[packman]

15. Well-good for you- But---

I admire your empathy, myself I don't know if I could work up enough to free a copperhead. When my cats kept dragging black snakes into the house and we had to chase them hither and yon through the house to throw them back over the fence into the empty lot next door, I kinda had my fill of rescuing snakes. You're a good soul.

[a la izquierda]

16. I love snakes! I'm happy to read this story.

Such fascinating creatures, and good on the human that helped this one.

[RebelOne]

32. I love snakes too. I had two pet boa constrictors once.

I had to give them to the Miami-Dade community center hands-on section for kids. They were over 7 feet long and just were too big to eat mice and rats anymore and I didn't want to have to feed them anything bigger like rabbits.

[wryter2000]

17. What a gorgeous snake

Not that I want one for a pet.

How wonderful that those two people would do that for a snake. Lots of people feel free to treat snakes cruelly.

[TeeYiYi]

18. "...the homeowner had the foresight to keep the snake in the shade...

...and occasionally sprinkle cool water over it to keep it from overheating."

TYY

[KamaAina]

24. Was the guy's name Adam?

[Hubert Flottz]

25. Here in West Virginia...

some would have taken that copperhead to prayer meeting. Copperheads are mean tempered little critters if they are healthy and you mess with them. Their camouflage blends in perfectly with their surroundings around here and most people never see them unless they get too close and the snake feels threatened. Picking berries in deep cover is dangerous here, because timber rattlers and copperheads feed on the birds and other small animals that feed on the berries. Fewer people in the woods these days, are allowing the snake population to rebound here.

[SammyWinstonJack]

26. YAY!

[whathehell]

27. I rescued a little garter snake and took it to the vets -- My spouse thought I was nuts..

but I didn't want the little thing to be in pain (my cat took a bite out him!)

and, what do you know, we didn't even have to pay for the vets because I was

informed that vet care for wildlife was subsidized by a local foundation here.

The poor little guy had to be euthanized, anyway, but at least he didn't suffer long.

I was happy when I later received a little "thank you" note commending me

for my kindness.

[Mariana]

30. My dad once found a garter snake with a boo-boo

and took it inside and treated it himself. I think it had been pecked by a bird. Anyway, he cleaned the wound, disinfected it, put a band-aid on it, and kept the thing in a big jar in the kitchen for about two weeks until it healed up. He fed it nightcrawlers. When it was time to let it go, he let me place it in the garden.

I've lived in my place for a year and haven't seen any snakes yet. Next spring and summer I'm going to try to make some habitat to attract them.

[whathehell]

31. Oh, he was sounds especially kind..

and it sounds as if he. (and you?) really like snakes...I don't particularly like them,

but I don't like to see any living thing suffer.

[dipsydoodle]

33. K&R

Thanks so much for posting.