Thar's snakes in them thar grasslands!

I saw my very first rattlesnake last week. I’ve lived in Kamloops for nearly 5 years and explored many grassland areas, but I had yet to see a rattlesnake, gopher snake or rubber boa in the wild.

Now, some people hate snakes, and I suppose I understand why. They seem really scary, and often people have irrational fears that we’re going to get bitten. I actually love snakes; as a kid I would trap garter snakes while camping and make them my friends, much to my mother’s chagrin. But rattlesnakes have eluded me in my grassland visits, which I was both disappointed and NOT disappointed with. It’s certainly better to be actually looking for a rattlesnake versus unexpectedly getting too close to one, though I always take care to be aware and listen and look for signs.

I went out with a local wildlife biologist, John, to check out a den site. I was both nervous and excited – I love seeing something new, especially something as elusive as a rattler, but I didn’t know what to expect. We made our way to ****censored top secret information, if I tell you, I will have to….well, I will have to get in big trouble from the Ministry of Environment J ****, walking slowly, listening for any rattling, watching for any snakes. We looked and looked, and thought maybe we had been skunked, until…

John put out his hand and whispered “OK – come slowly, there’s one over here.” I crept around a rock outcropping, keeping a good distance, and then I saw it. He (could have been a she, but I wasn’t about to figure it out, so let’s go with “he”) was all coiled up under a rocky outcropping, watching us warily. Clearly, we had disrupted his basking time – and soon he started shaking his rattle and flicking his tongue. It was incredible – the sound from his rattle was exactly what you hear in the movies as he shook it beside his head. I wish I’d have had my camera, but instead I just had to take a mental picture to share with this story. He was beautiful – strong and big, tucked in behind a large clump of bunchgrass, in a perfect coil.

It saddens me to know these beautiful animals are now blue listed in our province, but I’m not surprised.  A large highway ran close by, both fragmenting its habitat and increasing its chances of dying on the asphalt (which snakes love, because it’s so hot). Houses filled the spaces beyond the highway; because people are fearful, snakes are often needlessly killed rather than just left alone. Trust me – a rattlesnake will try to avoid humans, and warnings are always given when you get too close.

I feel really lucky to have had this experience – not everyone will see rattlesnakes in our grasslands, and so perfectly placed to give us a great, safe look. I hope those people that do come across rattlesnakes treat them with the respect and admiration they deserve.

Learn more about the Western Rattlesnake: their behaviour, risks to their survival and why they are so important for ecological health. Go here for more information.

Tasha.