File photo of a rattlesnake (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

What’s that rattle?

Apr 29, 2020 | 9:24 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – You might hear a rattle when walking along local trails.

However, there’s no need to panic if you’re someone who encounters a rattlesnake. Jessica Deacon-Rogers, Program Coordinator at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre in Lethbridge, says they’ve received reports over the past few weeks of both prairie rattlesnake and wandering garter snake sightings.

Lethbridge News Now spoke with Deacon-Rogers to get some tips on how to avoid conflict with the slithery creatures, and where exactly residents might want to watch out for them.

“The rattlesnakes are most often seen on the west side of the city, along the river valley,” she said.

“They really like southwest-facing coulee slopes where they can get lots of sunshine and can bask in the sun. Garter snakes are often seen more down by the river valley, so we have had a few sightings of them just along the edge of the river, in the Oldman River valley.”

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Deacon-Rogers noted that snakes of all types are very good at hiding, so she suggests anyone who is out enjoying local trails stay on designated pathways.

“If you’re walking through long grass, it can be quite hard to see where snakes are actually blending into their surroundings and you might not realize that you’re close to one until you hear a rattlesnake rattle or hear a garter snake kind of slither away through the grass.”

She said rattlesnakes won’t rattle to necessarily ‘scare’ a human. It’s more of a warning sign to let walkers know where they are, in order to avoid a conflict.

“The best thing to do if you hear a rattlesnake rattle is to stop where you are, try and figure out where the snake is rattling from to see if you can figure out where it is,” she said.

“Once you can see where the snake is, give it some space, make sure it has space to move away from you, and you can move away from it and then you can go along your way and enjoy your walk.”

She added that snakes are out of their winter dens looking for food, including things like mice, grasshoppers and other small insects.

“It’s been a long winter and they don’t eat over the winter. So, they’re looking to kind of fatten up a bit and get some energy for food that is available.”

BITTEN BY A SNAKE?

Deacon-Rogers said if you do get bitten by a snake, she recommends going to your local family doctor or the hospital, as staff have anti-venom on hand if need be.

“Go and visit a medical professional as soon as possible – just to have it [the bite] checked out and see what has happened,” she said.

In Lethbridge, there is also a call-line available if someone spots a rattlesnake somewhere where they shouldn’t be. That number is 403-332-6806.

“There’s a contractor as well as some volunteers that do help do those snake removals. They will move them if they are in an area that may hurt the snake or where they’re [the snake] coming in close contact with people where there might be an incident,” Deacon-Rogers said.

More on the City of Lethbridge Rattlesnake Mitigation Program can be found here.

Deacon-Rogers said as the weather improves, it’s good to get out and explore local trails – while obeying social distancing rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic – but it’s also important to respect wildlife habitat.

“Wildlife need space, too. With lots of people out…[animals] are getting pushed into area where we might not normally see some different animals. That includes [creatures] like deer and other animals – not just snakes. So, just respect space and stay on trails if [you] can.”

M.D. OF TABER

The M.D. of Taber Regional Community Peace Officer Program (RCPO) has put out a warning as well about rattlesnakes.

Lethbridge News Now touched base with Director of Community Safety for the M.D. of Taber, Kirk Hughes, who noted they have responded to a few snake sighting calls.

“Rattlesnakes are pretty common in the entire M.D. region and they are often found all over our municipal district,” he said.

Fortunately, Hughes did not report any incidents or attacks between a human or snake.

Hughes noted one hot spot is MD Park.

“That actually borders parts of the Oldman River towards the top of the town of Taber in part of what we now call the Trout Pond, which is actually in the town of Taber,” he explained.

“Generally, there’s a den near the waste transfer station and from their den, they’ll [snakes] actually migrate from there throughout the better part of the southwest part of the region.”

He said snakes can also be spotted in the community of Hays.

“That’s been a well-established habitat for them, for many years. We find a lot of their dens and their young in that area, mostly because of the way the irrigation is in that district. There’s a lot more dry grassland there, which they prefer.”

Additionally, he noted rattlesnakes can sometimes be found towards the Chin reservoir, a very popular recreational spot in the summertime.

Hughes said the M.D. has an easy-to-remember trick for residents, so they know what to do if they were to encounter a snake.

The “Sss” strategy breaks down like this:

· Stop: as soon as you hear a rattle, immediately stop.

· Scan: scan for the snake and remember that there may be more than one snake in the area.

· Slither Away: either back away slowly and give the snake an escape route or give the snake a wide birth so it can slither away.

“The reason why we did it like that acronym is so that children can use it. That’s the key thing when we try to explain it to some of our younger [citizens],” Hughes said.

“If school was still in place right now, we would be having our Peace Officers doing some education components within the schools to kind of push the message of these rattlesnakes.”

Hughes said something that may surprise some is the size of a rattlesnake in the wild. However, it’s important not to panic if you encounter one of these creatures.

He said rattlesnakes are endangered within the area and harming them is illegal and could result in a serious fine.

“They’re native to this environment and we have to kind of work within that ecosystem and give them the respect they deserve,” he said.

“If you treat them with respect and you give them the space that they need and you take those precautions and you have that education within your children and even your animals, in regards to keeping them on leashes and just knowing these hot spots and trying to avoid them – especially this time of year when they’re coming out of their dens – we can actually reduce a lot of these encounters. Thankfully in the M.D. of Taber we’ve had very few incidents over the last decade, and as Director Community Safety, I want to continue that.”

Late last week, the M.D. of Taber RCPO sent out a reminder to residents regarding social distancing measures in place in the community in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ MORE: M.D. of Taber educating the public on social distancing rules amid pandemic.

They stated that MD Park, Grassy Forks and Enchant Park are currently closed. However, local hiking trails remain open for public use.

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