It’s been a busy year for Lethbridge’s resident rattlesnake wrangler.
Ryan First Diver responds to 70 per cent of the calls that come in from a City of Lethbridge-run hotline residents can phone if they’re concerned about a snake on public property.
Through the City of Lethbridge’s long-running rattlesnake mitigation program, snakes are moved from public property to their permanent natural habitat, such as their den site, wintering or birthing grounds.
As of Thursday, 211 snakes had been moved this year. That number includes rattlesnakes as well as species like bullsnakes, non-venomous constrictors that can easily be mistaken for rattlers.
“All-time record,” First Diver told CBC News.
Ryan First Diver responds to a rattlesnake removal call at the Lethbridge Country Club. The snake was moved to a location in the coulees near a known hibernaculum, or communal den. (Stephen Tipper/CBC)
The city usually gets between 150 and 160 calls a year, said City of Lethbridge senior bylaw officer Dave Henley, who also responds to calls.
First Diver says residents are much more aware of snakes now than they were years ago, when he started posting about them on social media. When First Diver did that, he said calls shot up.
“But then it kind of went back down to what I think would be its normal level for a community that knows about the snakes and knows where to call if they need help.”
A prairie rattlesnake flicks its forked tongue. (Amir Said/CBC)
Now, First Diver says residents are educating others about snakes, and where to watch out for them, by posting online.
If Lethbridge residents are concerned about a snake, they can call the city’s hotline at 403-332-6806.
Rattlesnakes not aggressive, say experts
First Diver says people have many misconceptions about rattlesnakes.
“When people encounter them, they believe they might come after them, try to get them,” said First Diver with a chuckle.
He says he almost always wears shorts and sandals when handling rattlesnakes.
Ryan First Diver relocates a rattlesnake in Lethbridge. (Amir Said/CBC)
“All I do is keep a couple of feet away from the snake, and they will never try to close the distance to near me. The dangerous one is the one you don’t see.”
Rattlesnakes won’t necessarily rattle when people get near them, he added.
“Their first go-to is their camouflage, and if they can, they’ll let you pass right by them — 10 inches from them — if they think you haven’t seen them.”
That’s especially the case for older snakes. Younger ones “are a bit more jumpy,” said First Diver.
An Alberta snake conservationist says a large part of her job is addressing myths about the misunderstood creatures.
Stefano Liccioli, a senior species-at-risk biologist with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, said that while rattlesnakes are venomous, to date no one in Alberta has ever died of a rattlesnake bite.
“The number of instances where people are bitten is very rare, and snakes do not strike aggressively,” said Liccioli, who’s based in Lethbridge.
Stefano Liccioli, a senior biologist with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, works with a variety of different at-risk species, including burrowing owls, greater sage-grouse and prairie rattlesnakes. (Amir Said/CBC)
He added rattlesnakes usually strike when they’re cornered or after they’ve been stepped on.
“If you hear a rattlesnake, just stay calm, stop, look for rattlesnakes around you. Don’t run back, because the snake might be behind you.”
Snakes mainly bite so they can feed themselves, so biting a human is a waste.
“It’s not in their interest to bite,” said Liccioli.
Some indications city’s rattlesnake population is increasing
In Lethbridge, the increasing number of calls could be due to more snakes or more residents now becoming aware of them — or perhaps both, said Liccioli.
“These indications overall probably speak to more snakes in this area,” he said.
The City of Lethbridge has received calls in areas of the city where there were previously none, and that could suggest more snake activity or a new snake den, said Liccioli.
Alberta populations being studied
In the province, there are more than 100 known prairie rattlesnake dens, but it’s unknown how well the population is doing, said Liccioli.
But work is currently underway in Lethbridge and elsewhere to change that.
Working with the City of Lethbridge through its rattlesnake mitigation program, Environment and Protected Areas has recently begun finding out more about the local population.
A prairie rattlesnake emerges from the shadows. (Amir Said/CBC)
Some rattlesnakes have been tagged with small transmitters, allowing their movements to be tracked and to locate their dens.
“There have been recent cases where we started having a number of calls in areas where we actually did not know, and still don’t know, [the locations] of existing dens,” said Liccioli.
Liccioli expects “solid” data on Alberta snake population trends to become available in the next five to 10 years.
“That will be our first goal — try to understand how snakes are responding to pressures from the environment as well as our conservation action — and from there, see if any changes in the programs are needed and if more protection is required.”
