Biologist Tobi Kiesewalter takes out a black rat snake at the visitor's center at Murphy's Point Provincial Park in Ontario. (Photo by Karen Kelly)
As kids, many of us come to see
snakes as frightening, evil creatures.
In some places, that ingrained fear
has taken a toll on the snake population.
Karen Kelly met up with some folks
who are trying to improve one snake’s
image – before it disappears:
Transcript
As kids, many of us come to see
snakes as frightening, evil creatures.
In some places, that ingrained fear
has taken a toll on the snake population.
Karen Kelly met up with some folks
who are trying to improve one snake’s
image – before it disappears:
(sound of truck, bumping on a road)
George Sheffield drives his truck along the dirt path that leads to his family’s
vacation cottage. He keeps an eye out for long, black snakes.
“It might be a good day to see a snake. It was cold last night so they’ll be
looking for sun today to heat back up.”
Sheffield’s land is one of the few places where black rat snakes still thrive in
Ontario. They’re a threatened species here, partly because people have moved
into their habitat.
But also, because they’re often six feet long, so people get scared and kill them.
The black rat snake is the longest snake in Canada. It’s not poisonous, but it’s a
constrictor that eats small animals.
(sound of walking towards cottage)
Once we’re at Sheffield ‘s camp, he checks out one of the snakes’ favorite spots
– the roof of his cottage.
“The one time, there 3 or 4 out on the roof, with portions of others, with their
heads or tails sticking out of soffits. So they do inhabit the cottage. I wish they
didn’t, but until I fix it, I can’t blame them.”
Sheffield is one of a growing number of landowners who are trying to protect
the black rat snake. They’re putting up nesting boxes in fields and wooded
areas to give the snakes a warm and safe place to spend the winter.
But the biggest challenge is just convincing people not to kill them.
Kiesewalter: “Do you want to hold the snake?”
Children: “He’s pretty heavy.” “He feels kind of like rubber.”
Tobi Kiesewalter is a biologist at Murphy’s Point Provincial Park in
southeastern Ontario. It’s used by as many as 500 black rat snakes – as well as
a lot of campers, swimmers, and boaters.
It’s a perfect chance to teach people about the snake. So every day, Kiesewalter
takes a rat snake out of a cage in the visitor’s centre and tries to persuade people
to leave them alone.
“I hear about it all the time, people coming and telling us about how their dad
had killed snakes before. Kids will tell you anything. And, as with many
reptiles, the loss of even one mature adult can cause a dip in population because
we know they’re only reproducing every two years.”
There’s a lot of effort to help this snake. Culverts are dug under highways to
give them a safe route back and forth. There are road signs that say, “Please
brake for snakes.” There’s even an adopt-a-snake program.
But the fact is, the black rat snake isn’t in danger in other parts of North
America. So why save it here?
For George Sheffield, the answer is simple.
“I grew up with them here, I think it would be a shame if man’s activities
caused the end of another species in another area. We’ve already done way too
much to degrade the environment and the number of species, so anything
anybody can do is good.”
For The Environment Report, I’m Karen Kelly.