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Rattlesnakes active once again

May 25, 2017 | 10:27 AM

The rattlesnakes have awakened in Medicine Hat.

The snakes are a common sight in the region, living across the prairie and sheltering along rivers and under rocks.

In recent days, two people have posted to social media about their encounters with the creatures, one in Red Rock Coulee and the other along the Mr.Burnside trail between Redcliff and Medicine Hat.

Gary McFarlane was the coulee spotter, and encountered the rattler while making his way up from a low spot in the area.

“If you go there, you wear boots,” said McFarlane.

A retired biology teacher, McFarlane said he’s run into the snakes multiple times while exploring the coulee, and expects that to continue.

The second man, Curt Moll, ran into a snake while heading to Redcliff along the newly-made trail for the first time. After being warned by a cyclist about the snake’s presence, he found it lying in the middle of the path.

“He was just sunning himself,” said Moll.

“He wasn’t willing to move. He was rattling, he was in spring mode. I stood there for about ten minutes, thinking that he would slither off, and he didn’t.”

Moll ended up going around the animal obstacle, and ran into one more rattler before finishing his journey along the trail.

Marty Drut, an interpreter at Police Point Park Nature Centre, said the snakes often get active around late April and early May, depending on the weather. He recommended to take a “wide berth” when encountering a rattlesnake.

“Generally, they’ll just go in the opposite direction,” said Drut.

“The problem comes around when you surprise a rattlesnake. It’s in a compromising situation where it doesn’t have anywhere to escape.”

He said the best thing to do if you step on a rattlesnake was to try to get away, and “hope it doesn’t bite you”. He also said that preparation for trips to areas that may have snakes is the best precaution, with high boots to protect against low bites.

Drut recommended that residents avoid trying to pick up snakes.

“If you happen to run across a rattlesnake, and it’s in a defensive posture, you hear the rattle, it’s coiled, looks like it’s going to strike, don’t try to pet it!” said Drut.

“As soon as it stops feeling threatened, it’s going to crawl away in the opposite direction.”