No reason to be rattled but snake season has arrived

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on May 3, 2023.

Herald file photo Having only just emerged late last month from their winter dens, it's time for people to be aware of snakes while walking or riding along the many paths in and on top of the city's coulees.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

Ah, spring time. The birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, and the snakes are rattling.

That’s right, its snake season, and rattlesnakes have been out and about for a couple of weeks already. As the temperature continues to rise, Lethbridge residents can expect to see them more often, including in some residential neighbourhoods that border the coulees and prairies.

“It is a time when people need to be aware of snakes,” says Dave Henley, the city’s senior bylaw officer.

That doesn’t mean people need to be alarmed, just cautious when they are walking or riding along the many paths in and on top of the city’s coulees.

Since the snakes first emerged late last month, they’ve been staying close to their dens, and there haven’t been a lot of sightings – yet.

But Henley says once overnight temperatures hit about 10 degrees Celsius, the snakes will begin to migrate from their dens in search of food and mates, and sightings will increase.

“We’ve already started getting a few calls so they may have just started moving away from their den sites,” Henley says.

When the temperature becomes really hot, residents can expect to see snakes in the morning and evening. During the hottest times of the day snakes tend to seek shade and won’t be as visible. That’s also when residents need to be cautious and avoid areas where snakes may be hidden.

But that’s to be expected. The coulees and river valley in the city are snake habitat, and they are most prolific in the Canyons and Riverstone areas.

Henley notes the nonvenomous bull snakes tend to live in the northerly parts of the river valley while rattlesnakes are primarily in the southern portions, although not exclusively.

So before everyone decides to move to the north part of the city, Henley points out that prairie rattlesnakes are not aggressive and will try to hide if they hear a human approaching.

“The snakes are not out to purposely hurt you, they just want to be left alone.”

Incidents of snakes biting humans in the city are rare; in fact in the past 20 years Henley is only aware of a couple of incidents. However, snakes biting pets, particularly dogs, is more common.

“It’s important in our river valley and our coulee areas, that you keep your pet on-leash for their own safety so they don’t get in conflict with a snake.”

Henley reminds residents that snakes lived in the area long before people began building subdivisions and parks, and residents can expect to see snakes when they are out enjoying the river valley and coulees, and in some cases, their own property. Henley recommends people wear sensible footwear while walking in the river valley, and pay attention to where they are walking. They should also be listening so they can hear a snake’s warning rattle.

“If you’re running with earbuds in…just keep thinking that you are in an area…that you could run across a snake or any other kind of wildlife, and you don’t want to startle them. It’s no different for a snake or a porcupine or a deer or something else. You just have to treat wildlife like wildlife.”

Henley says the city also gets calls about coyotes, which can pose a threat for people walking their dogs.

“They will protect their young. Not that they’re hyper aggressive or anything like that, but they will try to chase dogs away from their dens.”

The same applies with deer and other wild animals, and Henley advises residents to keep their dogs on leash and close to them because the area is brimming with wildlife.

“Our river valley is a wildlife corridor, so you have great opportunities to see wildlife, of a variety, and you just need to be aware of that.”

Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter