Ryan First Diver, an ecological consultant in Lethbridge, got his first call snake call on Thursday.
“It’s rattlesnake time,” he said on Friday. “It’s all kinds of wildlife time because we’re coming into the summer.”
First Diver works with the City of Lethbridge as a consultant for the rattlesnake mitigation program.
Some boys were out mountain biking in the coulees, where they ended up in a rattlesnake den.
“I’ve experienced this situation, where you inadvertently walk into a rattlesnake den,” said First Diver.
Snakes are hissing, writhing and rattling. They’re trying to get into their dens and away from people.
“But all you see is the writhing, hissing and rattling. So the boys jumped off their bikes and ditched them there.”
So it was First Diver to the rescue.
Snakes go into brumation around September and start to emerge when the weather gets warmer. They’ll typically stay close to their dens, in case of a winter squall, but start to venture out around April.
Four different types of snakes can be found in Lethbridge: the prairie rattlesnake, bull snake, plains garter snake and wandering garter snake.
Out of the four, only the the prairie rattlesnake is venomous. First Diver said they can typically be found on the west side of the coulees, but are starting to pop up on the south side.
If you find a snake in your neighbourhood, you can request a rattlesnake relocation through the City of Lethbridge.
But if you find a snake in the coulees, First Diver will leave it.
“We’re not in the business of moving rattlesnakes from their habitat,” said First Diver.
“In fact, if you call me to a residence, I’m going to move the rattlesnake back to its nearest winter hibernacula, which could be 100 feet from the house.”
In both cases, First Diver recommends giving the snake some space. The snake won’t chase you, he said.
“Anywhere that you are in the coulees, you have a chance of running into a rattlesnake,” he said. “And their first defense is going to be camouflage, not necessarily warning you.”
The last few years, First Diver averages about 170 to 180 calls a year.
When he started almost 10 years ago, it was around 70.
He credits the increase in calls to more people getting outside, especially during the pandemic.
But with more people out, First Diver has more worries.
“My big concern right now is because of the heightened activity in the coulees with COVID-19, the chance of rattlesnake encounters are increasing,” he said.
“I was really grateful last year that we didn’t get any bites and I hope it stays that way this summer as well.”
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