102 garter snakes removed from Regina home

[spaminator]

102 garter snakes removed from Regina home
QMI Agency
First posted: Tuesday, October 21, 2014 01:27 PM EDT | Updated: Tuesday, October 21, 2014 01:41 PM EDT
A wildlife rescue group collected 102 garter snakes from a Regina home after the serpents tried to hibernate there for the winter.
The Plains garter snakes were in the basement of the old stone country home, but started to make their way into the rest of the house, including the kitchen and bedrooms, the Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre West said on Facebook.
The largest was about three feet long.
"They were hiding everywhere," the group said. Volunteers collected the 102 snakes on the weekend and on Monday. Megan Lawrence, the director of operations at the centre, said they know there are more snakes in the home.
"Understandably, (the homeowners) did not want them there anymore, but recognizing the environmental value of snakes, they didn't want to kill them either," the post says.
"As snakes can be very loyal to their hibernaculums (where they seek refuge in winter) we figure that most had probably returned for years but now the population had multiplied making it unliveable."
102 garter snakes removed from Regina home | Canada | News | Toronto Sun

 

[petros]

The properly researched non SUNk version.....

102 snakes discovered in home near Regina
Serpents will be released back into wild
Reported by Kevin Martel
First Posted: Oct 21, 2014 5:19pm
Change text size: + -
Call it a sneaking, slithering surprise for people living in one home by Regina.

The Salthaven West Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre was called in to help remove what was believed to be a few garter snakes from cracks in the floors and walls. However, it turned out to be much more.

A total of 102 serpents were found.

“It’s very common for garter snakes to hibernate in such numbers. It’s just not that common in people’s houses,” said the centre’s Director of Wildlife Rehabilitation Megan Lawrence.

She believes there are more of the fork-tongued animals still in the home and will plan on going back at a later date to remove any more that are found.

So why save the snakes instead of exterminating them like other pests?

“Snakes are actually really important to the environment. Garter snakes in particular will eat rodents and insects that can be harmful to crops so having them on a rural property is actually very beneficial to farmers,” explained Lawrence.

The search for a new hibernation location for the snakes is on before winter. Lawrence said they can’t be released back into the wild around the same area as they could find their back into the house. If an alternate location somewhere underground below the frost line isn’t found the snakes risk freezing to death. Lawrence said if a suitable spot isn’t found, they’ll hold the snakes over winter and release them in the spring.

If this is the stuff of your nightmares and you want to keep snakes from invading your home, Lawrence recommends repairing any cracks or holes around your foundation, sealing around windows and doors, and making sure your basement stays dry

 

[spaminator]

More than 200 wild snakes removed from Regina home
QMI AGENCY
First posted: Thursday, November 06, 2014 12:30 PM EST | Updated: Thursday, November 06, 2014 12:37 PM EST
A wildlife group has removed an additional 119 garter snakes from a Regina home where 102 were rounded up last month.
Salthaven West confirmed on Twitter the additional snakes were pulled from the home recently, and there could still be more.
It was unclear if the most recently collected snakes were all new, or if some had returned after the group released the first 102 back into the wild.
The Plains garter snakes were in the basement of an old stone country home, but started to make their way into the rest of the house, including the kitchen and bedrooms. The homeowners didn't want the snakes in their home but understood the "environmental value" and didn't want to kill them, the group said on Facebook.
"As snakes can be very loyal to their hibernaculums (where they seek refuge in winter) we figure that most had probably returned for years, but now the population had multiplied, making it unlivable," the group said.
The Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre West removed 102 Plains garter snakes from a home in Regina between Oct. 18-20, 2014, and there are still more inside the home. This snake is pictured in a wall in the house. The snakes ranged in size from nine inches to nearly three feet. There are still some more snakes in the home, but volunteers were unable to reach them. (Photo: Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre West/Handout/QMI Agency)

More than 200 wild snakes removed from Regina home | Canada | News | Toronto Sun

 

[B00Mer]

The good news, that home is free of Rats, Mice or Spiders.