The Wildlife Rescue Association of British Columbia, has its hands full of more than 500 garter snakes after a construction crew woke the snakes up fr
The Wildlife Rescue Association of British Columbia, has its hands full of more than 500 garter snakes after a construction crew woke the snakes up from their slumber. On February 25, a biologist dropped off 12 garter snakes that were disrupted from their sleep by a construction crew that had been working near a dike near where they were living in for the winter. Two days later, the biologist came back with more than 350 snakes in buckets and bins.
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The staff counted the snakes and realized that they had about 500 garter snakes, including three subspecies. The snakes ranged in length from 10 cm to one meter in length.
"All of the snakes were examined and then placed in groups of 20 in plastic tubs with damp wood shavings and a dish of distilled water. Most of the snakes are healthy, but about a dozen are being treated for their injuries," the center said on its Facebook page.
Janelle VanderBeek, coordinator of the rescue association told CBC News Canada that the staff has split the snakes up in batches of 20 and will continue their brumation until the spring, when they will be released.
John B. Virata keeps a western hognose snake, a ball python, two corn snakes, a kingsnake, and two leopard geckos. His first snake, a California kingsnake, was purchased at the Pet Place in Westminster, CA for $5. His first pet reptile was a green anole that arrived in a small box via mail order. Follow him on Twitter @johnvirata
