Someone in Salt Lake City spray-painted a rattlesnake with pink paint near a construction site, in a clear sign of animal cruelty. The snake, which is
Someone in Salt Lake City spray-painted a rattlesnake with pink paint near a construction site, in a clear sign of animal cruelty. The snake, which is 3-4 feet in length was taken in by the Reptile Rescue Service in Utah, according to Jim Dix, the director of the rescue.
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Dix said that it may have been sprayed by a construction worker with ground marking paint, which is common at the construction site. He told UPI that painting the snake was a "a really childish, stupid thing to do." Harming wild snakes in Utah is a class B misdemeanor. The paint makes the snake more visible to predators such as raptors as well as its prey, effectively removing its camoflage and element of surprise.
The paint covers most of the top of the snake as well as its eyes, making it difficult for the snake to see. Dix hopes that a shed will remove the paint on the snake, which Dix will care for until it sheds its now pink skin. Hopefully the paint doesn't have long lasting negative effects on the reptile.
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
