The Southern Humboldt Garden Club got a primer in rattlesnake avoidance at its September 23 meeting in Weott.
Garden club members Paulette Andrews and Terry Jenkins reported on a trip they had taken to Norco, California to have their dogs trained in rattlesnake avoidance by Patrick Callaghan. They said the training lasted only a few minutes. Their dogs were fitted with electronic collars and taken to a field where there were four live rattlesnakes, all muzzled and kept under five gallon buckets until needed. At least one of the snakes had its rattles taped because snakes don’t always signal their presence.
Using the electric collars, the trainers taught the dogs to avoid snakes in less than 10 minutes, they said.
Terry formerly worked at the Folsom City Zoo and shared her knowledge of snakes with everyone. The rattlesnakes in our area are all Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes, she said. Briefly, she said a snake can strike at a distance of about half its length. It can strike multiple times, but the strength of venom varies, depending on how long it’s been since the snake used his venom to get a dinner of some small critter. Younger snakes are more lethal than older ones, but less than one percent of snake bite victims die. There’s a greater chance of being struck by lightning than killed by a rattlesnake.
Older rattlesnakes shed their skin twice a year; baby rattlesnakes shed four times a year. You can recognize a rattlesnake by its large diamond-shaped head. Gopher snakes look like rattlesnakes but their heads are small and their tails are blunt instead of pointed.
Paulette spoke about dealing with snake bites.
If someone is bitten by a rattlesnake, it’s important to sit and rest for at least 15 minutes. A car ride to Redwood Memorial for snake bite antidote would take care of that. The Garberville Hospital doesn’t stock human snake bite antidote, but the Garberville Veterinary Clinic has anti-venom for dogs. The smaller the dog, the more likely it is that the animal may die from the bite.
Don’t try to suck out the venom and don’t apply a tourniquet. She recommended tying a stocking on either side of the bite but not too tightly. Remove any jewelry as the area around the bite is going to swell and there will be pain, she said. About half of the people who deal with snakes feel a snake bite kit is a useful thing to have, while the other half doesn’t think they’re helpful.
Both of them discussed general snake awareness. They recommended using a walking stick and thumping it on the ground when walking in grass or woods. The thumps will encourage any nearby rattlesnakes to move away. They recommend the website of Humboldt Herpetology for useful information about local reptiles.
Terry also handed out a cartoon sheet she had made demonstrating a safe way to catch a rattlesnake to relocate somewhere else. She catches them using a hoe to guide the snake into a square trash can. She says the snakes are always cooperative about going into the can because they are feeling harassed and see the can as a safe place.
After their presentation, several club members told stories of their personal encounters with snakes. A few were funny, but some were well suited for telling around campfires in the dark.
In other business, Velma Titus will present certificates to three winners of the Smokey Bear poster contest. The winners are third grade student Alana Hodge, fourth grade student Anthony Micheli and fifth grade student Shannyn Hering, all of Agnes J. Johnson School. The members also voted to purchase a paving stone at the Humboldt Botanical Gardens in memory of Elizabeth Smith, who was a member of the club.
REDWOOD TIMES PHOTO BY MARY ANDERSON
Southern Humboldt Garden Club members Paulette Andrews (standing) and Terry Jenkins use a coiled rattlesnake replica to illustrate the differences between a rattlesnake and a harmless gopher snake.
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