Notes from the Wildlife Care Naturalist:
Need Another Reason to Keep Your Dog on Leash and on the Trail?
by Emily Stauss

Spring is here, and with warm weather comes the arrival of our favorite flora and fauna— wildflowers are blooming, the birds are migrating through, and the snakes are re-emerging from their winter brumation. 

Just the other day we found this adorable kingsnake off of the trail by the Nature Center entrance. This picture is a good example of how difficult snakes can be to see, and why you should leash your dog and not leave the trail.

Snakes love to hide in brush piles, under logs, and under rocks.  For the safety of all of our visitors and our wildlife, we would like to remind you to always stay on the trail, always leash your dogs, and always admire all wildlife from a distance.  Staying on the trail and leashing your dogs will prevent you and your dog from harming wildlife, and prevent wildlife from harming you and your dog.  

Snakes are commonly encountered by hikers and visitors at Ruffner, and for many people, their first reaction is surprise or fear, but there is no need to be afraid of our legless friends.  Snakes are essential to human health because they are one of the top predators of mice and rats.  Rodents can transmit over 20 diseases to humans, including Bubonic Plague, Lyme Disease, and West Nile Virus. A single ratsnake can eat up to 200 rodents every year.  In the United States, snakes likely eat tens of millions of rodents each year - think of how many diseases they are saving us from— If you are healthy, you can thank a snake!

If you see a snake, the most important and life-saving action that you can take is to NOT attempt to kill it.  Snakes are not aggressive and, contrary to urban legend, do not chase people.  80% of snakebites happen due to humans trying to kill the snake.  Only 5 people per year die of snakebite in the United States - more people in the US are killed each year by farm animals than are killed by snakes.  But even though snakes pose relatively little danger to humans, unfortunately, many species of snakes in Alabama are experiencing population decline and are at risk of becoming endangered due to unnecessary, and sometimes cruel, killing thanks to the prejudice against them, and the old (and incorrect) mantra, “The only good snake is a dead snake.”

At Ruffner, we want to encourage an attitude change from "The only good snake is a dead snake" to "the only good snake is a LIVE snake!  We love our native snakes and we want to encourage people to admire and celebrate them instead of being afraid.  If you would like to learn more about some of our native snakes, please visit the Nature Center on the weekend to see some of Alabama’s native snakes on display, and perhaps to meet one of them up-close during a Wildlife Encounter!