Snake doesn't scare do-gooder away

Kurt Jensen went out for a Saturday morning drive recently, looking to capture the beautiful Oregon countryside and ended up freeing one of the countryside's creatures.

He pulled into the parking lot of an old, weathered, wood-clad barn he was attracted to.

"The asphalt parking lot was new and clean except for what looked like a large clod of dirt near the barn," he said.

That "clod of dirt" was a 4-foot long gopher snake next to a wad of dead grass.

"It was still fairly cool, and I know snakes like to lay on asphalt to warm up, and I thought I had just caught him napping, so to speak," Jensen said.

So he got out of the car and walked around for a closer look. He discovered the snake was entangled in bird netting, which was digging into its scales, along with the clump of grass and an old coat hanger.

"With the mesh wrapped so tightly," he said, "I wondered how he could digest food or if he was even alive. It was clear that if the plastic wasn't removed, he would die, if it wasn't too late."

Channeling John Wayne, Jensen said he went back to his car to see if he had a tool that would free the snake.

"The bird netting was all knotted up around the snake's body as if he'd tried to get free by twirling around but only made it worse," he said. "It would take some doing to get it off. I was scared and full of doubt. What if he freaks out and tries to get loose. Would I even be able to hang on, let alone remove the plastic?"

While Jensen was considering his options and courage, the snake moved.

"Good news, he's still alive. Bad news, he sees me," he said.

Jensen then said he grabbed the snake behind the head. "The snake hissed. He writhed a little, but quickly calmed down."

He cut away most of the entanglement with the multi-tool scissors.

"I had to get the tip of the knife blade under the plastic, which was squeezing like a tourniquet, without cutting the snake. It worked," Jensen said. "He was being remarkably cooperative and must have been relieved with the progress. After several minutes using the serrated blade and fine edge knife, I was able to get the dozen or so remaining strands off the snake and the rest of the entanglement came with it. The snake remained cooperative throughout.

"When finished, I went back to the car for the camera. When I returned for the 'after' photo, the snake hissed and began to coil up in a defensive/strike mode. Woohoo! All was back to normal."

How you can help snakes

Freeing a snake from its chains may not be for all of us. But there are things we can do on our own property to help the reptiles.

"The vast majority of snakes in Oregon are very beneficial," said Bob Mason, a professor of integrative biology at Oregon State University who specializes in snakes.

Snakes eat a variety of pests. The garter feeds on slugs; the sharp-tailed snake adds grubs to their diet, including the destructive Japanese beetle grub. Rubber boas specialize in eating mice and voles, going down their tunnels after them. And gopher snakes snack on mice and rats.

To make your property garter snake friendly, Mason advises:

• Walk your lawn before you mow it to scare the snakes into hiding. Lawn mowers are deadly to snakes because they can't hear like we do. Rather, they feel vibrations.
• Provide habitat for snakes if you have room. Old plywood or corrugated metal roofing left loosely on the ground in an out-of-the-way place on your property provides hiding and nesting places for slithering creatures. Old stumps and large rocks also make good snake habitat.
• Don't use chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers in areas used by snakes, including lawns.
• If you have pets, the likelihood of attracting snakes is minimal.

The western rattlesnake, the only species of truly venomous snake native to Oregon, feeds on mice, rats and other smaller animals. Rattlesnakes were once more commonly found on both the west and east sides of the Cascades; however, they've largely been killed off on the west side, Mason said.

"Rattlers are rare in northwestern Oregon," he said. "They were shot out 100 years ago by early settlers. There are a few dens left, but only in really isolated places."

In Southern and Eastern Oregon, however, rattlers are more common.

"Rattlesnakes are part of the natural environment," he said. "They should be respected. When you encounter one in its natural environment, away from homes and children, stay away and leave the snake alone. They are quite reclusive and rarely aggressive."

-- Kym Pokorny, OSU Extension Service

Gopher snakes

Gopher snakes are one of the largest snake species in the Northwest and along with garter snakes the most common in the valley. They are non-venomous, harmless to humans and beneficial in agricultural areas where they help keep the rodent population in check. The skin pattern is similar to the Pacific northwestern rattlesnake, but the rattlesnake has a rattle at the end of their tale and thinner and longer than the muscular rattlesnake.

Snakes as pets

Currently, in Oregon, people can bring home snakes they find in the wild as pets. They are fun for kids, Bob Mason from Oregon State University said, and can even be returned to the wild once a child bores of it.