The capture of a pregnant garter snake and reports of other snakes in the Bay St. George South area leads provincial wildlife officials to believe snakes have been introduced into the province.
Bruce Rodrigues, ecosystem management ecologist with the Department of Environment and Conservation, told the Georgian a pregnant garter snake was recently collected from a homeowner’s flowerbed in St. David’s.
“Garter snakes are one of the species that we’ve always been concerned about getting introduced onto the island, because they are across the rest of Canada and they are quite adaptable to different conditions,” said Mr. Rodrigues.
He said the department received a report in 2009 about somebody finding a snake in Robinsons Head, and reports of other sightings have increased since the pregnant snake was collected.
“I just got a call today from somebody in the Maidstone area saying that they just saw a snake a little while ago,” said Mr. Rodrigues. “I would say pretty well they are breeding, because the one we found, of course, was pregnant, and the individuals [snakes] that are being found.”
Mr. Rodrigues said there are various ways snakes could have arrived in the province, including being brought in on shipments of hay, building materials or soil.
“People can bring it directly to the province … most typically as a pet,” he added. “They find it on the mainland somewhere and they want to have it, but then get tired of it and let it go.”
Mr. Rodrigues said it’s unknown what kind of effect a snake population would have on the island.
“It’s a time-will-tell kind of thing, but the potential it could have, right off the bat – if it came from the mainland – it could have other diseases or parasites that might affect other animals,” he said. “And as a predator, it’s quite versatile, it feeds on variety of things. Most the time, they eat earthworms, rodents, but they can also prey on birds, bird eggs, that kind of stuff.”
Staying safe
Mr. Rodrigues said the reptiles aren’t particularly hazardous to people.
“Garter snakes aren’t something to be afraid of, they’re not dangerous to you, your kids or your pets – unless you have a pet mouse,” he said of their bite. “They do have venom, but it basically affects rodents, so anything bigger and you’re not going to get affected.”
But garter snakes do have another technique for defending themselves.
“If you try to grab them, they’re more likely to wrap their bodies around you and smear you with this very stinky smelling substance.”
For those spotting a snake in Bay St. George South, Mr. Rodrigues said the best thing to do is to report the sighting to the forestry office in St. George’s.
“If you can contain it, that’s great, but don’t put yourself in any sort of danger doing it,” he added, noting officials don’t know for sure if every snake in the area is a garter snake.
The captured pregnant garter snake is being kept at the Salmonier Nature Park on the east coast as an illustrative display of introduced species into the province.
