NC snake education group offers free identification and relocation of snakes - WRAL.com
Raleigh, N.C. — More of us spend a lot of time outdoors this time of year, and by the way, so do snakes! Just the word alone sends many people into a panic.
Emma Eldridge, for one, is not afraid of snakes. It's the time of year when she and others in a volunteer organization often answer calls to remove snakes from different properties.
Among venomous snakes in the state, copperheads are the most commonly encountered. That's what led Eldridge to one fine specimen. "He's a juvenile copperhead," she said, referring to a one in a plastic bin with a protective lid.
She says copperheads are known by a distinctive banded marking. "You can see along the side there that's like the Hershey Kisses that we point out to people," said Eldridge.
"He was on someone's porch and they gave me a call instead of having her husband kill it," explained Eldridge. She is an administrator with the Facebook page "N.C. Snake Identification & Education."
Water-snakes are commonly mistaken as copperheads. "So that is a northern water-snake coming out on the rock right there," said Eldridge, pointing to a place where water crashes down on rocks at the base of the Yates Mill dam in Raleigh.
Eldridge says water-snakes are non-venomous. "They eat fish, frogs, toads, stuff like that," she said.
While you can pay professionals to remove snakes from your property, Eldridge, along with many other volunteers across the state, relocate them for free. "I don't like to see them killed, so that's why we move them," said Eldridge.
She says, if left alone, snakes are not aggressive, even venomous types, like copperheads. If they strike, it's out of fear. "No venomous snake is going to come seek you out to bite you because they can't eat you," said Eldridge.
She says they are only looking for food like small rodents. Her advice is to leave them alone. "Most bites happen if you are trying to kill the snake," she said.
Eldridge adds, controlling rodents in your yard or under your house will discourage snakes. "We always just try to make the habitat less good, said Eldridge, including keeping yard waste and wood piles off the ground.
You can also check out the Free Snake Relocation Directory to find help relocating a snake in your area.
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