Column One: Rattlesnakes have had a busy year. Same for the people who catch them for a living
On a recent morning, he waded into grass so high and so dense his legs disappeared
You might think that the continuing development of what was once wilderness would reduce the rattlesnake population near homes, that our desire to tame nature will, ultimately, drive them away from where humans settle. But it often seems the opposite is true: the encroachment that upends snake habitats may make backyard encounters even more likely.Bo Slyapich searches for rattlesnakes in the backyard of a home located above Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu.
But a drought year can mean more business for Slyapich as well. During dry years, snakes leave their homes to search for water from sprinklers and other manufactured sources. And more rattlers emerge after a fire, slithering through their charred habitats to find sustenance.Slyapich pointed his thermal gun at the ground to take temperature readings. Because snakes cannot generate their own body heat, they gravitate toward land that is 75 to 85 degrees, he said.
About 15 years ago, Slyapich started to offer his services to families and local businesses. For nine months of the year, he is reachable 24/7, answering calls from frightened homeowners who have spotted snakes not just in their yards, but in their car engines, pools, garages, bedroom closets, toilets, stoves, cabinets and refrigerators.
A call to Slyapich, which can cost several hundred dollars, triggers a different kind of experience: If the snake has slipped away, he will hunt for it. He climbs into crawl spaces and roots around in damp corners, braving encounters with skunks, rats and spiders, which he despises. When he captures a snake, he donates it to programs for rattlesnake avoidance training for dogs, or moves it to undeveloped land .
People think snakes are going to come after them, follow them, chase them down. Snakes don’t do that — especially our snakes.It was one of three snakes Naor’s family had found in the frontyard in the past two weeks, she told Slyapich. When she works in her makeshift office in the garage, she props“One more snake and I’ll sell the house.”Fear of snakes is one of our most common phobias, experts say.
All of which means? The wranglers are a breed apart, some of them fascinated by danger, and gratified that they can turn their fearlessness into a service for the community, similar to firefighters, experts say. And for some, there are additional perks.
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