Adopt a snake? YOU CAN HELP THE HARMLESS GREY RAT SNAKE SURVIVE
I’m a camper and I hate snakes. I know it’s irrational, but they scare the bejesus out of me. It’s all that slithering. And yet, I’ve just donated $25 to adopt one. Not that it’s coming home with me! I’m just supporting a conservation effort at Murphys Point Provincial Park. I admit that I’ve avoided camping at Murphys Point because it is home to the black rat snake. OK, so it’s now known as the gray rat snake, but whatever the colour I’m still not a fan. I’ve heard stories of the snakes hanging in trees above your picnic table. Ick. Today though, this harmless constrictor (well, harmless to humans; it crushes prey in its coils) is a threatened species—and maybe it’s time for us to help it. Obviously, what I know and how I feel are two different things. I may not want a snake
under my canoe or near my tent, but I do appreciate their role in our ecology, recognize they are not dangerous and, believe it or not, they are silky dry to the touch. Back in the 1990s, individual gray rat snakes were tracked through radio telemetry to learn more about their habits and ranges, and to help protect the species and its habitat. With this data, The Friends of Murphys Point are using FaceBook to post updates on how an individual snake moved throughout each season. Park naturalist Mike Murphy describes snake activities from the researchers’ point of view. The Friends have launched a blog devoted to the gray rat snake, answering questions and promoting local conservation.
PHOTO BY ONTARIO PARKS
BY SHEILA ASCROFT
And this is where the “adopt a snake” program fits in. Money raised offsets the costs of population monitoring (with a tiny microchip inserted under a snake’s skin), and efforts to raise awareness about the snakes (and maybe calm down people like me). By contributing at least $25, your name is added to the donor signage at the park’s visitor centre as well as on the gray rat snake blog. There is a tax receipt too. Details at http://friendsofmurphyspoint.ca/donate/. If you’re brave enough to have a snake on your chest, the Friends also sell nifty Rat Snake T-shirts at the park store to raise money for future research and public awareness.
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