Snake should warm Winnipeggers’ hearts

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This article was published 15/06/2021 (1326 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A corn snake who freaked out residents of Fort Rouge as it slithered around for days and evaded capture was just misunderstood.

A Winnipeg veterinarian and reptile expert says the snake is really into people and there was never any need to fear the cold-blooded creature.

“It was alert, active and actually quite friendly and inquisitive. It appeared to be generally in good health and liked to be handled by people,” said Dr. Jonas Watson.

“On physical examination, it had some small minor skin abrasions on its body which we cleaned with antiseptic soap,” he said.

The snake, which was believed to be someone’s pet, was taken into custody by Winnipeg police on Pembina Highway Monday afternoon. For days, it was the talk of the area as people with dogs and children feared they might come across it. It was said to be eight feet long. Turns out, it was less than half that length.

Once it was in police hands, it was given to the city’s Animal Services branch.

“This corn snake was an exotic colour morph, so a little different in appearance than the average corn snake,” said Watson.

Shaun Pratt, an animal care supervisor at the Assiniboine Zoo, says the corn snake is non-venomous and harmless.

“Traditionally when I hear that there’s a snake loose somewhere and it happens sometimes, I take the length that the public says and cut it down in half,” said Pratt. “When somebody says it’s a 10-foot snake, I usually assume it’s going to be a five-foot snake.”

Pratt has worked with snakes and other reptiles for 20 years. Part of his role as a supervisor is to educate guests on why creatures like spiders and snakes are not to be feared. The other part is educating people on what makes a good pet. He follows two guidelines.

“No. 1 is making sure you are looking after the animal for its whole life, not just a fad for a year. In the case of snakes, some can live between 15 to 30 years,” said Pratt.

“No. 2 is dangerous animals typically do not make good pets, if you can’t give them a really good home where they can have a very good life both psychologically and physically then you shouldn’t get them.”

Watson believes the public shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions about the snake.

“It tends to be the case, whether you’re talking about big fish or big snake stories, sensationalism sometimes leads to fear and misconceptions.”

Both men said people should be open-minded about snakes.

“We should reconsider our relationship with animals that may not be as cuddly as cats or dogs for pets,” said Watson. “There’s truly nothing to fear about snakes, lizards, turtles and other less than conventional pets.”

“That nervousness comes from not knowing that the snake is just trying to live its life without getting eaten by a bird or getting run over by a car,” said Pratt. “Snakes are nature’s pest-control system, especially for the agricultural industry.”

Changing that stigma is why Pratt continues to love the educational part of his job.

“It makes me want to work harder to dispel the myths about snakes and get people to fall in love with those kinds of animals.”

Watson believes this situation can be prevented if the city re-examines its policy on exotic pet ownership.

“You’ll recall last year there was a python that was never found, so presumably that animal died,” said Watson. “A couple of weeks ago, there was a green-winged macaw that got loose in the city. They never found the owner, and it’s being cared for by somebody.”

jbernacki@freepress.mb.ca

@JosephBernacki