Pt 2: Relocating a Prairie Rattlesnake aka New Mexico Guard Dog
Relocating a Prairie Rattlesnake aka New Mexico Guard Dog
We moved to the New Mexico Desert early this summer, as you can imagine its been quite the adjustment. We know they are here and we have seen rattlesnakes in our area, but this morning Tim went outside to throw a few discs with Fred (our new dog!!) and stumbled upon quite the surprise. This beautiful prairie rattler was a few feet away from him and thankfully sounded his warning before Tim got too close. This beautiful snakes coloring is absolutely perfect camouflage for blending in with the desert sand.
We have never had to directly deal with a rattlesnake before, but this healthy guy definitely couldn't stay by the house, so we had to do something. After consulting with many friends and parents, we made the unpopular decision to let him live, keeping his place in the ecosystem. There are, after all, plenty of kangaroo rats, mice and other things for him to eat in this landscape.
With no venomous snake handling experience (obviously - we're wearing flip flops) we found the only tools that made sense, a garden hoe and a drink cooler to hopefully contain him. The plan was to then take him far enough away from the house that we shouldn't encounter one another again and everyone can be happy.