Serpentine Surprise Slips into Stonefield!
Thu, 10/01/2009 - 00:40 — tom
Entering our little community after work on Friday, August 28th, I marveled at how green and fresh the vegetation looked after a day of healthy rain. In fact, we received so much rain that day that a steady stream was still navigating the meandering curves along Putnam Drive that lead into a storm drain as I made my way home. And that’s when I saw it; the biggest and most beautiful snake I’d ever seen in Stonefield! But the coolest part of all was that the snake its head draped over the curb and was lapping up water as it flowed down the street! As a science nerd I take great pleasure in noticing a “biology observation of the day” that reminds me to slow down and appreciate the natural world, and seeing that snake definitely won top prize that day!
As it turns out, the snake in question was about a 4’ Python, most likely a Burmese Python as identified by Marion Beal, a former naturalist who lives in Stonefield. Although pythons can wreak havoc on native fauna when errantly released into the wild (Google Everglades and Python for more information), this particular snake was more likely to become a meal for a raccoon than it was to consume somebody’s pet at this stage of its life. Heeding Marion’s advice, Kyle Almond of Putnam Drive managed to catch the snake (I wish we’d filmed that!) and his neighbor enthusiastically gave the snake a good home.
So, while this story has a happy ending so far (i.e, the snake wasn’t killed by a human because it was a snake, wasn’t killed by native animals, and didn’t eat anybody’s pets), this encounter presents a great opportunity to reiterate a few common sense themes about wildlife in Stonefield. We’re fortunate to have tracts of wooded common ground connected by corridors that offer quality wildlife habitat; however, their livelihood still requires our attention and protection. Never release non-native species into the wild (that includes flushing them down a drain). Similarly, they are “wild” life for a reason; do not attempt to tame wild animals. If you come into contact with an injured wild animal, consult the appropriate rehabilitator on a list maintained by the SCDNR (www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/rehab.html). For nuisance wildlife, particularly alligators (they do live on James Island), you can also call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-922-5431 to be directed to local assistance.
Article by Mike Arendt
Photography by Tom Steenhuysen www.justcallmetom.com
Entering our little community after work on Friday, August 28th, I marveled at how green and fresh the vegetation looked after a day of healthy rain. In fact, we received so much rain that day that a steady stream was still navigating the meandering curves along Putnam Drive that lead into a storm drain as I made my way home. And that’s when I saw it; the biggest and most beautiful snake I’d ever seen in Stonefield! But the coolest part of all was that the snake its head draped over the curb and was lapping up water as it flowed down the street! As a science nerd I take great pleasure in noticing a “biology observation of the day” that reminds me to slow down and appreciate the natural world, and seeing that snake definitely won top prize that day!
As it turns out, the snake in question was about a 4’ Python, most likely a Burmese Python as identified by Marion Beal, a former naturalist who lives in Stonefield. Although pythons can wreak havoc on native fauna when errantly released into the wild (Google Everglades and Python for more information), this particular snake was more likely to become a meal for a raccoon than it was to consume somebody’s pet at this stage of its life. Heeding Marion’s advice, Kyle Almond of Putnam Drive managed to catch the snake (I wish we’d filmed that!) and his neighbor enthusiastically gave the snake a good home.
So, while this story has a happy ending so far (i.e, the snake wasn’t killed by a human because it was a snake, wasn’t killed by native animals, and didn’t eat anybody’s pets), this encounter presents a great opportunity to reiterate a few common sense themes about wildlife in Stonefield. We’re fortunate to have tracts of wooded common ground connected by corridors that offer quality wildlife habitat; however, their livelihood still requires our attention and protection. Never release non-native species into the wild (that includes flushing them down a drain). Similarly, they are “wild” life for a reason; do not attempt to tame wild animals. If you come into contact with an injured wild animal, consult the appropriate rehabilitator on a list maintained by the SCDNR (www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/rehab.html). For nuisance wildlife, particularly alligators (they do live on James Island), you can also call Operation Game Thief at 1-800-922-5431 to be directed to local assistance.
Article by Mike Arendt
Photography by Tom Steenhuysen www.justcallmetom.com
Web site design by Tom Steenhuysen
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