SAN DIEGO (FOX5/KUSI) — Temperatures are rising around Southern California, something that could lead to snake encounters if you spend enough time outdoors.
“When it does get warm, because snakes are cold-blooded, they’ll come out on these trails, and they’ll lie across the trails. So if you’re hiking…pretty good chance you’re going to see one of San Diego’s many, many different types of snakes,” said Bruce Ireland, who works as a snake wrangler.
Running into a snake might be your nightmare, but it’s Ireland’s dream.
“If you are out on the trails and you do see one, there’s no need to panic. He’s never or she’s never going to come after you. It’s just going to stay and hold its ground. If you walk away or give it space, it’s just going to stay there and do nothing,” he said.
Ireland also tells hikers to warn fellow hikers of the sighting to avoid surprising rattlesnakes.
He also tells dog owners to keep their pets on a leash.
“Dogs are most likely to be written by a rattlesnake, and that’s because dogs, by nature, are very curious. The first thing they’re going to do is go right over to the snake with their nose, and that snake can’t differentiate between that and something trying to eat it. So as soon as that dog’s nose goes over to that snake, it’s going to defend itself,” said Ireland.
He explains that snakes won’t just show up on trails; they could also show up in yards. That’s where his line of work comes in. He’s been wrangling snakes and releasing them back into nature for decades.
He said when it’s hot, his team sees an uptick in calls. Before lunchtime on one day, he had already captured three rattlesnakes.
“Two big things to point out…rattlesnakes will always have these big heads compared to where their neck is—if you look at the neck versus head, that’s because they have venom glands. They are also going to have some type of rattle on the tail,” he said.
He also wrangled a non-venomous snake called a coachwhip.
“The head of a non-venomous snake is tiny. See that? It’s basically the same size as its neck because they don’t have venom glands, so this is a harmless snake. The other thing I’ll point out—no rattle. So all our other native snakes that live in this area have a tail that comes to a point,” said Ireland.
Ireland said you’ll likely see snakes when it’s cooler, but during the hottest parts of the day, they will be hiding in shaded areas.
