Massachusetts plans rattlesnake colony on uninhabited island
BOSTON (AP) — A plan by the state to establish a
colony of venomous timber rattlesnakes on an off-limits island in
Massachusetts' largest body of water has some rattled by visions of
dangerous serpents slithering through the surrounding woods, attacking
hikers, fishermen and hunters.
Those are completely irrational fears based on the
public's aversion to snakes, said Tom French of the state Division of
Fisheries and Wildlife, who's directing the project at the 39-square
mile Quabbin Reservoir and representing the state at a public meeting
Tuesday to address the concerns.
French said he's received several emails and phone calls from worried residents who fear the snakes will escape the island.
"People are afraid that we're going to put snakes in a
place of public use and that they are going to breed like rabbits and
spread over the countryside and kill everybody," he said.
There are only about 200 of the endangered snakes
indigenous to Massachusetts left in five scattered pockets from greater
Boston to the Berkshires, French said. Loss of habitat and human-caused
deaths means they could disappear altogether, which is why the Quabbin
project is so critical.
The plan to establish the snakes on Mount Zion — at
more than 1,400 acres, the largest island in the reservoir — has been in
the works for several years. A handful of snakes will be raised at
Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island, and placed on the
island in a couple more years when they are mature enough to survive in
the wild.
The project has received the endorsement of Gov. Charlie Baker.
The public's concerns stem from the fact that
rattlesnakes can swim and the island is connected to the mainland by a
pair of narrow causeways, French said.
Bob Curley, an avid hiker, isn't opposed to the
rattlesnake preservation effort; he just doesn't think the Quabbin is
the place to do it. Even though Mount Zion of off limits to the public,
he's concerned the state will use the snakes as an excuse to shut off
public access to areas around the reservoir about 65 miles west of
Boston.
"When the inevitable happens and there is an
interplay between a hiker and a rattler, what's the repercussion?" said
the Athol resident, who said his dog was bitten by a rattlesnake last
summer. "Are the trails around the Quabbin going to be shut down?"
There is no plan to deny public access to the
Quabbin, and concerns that snakes will leave the island and threaten
humans are unfounded, French said.
Rattlesnakes are timid and only strike out when
provoked. There have been no documented rattlesnake bite deaths in
Massachusetts since colonial times, he said. He can't even recall an
accidental bite in his 32 years with the state agency even though
Massachusetts' rattlesnake populations live largely in public lands that
get heavy foot traffic.
On Mount Zion, the snakes will be safe from
human interference, have ideal places to hibernate and plenty of mice
and chipmunks to eat.
"We want one place where the impact of people in not part of the equation," French said.
The state's message appears to be getting out.
Nancy Allen, chairwoman of the selectboard in
Petersham, a town on the eastern shore of the reservoir, said she heard
from fearful residents when the plan became public, but those fears
died down once people educated themselves about the project.
"Once they started to look into the facts, people started to change their minds," she said.
Peter Mallett, a recreational fisherman who
lives in New Salem, a town on the Quabbin's western shore, opposed the
snake project at first, but changed his mind after digging deeper.
"People are just petrified of snakes," he said.
Massachusetts plans rattlesnake colony on uninhabited island
Reviewed by Anaskyspot
on
06:45:00
Rating:
No comments:
Post a Comment