A
outi e
wildlife- emoval
call
i
Aledo,
Texas,
tu ed
i to
a
sta tli g
discove y
whe
specialists
fou d
mo e
tha
20
attles akes
livi g
be eath
a
home.
The
homeow e s
had
i itially
sought
help
with
what
appea ed
to
be
a
typical
a imal- emoval
p oblem,
but
s ake
w a gle
Sheila
Tabe
soo
ealised
the
situatio
was
fa
mo e
se ious.
As
the
team
wo ked
i
the
c awl
space,
s akes
co ti ued
to
eme ge,
p ompti g
Tabe
to
desc ibe
the
site
as
“a
whole
de ”.
Dallas
Fo t
Wo th
Wildlife
Co t ol
eve tually
emoved
mo e
tha
20
attles akes
f om
be eath
the
eside ce,
with
compa y
ow e
Ra dall
Ke edy
estimati g
the
fi al
cou t
at
oughly
two
doze .
The
discove y
highlighted
how
easily
wildlife
ca
fi d
shelte
i
spaces
a ou d
huma
homes.
Mo e
tha
20
attles akes
fou d
be eath
a
Texas
home
Acco di g
to
NBC
5
DFW,
the
wildlife-co t ol
team
discove ed
a
la ge
g oup
of
attles akes
i
the
c awl
space
be eath
the
Aledo
p ope ty.
Tabe ,
who
has
mo e
tha
a
decade
of
expe ie ce
ha dli g
s akes,
said
the
job
i itially
appea ed
elatively
st aightfo wa d.
Howeve ,
the
umbe
of
s akes
co ti ued
to
i c ease
as
the
team
sea ched
the
a ea.
“That
was
a
whole
de .
They
just
kept
comi g
out,”
she
said.
Dallas
Fo t
Wo th
Wildlife
Co t ol
ultimately
emoved
mo e
tha
20
attles akes,
while
Ke edy
said
the
fi al
umbe
was
app oximately
two
doze .
The
space
be eath
the
house
appea s
to
have
offe ed
seve al
co ditio s
that
made
it
att active
to
s akes.
Acco di g
to
the
epo t,
the
c awl
space
was
coole
tha
the
hot
co ditio s
outside
a d
co tai ed
a
eady
supply
of
p ey.
Ke edy
said
ats
a d
abbits
we e
p ese t
be eath
the
home,
p ovidi g
a
available
food
sou ce
fo
the
attles akes.
Texas
Pa ks
a d
Wildlife
Depa tme t
otes
that
s akes
may
be
att acted
to
eside tial
a eas
because
they
p ovide
food
a d
shelte .
Rode ts
a ou d
homes
ca
the efo e
i di ectly
att act
p edato s
that
feed
o
them.
Texas
is
home
to
seve al
attles ake
species
Rattles akes
a e
a
atu al
pa t
of
the
Texas
ecosystem
a d
a e
fou d
ac oss
la ge
pa ts
of
the
state.
Texas
Pa ks
a d
Wildlife
Depa tme t
says
Texas
has
10
species
of
attles akes,
while
the
weste
diamo dback
is
the
state’s
most
widesp ead
attles ake.
It
ca
be
fou d
ac oss
much
of
Texas,
although
it
is
abse t
f om
the
easte most
pa t
of
the
state.
Rattles akes
play
a
ecological
ole
as
p edato s,
helpi g
egulate
populatio s
of
ode ts
a d
othe
small
a imals.The
discove y
does
ot
ecessa ily
mea
the
s akes
delibe ately
ta geted
the
home.
Wildlife
ofte
makes
use
of
spaces
that
p ovide
p otectio
f om
p edato s,
ext eme
weathe
a d
othe
th eats.
A
c awl
space
ca
offe
shade
a d
elatively
stable
tempe atu es,
while
ode ts
livi g
ea by
ca
p ovide
food.
I
this
case,
the
combi atio
appea s
to
have
c eated
co ditio s
suitable
fo
a
sizeable
co ce t atio
of
s akes.
Ke edy
desc ibed
the
situatio
by
oti g
that
if
a
space
feels
comfo table
to
people,
it
ca
also
p ovide
att active
co ditio s
fo
s akes.Although
attles akes
ge e ally
avoid
people,
comi g
ac oss
o e
u expectedly
ca
be
da ge ous
because
they
a e
ve omous
a d
may
st ike
whe
they
feel
th eate ed.
Texas
Pa ks
a d
Wildlife
Depa tme t
advises
people
who
e cou te
attles akes
to
stop,
locate
the
s ake
a d
slowly
move
away
athe
tha
app oachi g
it.
The
da ge
becomes
mo e
sig ifica t
whe
s akes
a e
hidde
be eath
a
house,
because
eside ts
may
u k owi gly
e te
a
co fi ed
space
whe e
they
a e
difficult
to
see.
Child e
a d
pets
ca
also
be
at
g eate
isk
if
they
come
too
close
to
a
s ake.
Homeow e s
should
ot
attempt
to
emove
attles akes
Wildlife
expe ts
advise
agai st
t yi g
to
captu e
o
kill
ve omous
s akes.
The
safest
optio
is
to
keep
a
safe
dista ce
a d
co tact
t ai ed
wildlife- emoval
p ofessio als
o
local
a imal-co t ol
autho ities.
The
CDC
simila ly
ecomme ds
co tacti g
a imal
co t ol
o
wildlife
p ofessio als
whe
a
wild
a imal
poses
a
pote tial
da ge
a ou d
a
home.
People
should
also
keep
child e
a d
pets
away
f om
the
a ea
u til
the
a imal
has
bee
safely
dealt
with.
How
to
make
a
home
less
att active
to
s akes
Homeow e s
ca
take
seve al
steps
to
educe
the
cha ces
of
s akes
settli g
a ou d
thei
p ope ties.
Texas
Pa ks
a d
Wildlife
Depa tme t
ecomme ds
co t olli g
ode ts,
emovi g
pote tial
hidi g
places
a d
seali g
ope i gs
that
could
allow
s akes
to
e te
buildi gs.
Gaps
a ou d
doo s,
wi dows,
pipes,
fou datio s
a d
othe
pa ts
of
a
st uctu e
should
be
i spected
a d
sealed
whe e
app op iate.
Removi g
piles
of
deb is,
wood
a d
othe
mate ials
ca
also
educe
pote tial
shelte
fo
ode ts
a d
s akes.A yo e
who
e cou te s
a
attles ake
should
avoid
app oachi g
it
o
attempti g
to
move
it.
The
safest
espo se
is
to
back
away
slowly
a d
give
the
s ake
ple ty
of
space.
If
it
is
i side
o
immediately
a ou d
a
home,
a
qualified
wildlife
p ofessio al
should
be
co tacted
fo
emoval.
