Currently, the state is planning to establish a colony of the rattlers on Mount Zion, at 1,400 acres, the largest island in Quabbin Reservoir as a rattlesnake enclave, reports ABC News. The project has the approval of Governor Charlie Baker.
That the island is connected to the mainland by two causeways, and that rattlesnakes can swim is a concern for many people who fear the snakes will swim ashore and start attacking people. Additionally, while the island is off-limits to the public, there is still the concern the state will use the sanctuary as an excuse to close other sites to the public.
Tom French is with the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and is directing the project at the 39-square mile Quabbin Reservoir. According to the Seattle Times, he spoke with concerned citizens at a public hearing held on Tuesday last week. He said he had received several emails and phone calls from people who were afraid the snakes would 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 is no plan to deny public access to the Quabbin Reservoir, and concerns that snakes will leave the island and threaten humans are unfounded,” French added.
The remaining timber rattlesnake populations
MassWildlife has given the timber rattler high priority for conservation because of their steadily declining numbers. Citizens need to be educated about timber rattlesnakes. There are only about 200 of the snakes left in Massachusetts, and they are in five scattered pockets from greater Boston to the Berkshires.
Loss of habitat and being killed by humans has decimated the timber rattler’s populations, as well as the spread of Snake Fungal Disease (SFD) in the eastern U.S. French says this is why the Quabbin project is so critical.
“Some people go so far as to believe it’s their duty to kill these snakes to protect society. There are others who threaten this population by seeking them out and collecting them for themselves or to sell to others, which is a criminal offense,” said French.
Timber rattlesnakes are actually timid creatures and will only strike when provoked. There have been no documented cases of rattlesnake bite deaths in Massachusetts since Colonial times, said French. On Mount Zion, the snakes will be protected from the public.
The island has many places for the reptiles to burrow and there are plenty of mice and chipmunks to eat. To start, a handful of snakes will be raised at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island and relocated to the island in a couple years when they are old enough to survive in the wild. Timber rattlesnakes have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.
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