Snake Alert!

Snake Alert!

I’m used to a variety of wildlife in my neighborhood. We have squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, chipmunks, skunks, deer, the occasional fox, and loads of birds both residential and migratory. Every now and then, however, something appears that’s startling. Like the orange snake that slithered across the front yard of our daughter’s house just a few blocks away.

We didn’t know what kind of snake it was. Was it dangerous? Was it poisonous? Could it work its way up through pipes into the house? The township was alerted and we waited for someone to come and help us. Meanwhile, we watched it wiggle its way from the lawn, up over the front steps, into the bushes on the side of the porch. A police officer came by to assess the situation. He called the local Animal Control office and we waited some more. Meanwhile he kept an eye on the snake’s wanderings. It moved into the neighbor’s backyard and settled in under the back deck.

When the representative came, she identified the snake for us – an orange corn snake. It wasn’t poisonous but it also wasn’t local. It must have been someone’s pet that either got loose or was released by its owner. It seems that many people keep corn snakes as pets! It was a compelling creature but it needed to be relocated. She gathered it up into a container and drove it away, hopefully to be let back into the Pine Barrens, which is its natural home in New Jersey.

I can’t say I’m a snake fan but I meant it no harm and I learned that it wished us no harm either. It reminded me of the variety within nature, how sometimes we have to leave our natural homes and learn to adapt elsewhere. It’s not easy for any of us. I wished the snake well. 

Corn snake facts:

https://www.snaketype.com/corn-snake/