The Santee Fire Department (SFD) provides a service for residents to remove any dangerous snakes far, far away from their property.
“This is the time of the year for them,” said SFD representative Tim Leonard. “It’s not uncommon to have three to five snakes a week.”
They use “special snake tongs” to capture the reptiles and put them in large buckets.
SFD was called to move a red diamond rattlesnake in July, but found it was unusually big.
“We had a tough time fitting him in the bucket,” Leonard said.
Leonard told NBC 7 some tips and tricks to best avoid potentially lethal encounters in snake-prone areas.
- A snake’s rattle is a warning sign that it feels threatened and may attack. Don’t wear headphones or play loud music to distract you from hearing it.
- Always look before stepping or reaching in these areas.
- Check the path ahead of time before going out with kids or animals.
- If you have a fence, line the bottom with a rattlesnake fence cover to stop them from getting onto your property. Covers can be bought from any home improvement store.
SFD said it works with the San Diego Reptile Society to move the snakes far away from civilization so they can continue living in peace.
