One day, while skimming the posts on the Nextdoor app, Bruce Ireland stumbled across a conversation about the many rattlesnakes that were waking up from their winter brumation, (kind of like hibernation), and showing up in people's yards. What should be done about this problem, the posts asked. Suggestions ranged from leaving the snakes alone to killing them in the most brutal ways. Bruce, being a long-time animal lover with a special affection for reptiles, thought that there must be a better way to handle this problem.
He had all the snake catching tools and knew how to use them so he posted the invitation to anyone who had an unwanted snake to give him a call. He would happily relocate the snake to a remote place where it would not be likely to come in contact with humans and he would do it for free.
In a very short period of time dozens, eventually hundreds of our friends and neighbors had put Bruce's phone number on speed dial. As the weather warmed and the snake calls increased, Bruce turned to his young daughters for help. The three of them quickly became local celebrities on the Nextdoor app.
People called them brave and showered them with compliments. Bruce and his daughters did not consider themselves to be brave. This was fun. While there is always the potential of danger when handling venomous snakes, they had the skills and equipment to safely perform this mission.
By mid-summer 2020, the number of snake calls had increased to the level that Bruce needed to recruit some like-minded assistants. Fast forward to the summer of 2021, the ranks of the Snake Wranglers group had swelled. There were now six Wranglers taking snake calls. With the additional help, the coverage area grew to include most of coastal north San Diego county.
In keeping with Bruce's founding idea, the rescue and relocation of unwanted snakes remains a free service. Since all of the Wranglers provide their own tools and transportation, donations are gratefully accepted to help cover expenses.
What does the future hold for the Snake Wranglers? We will probably continue to add more volunteers. We are also developing an online presence. This website was recently created by one of our Wranglers. As the website matures, we are hopeful that the site will become an important educational tool for those who want to learn more about the snakes who live amongst us.
With the number of Snake Wranglers growing and our range of coverage expanding, we recognize that we will soon have to acquire a more sophisticated method of receiving and dispatching snake relocation requests. We have researched a few dispatching options but have not yet found anything that looks very promising. We welcome input and suggestions as to how we might be able to improve this vital portion of our operation. If you have an idea that might be worth considering, please contact us.
Further down the road there have been discussions about the possibility of the Snake Wranglers teaming up with firefighters who often respond to calls from residents who have encountered a venomous snake. Since firefighters are not typically equipped to capture and relocate snakes, a 911 call often ends up with the unlucky snake being killed. This is something that we would love to help mitigate.
Whenever possible, we hope that if you encounter an unwanted snake, you will remember to call the Snake Wranglers first and allow us to rescue and safely relocate these snakes to a nearby wild area.
For questions, or comments about this website, please email webmaster@snake-wranglers.com