Got a rattler on your property that you want gone? Local resident Danielle Wall can help move ’em out. Reporter Heather Clisby spoke with Wall here in our Z107.7 studios…
At the rate of one every other day, snake-lover Danielle Wall has been helping snakes avoid murder all summer. Her free service, Danielle’s Reptile Relocation, aims to relocate unwelcome snakes within their home range of a square mile.
“I love snakes. You know, you can’t see on the radio but I do have a snake tattooed around my neck. And I’ve just loved snakes for the last few years. No stopping me now!” Wall says.
Danielle has found that her work in humane relocation is in demand.
“The usual call I get is, ‘There’s a rattlesnake on my porch!’ or ‘There’s a rattlesnake in my backyard! There’s one under my car! There’s one in my washing machine!’ They just want them moved and not killed, which is great, and I get there when I can. So I hope to get people at least to not want to kill them and work a little bit more towards conservation.”
Wall notes differing policies at local animal control agencies, with Yucca Valley opting to euthanize due to liability risks and Twentynine Palms relocating the snakes.
“And I can understand both sides of the situation,” Wall says.
Wall has relocated nearly 40 snakes this summer, mostly rattlesnakes, but though the season is winding down, Wall advises caution.
“If you’re going to do some cleaning, and you start moving a lot of debris that’s been around your property, just watch out for holes. They will be underground. Watch where you’re grabbing, watch where you’re stepping, any time you’re walking around in the desert,” Wall says.
Wall strives to educate all desert dwellers who may not appreciate how crucial snakes are to the environment.
“They’re our apex predators! If you guys don’t like your rodents around your homes, you better stop killing these snakes or it’s not going to get any better. They’re an excellent predator for all the rodents. They’re a food source for other snakes, birds of prey. It’s a cycle, and we need them in it.”
Wall addressed a well-worn myth that baby rattlers are far more dangerous than adult rattlers.
“People believe that baby rattlesnakes are more venomous than adult rattlesnakes and it’s just simply not true. If you milk an adult rattlesnake and then you milk a baby or juvenile rattlesnake, you’ll see by pure volume of venom, you’ll see the adults carry a much more lethal bite. Sometimes, baby rattlesnakes, they’ll strike you more than once or they’re a little more ‘bite happy’ than an adult rattlesnake, so that’s obviously not good, but just by pure myth, the adult rattlesnakes do have a more venomous bite.”
Wall stressed the importance of relocating any snake within its home range of a square mile to increase chances of survival.
“Following the guidelines with Fish & Game, rattlesnakes have a home range of about a square mile. If you move a rattlesnake within a mile of where it’s found, they will most likely know that area already. They’ll have been there so they’re comfortable. They’ll know where to eat, know where to find shelter. But if you move a rattlesnake out of that home range, they’re a little more disoriented, confused. Might be out too late and be stuck out in the cold and ultimately, do not have a better chance of living.”
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Bearing a fresh snake tattoo around her neck, Wall, age 24, is clearly serpent smitten.
“As you can see, I’m very dedicated, to what I love and what I’m passionate about.”
