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On the trail of the massasauga rattler:[SU2
Edition] |
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People: |
Sweiger,
Doug |
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Author(s): |
FROM
CANADIAN PRESS |
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Section: |
INSIGHT |
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Publication
title: |
Toronto
Star. Toronto, Ont.: Sep 13, 1992. pg. B.4 |
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Source
Type: |
Newspaper |
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ISSN/ISBN: |
03190781 |
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ProQuest
document ID: |
456580701 |
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Text
Word Count |
689 |
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Article
URL: |
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Abstract (Article Summary) |
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"We're
hot. We're hot," [Doug Sweiger] says, realizing the rattler is somewhere
close. The beeping gets louder. "He looks
good," Sweiger says. "Fat and sassy." "It's
sort of tough being a rattlesnake," Sweiger says. "They have a
terrible reputation to live down. It goes back to the Garden of Eden." |
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Full Text (689 words) |
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Copyright 1992 Toronto Star, All Rights Reserved. Doug Sweiger
is cautiously scanning the ground in front of him making sure, very sure, he
doesn't have an accidental run-in with Sistrurus catenatus. Sistrurus
catenatus is not the type of critter most people would even want to go near.
But Sweiger has spent a half-hour hiking through dense bush just to make sure
the Eastern massasauga rattlesnake is doing okay. As the Canada
Parks Service warden closes in on the rattler, the machine he's carrying
starts to let out a steady beeping sound. It's a
sophisticated tracking machine, picking up signals from a miniature radio
transmitter embedded in a rattlesnake. "We're
hot. We're hot," Sweiger says, realizing the rattler is somewhere close.
The beeping gets louder. "Whoa . .
. there he is." Sweiger points
to what looks like a big stick on the ground about a metre away. The snake's
grayish-brown skin, covered with hourglass designs, is barely visible in the
grass. The
85-centimetre- (33-inch-) long reptile lies perfectly still, hoping Sweiger
will go away. Instead, the
warden kneels down and begins recording information. He takes down details on
the snake's appearance and the type of area it's living in. "He looks
good," Sweiger says. "Fat and sassy." Sweiger is
known as the "snakeman" of Bruce Peninsula National Park, its
resident catcher, handler and public relations agent for the Eastern
massasauga rattlers that populate the peninsula. The tracking
device is part of a program park officials hope will tell them more about
rattlesnake movements, and in the long run, protect the reptiles from one of
their main enemies, man. "It's
sort of tough being a rattlesnake," Sweiger says. "They have a
terrible reputation to live down. It goes back to the Garden of Eden." Eastern
massasaugas are found in Ontario along the shores of Georgian Bay, in pockets
near Windsor and Port Colborne, and on the Bruce Peninsula. They also turn up
on islands throughout Georgian Bay. But there are
worries that land development is destroying the wetlands where the snakes
live. Add to that the danger of being stomped to death by startled campers or
run over by cars and the life of the Eastern massasauga becomes a difficult
one. By tracking
the snakes, park officials can decide where to put hiking trails and
campsites and learn more about the habits and patterns of the reptiles. The
rattlers are also marked with a miniature branding iron so they can be
identified and measured when they are recaptured periodically. Only two
snakes are outfitted with the radio transmitters. But in the last three years
25 rattlers have been tracked and studied. There are no
exact numbers on how many Eastern massasaugas populate the Bruce Peninsula.
But snake enthusiasts say it could be one of the largest populations in North
America. This summer
the weather has been cold and the snakes less active. However, on a regular
hot July day, hikers in the park will report seeing as many as two to three
rattlers. Sweiger gives
rattlesnake seminars to campers and local residents, hoping they will take a
live-and-let-live attitude toward the reptiles. The rattlers
are protected under various wildlife acts and those who kill them can be
charged. For the most
part, the snakes are shy and just want to be left alone. They feed on mice
and birds that nest near the ground and rely on their camouflage to stalk
prey. But Sweiger
isn't nervous around the dangerous reptiles. He is cautious and respectful.
And he never handles them in the presence of others, in case he is
distracted. "When you
get distracted you get nailed. The big thing is, you never let your guard
down. That's when you get hurt." Sweiger's
caution has paid off. He has captured or handled more than 200 rattlers and
has never been bitten. Sweiger says
rattlesnake bites in Ontario are rare. This summer, a 17-year-old was bitten
on the thumb but recovered after hospital treatment. The incident was the
first reported bite in the park area in the last four years. The massasauga
rattler's bite is not normally lethal. The last time someone died from one
was in 1962.
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