A group dedicated to protecting snakes is working with the state to learn more about Vermont’s endangered poisonous rattlesnakes.
Vermont and nearby sections of New York are at the extreme northern edge of the rattlesnake’s range. Biologists estimate there are several hundred rattlesnakes living in two areas in western Rutland County.
Last summer, the groups used radio transmitters to track the snakes up to two miles from their winter dens. Sometimes the snakes had crossed roads and private property.
The snakes rarely bother people, but a system has been in place for years so that when people find the snakes on their property experts will safely remove them and release them far from people.