Capturing a snake on your property is not a mean feat. It takes a lot of preparation and courage. Once you capture the snake that has been terrorizing your family and pets, what next? Before finding ways of dealing with the snake, have it at the back of your mind that killing the animal is an inhumane move. At the same time, releasing it close to your property poses the danger of it creeping back and endangering your life. Also, ensure the place you're releasing the snake is farther away from other homes to avoid causing wildlife conflicts in those neighborhoods. Even though relocating an animal is humane and probably the best way to deal with snakes and critters, determining the best place to take the animal needs a bit of critical thinking. As such, you should weigh your options and decide which among these safe places you should relocate the animal to.
Take it back to the wild
Taking a trapped snake back to the wild is the best thing you can ever do to a trapped snake. After all, that's where it enjoys being the most. However, you should stay cautious while dealing with a snake since their behaviors aren't predictable. When relocating the animal, take it safely to a forest or scrub that is not close to another person's property or your own. You do not want the animal to cause any nuisance to other human beings and their pets. Relocating a snake from your home to another neighborhood is uncouth and outlawed. Therefore, make sure that the exact location for releasing the animal is covered with bushes or grass, yet far from homes. The vegetation cover will offer the snake a place to escape smoothly and find a new nesting site. It's also likely that such a place will have prey, so it does not starve to death. As you release the animal, make sure that you choose an area with plenty of space to back off should the snake be aggressive as it escapes from the transport net, bag, or cage. Usually, a snake will always slither out of the bag, cage, or transport net as soon as it can to escape to safety. As such, chances of a snake striking back are minimal.
Take it to a snake shelter
If there is no scrub or forest to release the snake, you can safely relocate the animal to a shelter or animal protection service. Conduct some online research to find out the snake shelter that is closest to you. Ensure that you contact the shelter to inform the staff in advance to help them prepare early enough before the trapped snake arrives. Besides preparing to receive the animal, the shelter will offer you tips on transporting it safely. Make sure that you follow all the precautions they recommend. Usually, shelters provide a temporary home for the captured animals and eventually release them into the wild after rehabilitating them.
Seek the help of snake relocation experts
If you feel like transporting the snake you captured is quite a challenge, you shouldn't give up and let the snake die in a trap. Instead, you can contact the relevant animal protection services and request them to come for the trapped reptile. This can save time and also guarantees safety from your side. The experts will show up with the necessary equipment and tools to transport it back into the wild, causing no danger to humans or domestic animals.
NOTE: Snake relocation is a risky mission, so you must be very cautious. Ensure the animal is safely secured in a strong net, snake bag, or cage to prevent its chances of escaping during transportation. It is also crucial to stay a safe distance away. Lastly, never use bare hands as you release the animal to avoid a possible snake bite.
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