Reptiles at Risk: On the Road is an outreach education project which will to spread important messages of reptile conservation in places where species at risk reptiles are actually found. We target specific locations and deliver exciting, hands-on programs featuring live animals. These programs have proven effective in increasing knowledge and positive attitudes about these creatures and their conservation.

This project is a partnership between Laurentian University, the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network, and Sciensational Sssnakes!!

This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk. This program is funded in part by NSERC PromoScience. Assistance for this project was provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Ontario.

Fear of the Unknown
Posted by Jeff Hathaway on July 28, 2010 at 8:38 PM

Our team has spent the last few days in Pukaskwa National Park, and what a beautiful park it is! We held a program here last Saturday with a great turn out of interested visitors and enthusiastic children. The staff here have also been very welcoming and friendly, and we would like to congratulate a number of them on overcoming their fears to touch and hold the snakes over the last few days. Great job!

While we were in the park the staff also taught us a little bit about living with bears. Bears are more often noticed in the park than snakes, so the staff were more familiar with this species. As a reptile interpreter I know very little about bears, and I would be far more nervous about seeing a bear in the woods than a snake (though in both cases, a wild animal left alone poses very little threat to humans). This firms up a trend we have seen in many programs before – fear and misconception often grow from the unknown or unfamiliar.

Today our program visited the Hornepayne Community Centre, and the group at first was a little nervous with the animals. With a little discussion and observation, however, they learned more about these creatures that seemed so foreign at the beginning. In little time at all they were eagerly lining up to hold all the snakes we had brought with us! One woman there had never held a snake before, and said she would shake any time one crossed her path in the woods. As she watched the younger group interact with the animals she also became more familiar with them, and we would also like to congratulate her for overcoming her fear!

Though fears and misconceptions can grow due to any number of reasons, through our programs it seems that unfamiliarity often plays a role. We are so glad that we have been able to increase understanding of reptiles through these programs, and learn about some of our own fears as well!

- Robin

Poisonous or Venomous?
Posted by Jeff Hathaway on July 27, 2010 at 11:13 PM

Over the past week the Reptiles at Risk crew has traveled farther into northern Ontario than ever before. After a full day of driving on Saturday we arrived near the Pic River first nations community, where the sun sets at about 10 o'clock - roughly an hour later than at the home base in Orillia. At this point in the journey, we now have eight programs under our collective belts, and we have all gotten pretty good at juggling hoardes of small children, the creatures, and many plastic beads (which usually end up everywhere. A containment system is underway). One observation that I have made during our journeying involves a common misconception about poisonous snakes. That is, many people ask us if our snakes are poisonous. This usually seems to happen when a snake is being handled by an eager five-year-old, and although I am always tempted to be sarcastic, I usually resist the urge to tell the public that we lose three children a day to snake bites. However, sarcasm aside, it is a legitimate question and a very common misunderstanding relating to snakes - many believe that all snakes are poisonous. There are a few things wrong about this, the first of which concerns the fact that no snake on the planet that we know of is poisonous*, as poison is something that has to be eaten in order to take effect. Snakes are instead venomous, as they inject venom into the bloodstreams of their prey. A fun fact about venom is that in theory you can drink it (or eat it?), and as long as you have no ulcers or openings in your digestive tract, you'll be a-okay at the end of the day (although please, never try this. Just trust that what I say is true!). The second is that the vast majority of snakes are not venomous. This is especially true in Ontario, as out of the 15 species that can be found here, only one is venemous. That one is the Masassauga Rattlesnake, and of the few people who have been bitten by this snake (often on the hands or back, in which case, the blame can't really be placed on the snake...) all those who went to a hospital survived to tell the tale. The only place on earth where there are more venomous species of snake than non-venomous species is Australia, which has a surprisingly low number of recorded venomous snake bites each year (or maybe not surprising, as people there are taught to not approach snakes if they don't know what they are. If we all did the same in Ontario, at the very least no one would suffer from being bitten on the back by Masassauga's, as really, the only way to get bitten there likely involves a bit of reckless snake handling...)

Finally, we would not pass around dangerous animals to small children, or adults, or co-workers! It be a stupid thing for us to do, as no one would ever offer us funding, and no insurance company would insure our programs, and we would have to call amblances, and likely sign annoying forms, and potentially go to court...

I like my job just fine without having to deal with any of that.

- Brittany

* We have researched this in the past and were unable to find any examples of poisonous snakes. However, if you know of one, tell us about it! We would love to know if such a creature exists!

Travels continue
Posted by Jeff Hathaway on July 23, 2010 at 5:48 PM

Hey Everyone! Bryan here.

On the road again and slowly making our from Wahnapitae First Nation to our next program location. We just finished our 5th program since setting out on the road and things are running well! Just a few hiccups here and there, mostly technical.

Our only major breakdown today was when the speaker we have been using to show movies decided to stop working. I think it may have something to do with the bumpy and often jarring roads we have encountered in the past 2 days which may have knocked some major component loose.

Robin, Brittany and James picked me up yesterday after a very well spent day off which concluded with my brother Steve giving me a lift into Sudbury from North Bay. We spent the night at Wavy Lake, a beautiful spot although mosquito filled. Thankfully my tent is well sealed from such attacks. Robin, Brittany and James were not so lucky as the bugs took shelter from the rain in the trailer.
It seems we've been a stones throw from Sudbury throughout the trip so far but that is going to change quickly once we turn our nose Northward.

Happy trails everyone. We'll see you soon!

Bryan