Newspaper article

[Bay_area]

The local paper did an article with me that came out Monday. I think she did a good job considering she was scared the whole time she was here...LOL! The link has a picture

'Relocator' on a mission to save snakes - ContraCostaTimes.com

'Relocator' on a mission to save snakes
By Shelly Meron
West County Times
Article Launched: 11/09/2008 04:41:59 PM PST

Jerry Boyer opens the top of a large freezer in his garage where he keeps frozen mice and rats in large Ziploc bags, next to frozen pizza, ice cream and chicken.

The Rodeo resident has more than just himself and his wife to feed. The couple keeps several dozen snakes — including rattlers — in white plastic bins in neat rows in the garage. The rattlesnakes include Western diamondbacks, sidewinders, speckled, Northern Pacific and Mojaves. Then there are nonpoisonous boas, pythons, garter, pine and king snakes.

Boyer, a garbage truck maintenance worker in San Francisco by day and a "snake relocator" in his spare time, captured most of the reptiles himself and removed them from homes, yards and garages in the area.

Under the direction of the Sonoma County Reptile Rescue, Boyer often is called by residents and fire departments when they encounter a rattlesnake in a residential area. Rather than see them killed, Boyer — on his own time and with his own money — answers the call. He often moves a snake to a less-populated area, and he keeps some for educational purposes.

"A lot of people charge for removal. I'd rather do it for safety and education," Boyer said. "I'd rather they call me than kill them."

Boyer, 46, said he was drawn to snakes at an early age. His first experience came when he was living in Senegal as a young boy, while his father was in the U.S. Army, and he encountered a green mamba. The family later moved to Virginia, where a third-grade Boyer first saw a snake killed.

"I saw a pine snake or something. A neighbor came and saw it, and killed it with an ax," Boyer recalled. "I was so upset that he did that, I shot a marble through his window."

From then on, Boyer slowly turned into an advocate for snakes, ignoring their poor reputation in popular culture and the Bible. He remembers being a middle-schooler in Pinole, learning from a farmer how to identify and handle snakes. As he grew older, Boyer continued looking for snakes in the hills near Rodeo and Pinole.

"People would see me hiking and looking around and ask what I'm doing. I'd say, 'I'm just looking for snakes,' and many times they'd tell me they get them in the back yard," he said.

Many of those encounters lead to calls for help, and Boyer said he or his wife, Denise, will drop what they're doing to go on a removal mission, often with nothing more than a snake hook and a bucket.

Boyer has been bitten twice by rattlesnakes, most recently in September. He said the work is risky, but someone has to stick up for the misunderstood creatures.

"I'm the advocate for them. Everybody else is against them," he said. "People don't realize they're an important part of the environment, that they keep pest numbers down, that they're unique to America. You wouldn't have a Western (film) without a rattlesnake, would you?"

Many bites occur when people try to pick up snakes, often while under the influence of alcohol, Boyer said.

Al Wolf, director of the Sonoma County Reptile Rescue, says people who don't like snakes typically have been taught to fear them. Education is key, he said, since many people don't know how to properly identify snakes or what their role in the ecosystem is, and they end up killing them.

"They're there for a reason," Wolf said. "If you start getting rid of rattlesnakes, something else takes its place, whether it's good or bad.

"So many people kill so many snakes that aren't rattle snakes. They're killing the really good snakes — gopher and garter and king snakes," which keep pest populations under control.

"It is potentially a deadly animal, and I do understand that some people want to kill them," Wolf added. "We try to show people that you don't have to kill it. There is a service here that will help you out."

As part of his education campaign, Boyer works regularly with a seventh-grade class at Pinole Middle School, teaching students about the reptiles. He brings a nonpoisonous snake to pass around the classroom, and a rattlesnake that is kept in its box, just for looking.

"There are always a few kids who are scared," he said. "But by the end of the class, after they see me and other kids handling them, everybody touches a snake. It's kind of neat."

Reach Shelly Meron at 510-243-3578 or smeron@bayareanewsgroup.com.

Tips and information from Jerry Boyer and Al Wolf on dealing with rattlesnakes:
Never try to handle a snake if you don't know what it is.
Keep your yard and other areas around your house free of clutter. Snakes often like to spend time under debris such as old pieces of lumber.
Snakes do not view humans as food, and will not attack unless they feel they are in imminent danger. If found by a human, they will try to flee, or do everything they can -- including hissing -- to make you aware of their presence and warn you away.
If you find a snake and call for help, keep your eye on it until a professional arrives to remove it -- they hide well.
If you encounter a snake in the West Contra Costa area that you'd like removed from your property, call Jerry Boyer at 510-691-7493. In other areas, call 911 or Animal Control

[Garter_Gertie]

FABULOUS! WONDERFUL!

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So proud and happy for you! My favorite part was: "...He said the work is risky, but someone has to stick up for the misunderstood creatures."

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!

So very glad there's folks like you around - even if those icky snakes scare the beejeebers outta me. They are entitled to live their lives as much as the rest of all creatures.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Garter_Gertie]

Boots/James/Stefan... There any place we can put that in our files or articles or whatevers?

Never know when it could/would be read and someone call Jerry. Good PR for Jerry, us, conservation, and all things sniglette.

[jitami]

Very nice article Jerry!!! Thank you for the work you do!!!

[drache]

very cool article, Jerry
this kind of publicity ought to be great for quite a few snakes that otherwise might find a violent end
it's good for people to know that there are alternatives

[olive oil]

Great article. I bet you are so proud.

[Charlet_2007]

Congrats man!!! :d:d:d

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

Awesome to hear about the herp saviors out there! Love to see these articles.

My only question is regarding the success of relocation. Short of using radio telemetry/tagging, there is no way to determine whether or not the relocations are/were a success. In many cases, relocated animals do not survive because of the competition and establishment of niches made by specimens that already live in the area.

Steven

[Snake lover 3-25]

congrats jerry!!!!!! great article thank you for all that you do

[anji1971]

That's a wonderful article, Jerry. Every person you can educate about these creatures is a great step forward. Good work!