Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Game wardens seize illegal snakes

Paula DelGiudice

Friday, Feb. 23, 2001 | 12:32 p.m.

Paula DelGiudice's outdoors column appears weekly. Reach her at desertdenizens@ aol.com

The Nevada Division of Wildlife has been busy recently putting animals in places where they want them, and removing them from places where they don't.

Venomous Asian snakes were at the top of the "Most Wanted" list at the end of January. A tip from employees at McCarran International Airport resulted in the seizure of five venomous snakes, including two from Asia, by game wardens.

Fred Henson, NDOW game warden, said the snakes included a pair of wagleri vipers, also known as temple vipers, which are native to Southeast Asia. Also seized were two northern copperhead snakes and a Mojave Desert sidewinder rattlesnake.

"Non-indigenous venomous reptiles are prohibited in Nevada. They pose a safety threat and they're not something that people should be fooling with," said Henson.

Game wardens received a call from air freight workers at McCarran on Jan. 31 and it resulted in the seizure of the wagleri vipers. Two days later the northern copperheads and sidewinder were seized from a Las Vegas residence.

Northern copperhead snakes are not native to Nevada, as their range is east of the Mississippi River. Sidewinder rattlesnakes are found in Southern Nevada, but the one that was seized was unlawfully imported from Florida.

Henson said that there is no antivenin available in the state for exotic species that have been unlawfully imported. Therefore a bite could pose a serious health risk.

"There are undoubtedly more reptiles and other wildlife that has been brought into Nevada," said Henson. "Nonnative wildlife can pose a threat to humans and to our native wildlife. I would encourage people to report suspected violations to Operation Game Thief at (800) 992-3030."

NDOW biologist spent a week capturing and relocating 100 elk into two areas of the state.

Gregg Tanner, NDOW chief of game, said the weeklong capture project resulted in the animals taken from four locations in the Snake Range near Ely. Fifty of the animals were released onto Mount Moriah near the Utah border east of Ely, with the remainder going to the Cherry Creek Range north of Ely.

The capture was done under contract with Hawkins and Powers, a company that specializes in the capture of animals using a helicopter and net gun that fires a net over the animals. Volunteers assisted NDOW biologists with handling and loading the elk into trailers.

"We were able to remove elk from an area where the population is approaching the agreed-upon limit set forth in the White Pine County Elk Management Plan. At the same time, we were able to secure animals for release into areas in need of a population boost," Tanner said.

Only cows, calves and juvenile bull elk were taken during the operation. Blood was drawn from the animals to test for disease and some were fitted with radio collars for monitoring.

"The questionnaires ask anglers where they fished, the number of days they fished and how many fish they caught. Using a computer program, we are able to get data about the fishing across the state," said Mark Warren, NDOW staff biologist.

Questionnaires were mailed in late January to anglers who were randomly selected. Approximately a sixth of the state's 150,000 fishing license holders will receive the questionnaires.

Warren said that anglers who take the time to complete and return the questionnaires will be doing their part to ensure that their favorite fishing waters are properly managed. The deadline is March 31.