From BleckleyProgress.com

Community News
Getting up close with snakes.
By Dave Whitaker
May 26, 2016, 22:49

It was a night to learn about snakes as Jason Clark of Southeastern Reptile Rescue presented a program at the high school auditorium. Sponsored locally by Gerald and Diane Smith and Bleckley FFA, donations were collected to help fund the state winning Ag Mechanics and Environmental Natural Resources teams trips to nationals.


Clark holds up a cottonmouth or water moccasin to show how to identify it.


Clark provided education on identifying snakes, such as one can't tell if a snake is venomous or not based upon shape of the head or how the eyes look. He also showed what a cotton mouth/water moccasin looked like, and how they have brown shapes like Hershey kisses on their sides. He brought snakes to help demonstrate the difference between venomous and not.

Clark had a rattlesnake and said that they were pit vipers, meaning they could see in the dark because they see body heat.


One of the things Clark tried to do was to dispel myths such as snakes attacking, that people get bit by putting themselves in position to be (IE: not watching where they stepped.) He made the point as one who handles snakes that his snakes may've wanted to strike at him they wouldn't bite him. Because he didn't put himself in position to be bit. He told the audience "Leave them alone and they'll do the same."

Clark is also a gator trapper and brought an alligator as part of the show.


Clark took questions from the audience to end the program. To learn more about Southeastern Reptile Rescue, visit www.snakesrus.com or search for Southeastern Reptile Rescue on Facebook.

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