The Timber Rattlesnake is listed as an Endangered Species in Massachusetts and has experienced the greatest modern decline of any native reptile. It is a high conservation priority species for the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildLife), the agency with the legal responsibility and mandate to conserve endangered and common wildlife species. Currently, there are only five populations of Timber Rattlesnakes in the Commonwealth. As part of an overall conservation strategy, MassWildLife is proposing to establish a small number of rattlesnakes on Mount Zion, a large island closed to the public at the Quabbin Reservoir in central Massachusetts.
Native to Massachusetts, the Timber Rattlesnake has lived here continuously long before European settlement. Humans are the greatest threat to the Timber Rattlesnake. While killing or disturbing this snake is a serious criminal offense, these acts, combined with road mortality, continue to be major factors that contribute to the rattlesnake’s imperiled status. The proposal to establish a small discrete population at the Quabbin Reservoir has evolved out of the need to have at least one location where this native species will avoid people.
Snakes will be offspring of Massachusetts snakes. Juvenile snakes will be headstarted in captivity by the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence for two winters, allowing them to grow large enough so they will have the best chance of surviving to adulthood. According the the government, while rattlesnakes are perfectly good swimmers, this island is large enough that they would have little motivation to swim away. Even if the snakes did swim, they would pose no measurable risk to the public, considering rattlesnakes have long lived in popular state parks and wildlife lands heavily used by people elsewhere in Massachusetts.
Throughout human history, snakes of all types have been feared, maligned, and persecuted. Because the snake is venomous, people express understandable concerns for their safety and the safety of family members and pets. As a venomous snake, the Timber Rattlesnake certainly has the potential to be dangerous. They are generally mild in disposition and often rattle their tails to alert animals and people. Wild bites to people are extremely rare. The latest antivenom treatments have greatly reduced the danger even if a person is bitten. You may learn more at www.mass.gov/dfw/timber-rattlesnake-conservation.
If you wish to express an opinion, pro or con, on this issue, you may contact the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Field Headquarters, One Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581, or call 508-389-6300. Also you may contact Matthew A. Beaton, Secretary, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114. His telephone number is 617-626-1015, and his email is matthew.beaton@state.ma.us. Image by Tom Palmer from www.masnakes.org.
