Rattlesnake rattles Springfield's South End neighborhood

By Dave Canton

dcanton@repub.com

SPRINGFIELD -- A large timber rattlesnake was found lounging on the front stoop of a William Street building Saturday, just where residents had to pass to get in and out of the four-family building.
Animal authorities said the timber rattler is native to Western Massachusetts -- just not the South End of Springfield.  

No one is sure how the snake got to the urban area, whether it was someone's pet that escaped or if a bird of prey may have dropped it.  Whatever the case, the snake did not make its way into the city on its own, officials said.

But, having a potentially deadly pit viper standing guard at your door was enough for some residents to take matters into their own hands. Animal Control officer Daniel Simpson, of the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center, told the Boston Herald one resident had gotten a shovel and was about to dispatch the snake to its last reward.

"The guy was actually going to kill it with a shovel, and I said good thing you didn't, they are protected animals," Simpson said.

Simpson was able to get the snake into a bag a turn it over to state Environmental Police who, in turn, released the snake on Mount Tom -- an area with one of the state's few remaining rattlesnake populations.