Friday, June 3, 2011

Creepy Crawlies

“I’m not laughing at anything on the inside.”
C. R. Carter, Mayor of Weston, Missouri



What the heck is going on? Last year it was dead birds falling from the sky. This year it’s snakes. But these snakes aren’t dead. They’re alive and slithering and creeping people out.

Near Rexburg, Idaho (population 17,257—yep, the same town that was featured in yesterday’s texting story), there’s a house that’s literally crawling with snakes. For some reason—nobody knows why—the snakes picked this house for their winter home. Each year thousands of snakes slither through the yard, up the walls, and in through the foundation to hibernate, breed, and reproduce. They’ve starred on TV’s Animal Planet, chased out two families, and stuck the bank with a house no one wants—no one but snakes, that is. Looking at the big picture, I guess that isn't too surprising: the house is located in the Upper Snake River Valley, after all.

And then there’s Weston, Missouri. It’s bad enough having a house infested with snakes, but what about an entire town? Weston is home to about 1,700 residents . . . and just as many snakes. The trouble started three years ago when the town put in a new bridge and used rock to hold the creek bank. Turns out that rock is a reptilian refuge. For now, most of the snakes are bunking down in the park next to the creek, but townsfolk worry the problem will only get worse as the snakes breed and reproduce. They’re right—ask a couple of homeowners in Rexburg, Idaho. 

For a bit of an “eww” factor, here’s a video of the snake house in Rexburg, Idaho:



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