Museum hosting a snake

Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer

The Penticton Museum is trying to raise awareness about snakes common to the Okanagan.

It currently has a Great Basin Gopher Snake in residence, which will be used during public educational sessions.

"A lot of people are afraid of snakes, worried about them, so having it in an educational setting gives us the opportunity to share their value in the environment," said Chandra Wong, museum assistant.

The Great Basin Gopher Snake is B.C.’s largest snake, with adults ranging in length from 90 centimetres to 2.4 metres.

Unfortunately, the non-venomous snake is commonly misidentified as a rattlesnake because of its  similar coloration and its behaviour when feeling threatened.

The museum got the reptile from the Kamloops Wildlife Park, which recovered it following a seizure at the border. It was brought to the museum to raise awareness about snakes and how valuable they are to the environment, particularly in the Okanagan.

"Like its name suggests it likes to eat rodents which is really valuable for the fruit growing industry and the vineyards," said Wong.

Wong says she has a lot of requests for information sessions about Okanagan plants and animals, and he will be incorporated into that.