ARKANSAS, USA — Wildlife experts and veterinarians in Arkansas are warning of more snake sightings as spring weather and temperatures arrive.
More people are spending their time outside, but it's important to remember we share Mother Nature with other creatures.
Professor Rebecca McPeake with the University of Arkansas said snakes mimic their environment. She explained that the creatures will warm up and wake up with warmer temperatures.
"Some of them are potentially a little bit hungry coming out of a stasis, and so they're looking for some prey, and they're going to be more active," McPeake said.
The professor stated that Arkansas has six species of venomous snakes. Fortunately, she explained that they're more secretive and must be disturbed to be bitten.
Evan Lancaster has lived in Fayetteville for 25 years near Gulley Park. 5NEWS caught up with him at the Fayetteville park walking his 12-year-old Dachshund, Eddie.
"He enjoys his morning walks. He lets me know when we don't take it off in time. He says 'hey, let's go,'" Lancaster said. "When it gets cold in the winter, we just put a jacket on Eddie and we will still walk almost every day."
The dog owner knows that pups might put their noses where they don't belong. His last wiener dog, Charles, had an encounter in a Rogers park with multiple snakes.
"They don't know what’s dangerous and just going up and that [snake] tried to bite him in the head," he said.
"I'd argue that some of the most common bites we see are on the face of dogs," Dr. Emily Lovell said, "snakes, you know, in general, typically have a scent that's associated with them and dogs love to smell."
Dr. Lovell is an associate veterinarian at Gulley Park Pets Clinic off North Old Wire Road in Fayetteville. She explained that a venomous bite could be risky for our furry friends and that one must always visit a vet if they think their pet has been bitten.
"If the snake is not venomous, there's going to be minimal issues, but again, it's just always best to get it addressed with your veterinarian," Dr. Lovell said, "because we just never know and especially if you didn't get eyes on the snake, there's really no way of knowing."
Professor McPeake said snakes like to crawl under spaces to stay warm, so watch your step. If you are bitten, perform first aid while removing any clothes from the swelling bite. Try to remember what kind of snake bit you and take a picture if you can. Here's a link to the natural state's native snakes.
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