Critically injured snake overcomes odds after 7 months of care

A critically injured garter snake is treated at the Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge in Pefferlaw, Ont. (Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge)

Let’s face it, snakes aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but one rural Ontario refuge is celebrating the miraculous recovery of a male garter snake named Carl.

According to Shades of Hope Wildlife Refuge, Carl was found in critical condition on a rural property in September 2024 after a predator attack. The snake had extensive wounds, including a large gash from the base of his head to his belly, exposed ribs, and a mangled tail.

Dr. Wendy and her team at Shades of Hope in Pefferlaw sprang into action, providing Carl with intensive wound care, pain therapy, and antibiotics. For nearly three months, Carl required daily care and weekly check-ups.

“One of the biggest challenges we faced was getting Carl to eat," the refuge noted in a social media post. “Since the wounds on his neck caused constriction as they healed, he had difficulty swallowing food.” The team worked around this by starting him on small prey and gradually increasing the size to help stretch the scar tissue.

After seven months of care, Carl made a full recovery.

By February, the refuge reported his wounds had healed, and he was eating whole prey. In May, Carl was deemed ready for release, which the team initially never thought would be possible.

“He survived a predator attack, had fully healed two devastating wound sites, lost portions of two ribs, overcome widespread infection and survived severe dehydration,” the post continued. “We opened his box, gave it a tip, and he exploded out ready to be a wild snake once more, only after turning back to say thank-you one last time to his rescuers.”