Residents of an Interlake community say they are dealing with an unusually large number of snakes. Larry Weatherburn, president of the Eriksdale Curling Club, says the community is overrun with garter snakes. “They are just everywhere,” he said. Weatherburn said dealing with the reptiles has been a daily ritual for about the past two weeks. He walks around with a bucket, picking up dozens of snakes and noting they can try to bite at times. “I’ve taken as many as 30 out of here in one day,” he said Monday, as he removed snakes from the curling rink. But the snakes are not limited to the rink, he said. “They’re in the school board office. They’re in Lindell Manor. They’re at the music shop. They’re infested everywhere.” Weatherburn, who has lived in Eriksdale for 79 years, said snakes are nothing new to the community, but this year is different. “They’ve never been this bad. This is the worst year we’ve ever had on them,” he said. Garry Campbell, chief administrative officer of the Rural Municipality of West Interlake, said there is nothing the municipality can do because the snakes are a protected species under the Wildlife Act. “They’re all over the highway. They’re in people’s yards. I hear that they’re getting into the houses as well as some schools in the area,” Campbell said. Weatherburn expects the problem to continue until temperatures drop. “It could be another two or three weeks. Maybe more,” he said. In a statement, Manitoba Conservation said the Interlake has a large concentration of red-sided garter snakes, and there are large migrations each spring and autumn. Officials said property owners experiencing high snake activity can discourage the animals from lingering near buildings by sealing foundation cracks, keeping lawns short and removing debris piles, where the snakes seek temporary shelter.
