Snake removed from apartment complex
Non-fire related calls for help are just another part of the job for firefighters. However, on Wednesday afternoon, San Luis firefighters received one of the more unusual calls — for a snake removal.
San Luis Fire Department spokesman Luis Cebreros explained that a resident of an apartment complex in the 600 block of North 10th Street was taking his usual afternoon walk when he was surprised by a sidewinder on the path ahead of him.
Cebreros said after moving a safe distance away, the man called 911 to report the encounter and have the snake removed. He added that the apartment complex is one of the city’s most populated, housing approximately 450 to 500 tenants year round.
“It was probably 3 to 4 feet long,” Cebreros said. “We usually relocate snakes to someplace different from where we caught it. This one we took it to the desert on the opposite side of town and released it.”
According to Cebreros the San Luis Fire Department catches and relocates approximately 15 to 20 snakes a year.
“We have removed snakes from pretty much everywhere in town,” Cebreros said.
Before leaving the apartment complex, Cebreros said that snakes usually avoid human contact, but this time of year they are coming out of hibernation and looking for food.
“We live in a municipality, but we are surrounded by desert,” Cebreros said.
Cebreros said he explained to the apartment manager that one of the easiest ways to prevent snakes is to rodent-proof the complex.
“That is what snakes eat, and that is what they are after,” Cebreros said.
He suggested that residents eliminate the food and shelter that attract rodents.