ROTHENBURGER – Why we fear rattlesnakes more than clowns

Posted on June 9, 2018 in Armchair Mayor, Page One, Rothenburger // 0 Comments

THERE WAS A GUY who lived in our home town when I was growing up who made the local paper every year. He was a minor celebrity, a bit of a folk hero, even, because he killed rattlesnakes.

Each spring, there would be a story and a picture of him with several dozen rattlesnake skins. His objective was to kill as many as he could, and he was good at it.

I don’t remember the reason for his mission, but something must have happened that made him hate those snakes so much. It seemed impossible back then to make a serious dent in the rattlesnake population — Oliver is located in a desert with a lot of rocky areas that make for perfect rattlesnake territory, and they were everywhere.

Rattlesnakes are no stranger to Kamloops, either. This, apparently, is a big rattlesnake year.

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Map shows range of rattlesnakes in Thompson-Nicola. (Image: ecoreserves.bc.)

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops, former school board chair, former editor of The Kamloops Daily News, and a current director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He was awarded the Jack Webster Foundation’s lifetime achievement award in 2011. His editorials are published Monday through Thursdays, and Saturdays on CFJC Today, CFJC Midday and CFJC Evening News. Contact him at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.