How to Coexist with Snakes

Bring Back The Porch explores the fascinating world of snakes with expert Sheri Monk. Discover how her passion turned into a mission to educate and protect these misunderstood creatures, and learn practical tips for coexistence.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction and guest introduction

01:51 Sheri Monk’s journey from childhood fascination to snake conservation

03:50 The story behind the rattlesnake taxidermy and its significance

05:59 The social and behavioural complexity of rattlesnakes

07:48 How Sheri transitioned from journalism to snake rescue and education

10:01 The process and importance of safe snake relocation

11:55 The challenges of habitat loss and snake management

14:03 Training and techniques for handling rattlesnakes safely

15:53 Common misconceptions about rattlesnake danger and behaviour

18:11 The seasonal activity and risks associated with rattlesnakes

19:57 What to do if bitten and snakebite treatment

21:48 Public education programs and community engagement

25:48 How to contact and support Sheri Monk’s work

27:52 Final thoughts on coexistence and conservation

As a child, Sheri Monk was always captivated by the animals that most people feared or disliked. While others recoiled at the sight of a snake, she found her heart racing with excitement. This fascination has only deepened over the years, leading her to a life dedicated to understanding and educating others about these misunderstood creatures.

The second she laid eyes on her first prairie rattlesnake, she was hooked. It was a transformative moment, igniting a passion that led her to relocate from Winnipeg to Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, closer to the habitat of these incredible reptiles. The prairies here are a stark contrast to the dwindling native grasslands of her childhood home. The opportunity to explore a vibrant ecosystem filled with wildlife was irresistible.

In her work with snakes, she learned that they are far more than just the scary creatures portrayed in movies. Rattlesnakes, in particular, are fascinating animals with complex social structures and behaviours. They are often misunderstood, leading to unnecessary fear and persecution. Her goal is to educate the public about them, their ecological importance, and how to coexist peacefully.

After years of working in journalism and later as a paramedic, Sheri founded "Snakes on a Plane" to address the community's need for snake relocation services. Many people don't realize that rattlesnakes often find their way into residential areas, prompting fear and concern. She realized that there was a gap in consistent coverage for snake relocations, which often fell to local law enforcement or bylaw officers, who could be unavailable when needed. 

With the necessary permits, she began providing a valuable service to the community. As she worked, she found that education was just as crucial as relocation. People needed to understand the behaviour of snakes, why they pose little threat when left undisturbed, and how to create safer environments for both humans and snakes. Sheri’s mission expanded to include educational outreach, helping people to appreciate these creatures rather than fear them.

One of the most challenging aspects of her work involves finding suitable release spots for the snakes she relocates. Rattlesnakes have a strong homing instinct, and if they are moved too far from their capture site, they can become disoriented and unable to find their way back to their dens. The law requires that she release them within 100 meters of where they were found, but with urban expansion and habitat loss, finding a proper location can be very difficult. 

Education is at the heart of what Sheri does. It’s not just about relocating snakes; it’s about changing perceptions. To facilitate this, Sheri offers training to various groups, including biologists and law enforcement, on safe handling practices. Using fragile items like eggs or ripe tomatoes as practice tools helps trainees learn the right amount of pressure to apply without harming the snake. 

Additionally, she shares knowledge about the ecological role of snakes, their behaviours, and the importance of preserving their habitats. By providing information and hands-on experiences, Sheri aims to foster a deeper connection between people and wildlife, encouraging coexistence rather than fear. 

Resources

Snakes on a Plain Website - https://snakesonaplain.ca

Facebook Page - https://facebook.com/snakesonaplain

Key  topics

Sheri Monk’s journey from love of animals to snake conservation

The biology and behaviour of prairie rattlesnakes

Techniques for safely capturing and relocating snakes

The importance of habitat preservation and human coexistence

Educational programs and community outreach for snake safety

Key Takeaways

Rattlesnakes can lose their rattles through wear and tear, making identification tricky.

Relocating snakes within 100 meters of their original site is crucial for their survival.

Most snake bites occur when snakes are warm and active, not during shedding.

Proper handling tools and training significantly reduce the risk of bites.

Public education can change perceptions and reduce unnecessary snake killings.

Guest  Name

Sheri Monk

Sound bites

"Snakes can sometimes lose their rattle through wear and tear."

"Relocating snakes within 100 meters is crucial for their survival."

"Even stepped on, rattlesnakes strike less than 4% of the time."

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Transcript

0:00

Hey, this is Brian again, and I'd like to ask you to do a favor. We can't do this work without people like you. So if you can, please like, share, subscribe, tell your friends about bring back the porch. The first book I wrote was was 570 pages, I think, and it was trying to incorporate John Cabot, a brief bit of Sebastian Cabot and then Cartier and, and then got into the Elizabethan period, even with the Francis Drake and so on. Well, I sent it off for an evaluation with the Writers Union of Canada, and they said, no, you have three novels here at least. So. So then I had to back off. By that time I had already written a fair amount, say, 150 pages on John Calbot and on Cartier. And then I broke it down and started to delve into the characters and, and build the story arc, you know, separately This episode of bring back the porch. Brought to you by Bernie Leahy, River Street Realty. Let's get you home. On this episode of Bring Back the Porch, I'm very pleased to welcome medicine at author Victor James Philips. Welcome. Thank you. Now, as we were talking ahead of time, you've done something that I have always wanted to do have thought about never, ever actually sat down and did it. You are a writer and that was not your first career. What prompted you to be one? Write a book. My mother was a writer and didn't write a book. She wrote all the time, journaling and so on. But one time she said to me about my life. She said, you should write a book. And I guess that kind of stuck with me, but and I did. Autobiographical novel way back in 2018. But even before that, traveling. Probably in the 80s, even I had this urge to, to write, you know. But I went on with my financial career and ended up in Toronto and so on, and but it never really left me, I guess. And the topic even that I had been thinking about back then was in this Renaissance age, you know, it fascinated me. But then I traveled a lot and it grew and grew and grew and so. I began this, this. Voyage here really, I guess, in Bristol, because I ended up taking it right on the cruise on the Matthew John boat and, and met two people who were in charge of it. One retired history professor from London and the other a merchant seaman who actually crewed on the Matthew when they sailed the replica from Bristol to Bonavista back in 1997 to celebrate the 500th anniversary. So that kind of kind of clinched it, you know, I guess. Yeah. Sitting down, finding the I guess the discipline to write is not the hardest part. It's hard. It's. I don't find it difficult. I want to write. So the words just flow. No they don't. And no no they don't. Some people write with an outline and then fill it in. You know, I begin to just write, and I wish they would flow more than they do sometimes because revision, revision, revision, revision. But the thoughts come out and and then you build on that with the, the landscape and the and the characters and, and you try to construct it in a. In a continuous fashion, you know, cohesive, I guess, which I guess some people can write a book from start to finish by just writing. I think, though they say other writers have told me, you know, 12 revisions is not uncommon for a, for a book that that has some real content, you know. So he didn't ever suffer from a writer's block? No, actually, no. That hasn't happened to me. Knock on wood. Yeah, well, I think because you're stirred by the. My enthusiasm for history makes a gives me a grand framework for, for this sort of thing. And. No. Scratching my head wondering what exactly am I going to do next. Maybe, but not really being blocked. Now the first book is called John Cabot Commander, right? I guess the first in the spinners of Destiny series. Right. Why John Cabot? Like you said, you were on the Matthew, his replica boat that is docked in Bristol. But you could have had any topic, any historical figure. Yeah, well, captured your imagination. Okay. That's a that's another story. You see how this thing evolves? The first book I wrote was was 570 pages, I think, and it was trying to incorporate John Cabot, a brief bit of Sebastian Cabot and then Cartier and, and then got into the Elizabethan period, even with the Francis Drake and so on. Well, I sent it off for an evaluation with the Writers Union of Canada, and they said, no, you have three novels here at least. So. So then I had to back off. By that time I had already written a fair amount, say, 150 pages on John Calbot and on Cartier. And then I broke it down and started to delve into the characters and, and build the story arc, you know, separately for each. So I didn't really start with the Matthew I well, I did, but but then I went and spent a considerable amount of time in Samoa, in, in Brittany, France. Some of those were. Was born where he sailed from and where he died, retired and died. But the fascinating little city in France, on the coast. So all of that needed to be restructured completely. And that's how the John Cabot story ended up being first, because it was the first chronologically what I what was really unexpected was the fascinating story of Sebastian Kevin, that's his son. That's his son. And in the story of Sebastian is epic. The man lived to be 75 years old and and he was active from age 14 with ships and navigation and just had a fascinating life of serving the Henry, seventh King of England and then moving to Spain and serving Fernando and Isabella, and rising to a quite a position with the Spanish Empire, really. So it's so it evolved, you know, that the age in which you are referencing was an amazing period in human history, because John Cabot, I think his first voyage to North America was five years after Columbus. And he I believe he also came from Genoa. Right. So they. Do you have any idea? Did they ever get to know each other? Did they ever compare notes? Well, yeah. They didn't compare notes. No, but they certainly crossed paths. At least twice. And they did lead somewhat parallel lives in many respects. John Cabot had to leave Venice because of financial difficulties in the threat of of debtors prison. It's pretty well documented that Christopher Columbus or Cristobal Colon, as I call him in the book by Spanish name, did did something quite similar and went and fled to Portugal. So, but. In my mind that John Cabot was inspired by the events that took place because he was in Spain at the time that Columbus came back and reported a discovery of something? Yeah, yeah, there is some debate as to like he didn't discover Newfoundland, but he arrived there, I think, in 1497. Correct. Yeah, because the Vikings had been there. Vikings were there 500 years earlier. And as we know now with the archeological evidence, there's no doubt that they were there, you know. So yes, true enough. And of course there are seven that that Europeans might have been other places to, you know, before Columbus. So it's hard to say. Yeah. Well certainly Columbus never did reach North America. No, no, no, he was in the Caribbean and in an island. I'm trying to remember which island. Well, it's it was called Espanola. It's where Dominican Republican Haiti are now. He did probably reach the the Isthmus of Panama. And he probably also got to the north coast of Venezuela, you know, but not north to North America. John Cabot, commander, the book, do you take some poetic license? Do you fill in some blanks? Oh, you have to historical. You have to. I guess, you know, the discussion the around that is really the question of what is historical fiction. And the minute you take what people call history and start to add characters or describe characters and give them personalities and give them dialog, especially, then you're into fiction. So the degree, of course, is very. Novel, like pillars of the Earth can Fall. It is largely fiction because everything about it is fiction, almost other than the setting and the date, maybe, but in this case, the the dates, the voyages, the people are largely real. Some characters have been added to fill out the social interaction, and so I wouldn't put a percentage on it. You know what's real and what's fiction, but I call it a reemerging or imaging of of what happened. Both books, in fact. And and there are questions as to what happened to John Cabot, you know, some conjecture that is fairly sound. And I ran with one of the one of the proposals. With the story of Sebastian Cabot in Spinners of Destiny book. It's it's much more substantial. What, what he actually did the trail of his career. So. What kind of research did you do for these books? Well, libraries, archives, museums, talking to people. Taking a cruise on the math, you know. But also then I had written the book, the Big Book, the 570 page one, and the only place I'd been is Bristol and and Samuel. And so I realized some things are missing here. I'm not able to write. So I took a trip from Lisbon to civil Valencia, Genoa, Milan and Venice and spent a couple of weeks and, you know, in each place. And so a lot of research in terms of getting a cultural feel. Culture of the time, the layout of the cities. Fortunately, those cities haven't changed much, you know, so you can imagine these characters on the streets and in the bars and in the settings, you know? Yeah. So to I had the history of this, the, the, the chronological layout. I have the characters now I need, you know, the, the, the scenes, the scenes that took place in these cities and the. How much of the historical record were you able to find, particularly with Cabot, because you say is is some of it was kind of spotty? And did you ever have a oh my goodness moment, I. Interesting, interesting. Well yes. Yes. In fact the the way the story ends with John Cabot was and I'm not going to give it away people to read the book, but it was definitely a oh my gosh, this is really something, you know, and this is worthy of a of a story, you know, and, and the same thing happened with Sebastian throughout. Really. My gosh, this guy has been overlooked by historians. And he was a, an important cartographer and, and a learned navigator. Rose, you know, to levels that. Well, I knew nothing, I guess. And I don't think very many people know very much about Sebastian Cabinet, you know. But anyway, so yes, lots of, I guess lot in the end, lots of my goodness moments. We're kind of tools. Do you use when you're writing? It used to be that, you know, you sat down with a pad of paper and a pen. Well, now we've got, of course, keyboards and whatnot, but AI is also helping people to. Well, but publishers are not very, very pleased with AI. You know, they want the human mind to be engaged. And so no AI in those books at all. What do I use? I. Bought a very expensive recliner, and I sit there with my laptop and pick away. Yeah, and I'm a terrible typist. But that's the way it's done. Well, whenever the creative juices are flowing, as long as they're flowing through your fingers and into the keyboard, you're doing all right. Yeah. Do you have a set time of day when you set aside or whenever the spirit moves you?

Well, probably 6: 17:36

00 to 11 in the morning is my productive time. Yeah, yeah. You have traveled a lot, have you? Do you have a favorite place in all the places you've traveled? It's like asking you to pick your favorite child, I know. Yeah, it really is. You know, my favorite place. While I do love France, I. I really like that place. I've been there for, spent four winters there. It's a mild climate, like, sort of similar to Vancouver. And I mean, I adore London. I've been there a dozen times, probably, and so on and on. But, you know, as I said, when we were talking before, I've never been anywhere I didn't like. And over the last few years I've, I could only stay in the Shenzhen zone of Europe for 90 days, and I'd booked five months over there. So I had to find a. And Romania was not yet part of the Shenzhen. So I went to Bucharest and my God, I just, I just fell in love with the place, you know. And I two years, three years ago, two and a half, two years ago, I needed to find out where Sebastian Cabot had sailed on this voyage. And so I went down to a real de la Plata. And Argentina airs now and again. Came back thinking, I guess, you know, so impossible to answer that question, but. I guess of places where I would if I would like to live, even, you know, be London or similar or France. Yeah, yeah. Just for the history. Yeah. Surrounded by it. Yeah. So then the other question is you came and settled in medicine had what was it about this little city on the prairie that captured you? Well, it isn't the history. There is a lot of there's lots of history. My my interest is more renaissance and maybe even further back. But. But I was born and raised in northwest of Swift Current, Saskatchewan. Been back and forth past medicine, had all my life thought it was a collection of commercial enterprises along the highway, you know, never ventured off of it. Not much. And. Although I worked here for a company called Crescent Drywall in in 1969, I think it was. So I did get around, but 20 years old. I wasn't observing anything. And so, or at least not the downtown depreciate what was here, you know. So I bought this place in 2019, a condo. And so that I would sort of have a Alberta address and then moved into it two years ago. And since then I have still not committed to being a medicine hat resident, you know? But since then, this little city has really grown on me. I like golf, a beautiful golf course is here, and the cultural. Effort that's going on in Medicine Hat is really very, very impressive, you know? And so I'm here by accident, but staying because I like it. An accidental hatter, right. We've had a few of those people. Our city has captured two books. Now, how many more in this series? One is 50% done. And it'll be Cartier and his. Call it confrontation, I suppose. Cultural confrontation with the indigenous people. I have also written beyond that. But, but, but, but the next book will be definitely. And I hope to complete it within the next year or so. And now the all important question where can we buy the books? Well, on my website, which is Victor James Phillips A, you can easily find the The By button for free press and also all of the other distributors Amazon, Indigo and so on. They're all there so you can buy it there in Medicine Hat. I've yet to talk to one another independent bookstore, but the limited characters has agreed to they they don't, not just with me, but they're very supportive of local authors. And so the book will be available there. But you mustn't happen freezing. Also, if you just go on to the in Google and and look up and press bookstore, it's there you know. So okay so it's freely available. Right. Well I thank you for the visit and happy trails. Thank you very much for inviting me. Pleasure.