'They're a nuisance': Residents of Manitoba Interlake community say scale of snake problem is growing

Reptiles crawl into buildings like the Eriksdale Recreation Centre, people's homes

Jerry Saunders estimates he picks up between 20 and 30 red-sided garter snakes per day at the Eriksdale Recreation Centre, collecting them in a bucket before he returns them to the grass outside.

"There's just so many of them that they're a nuisance," said Saunders, who is on the community club's board of directors.

But despite his regular rounds, Saunders says the reptiles just keep wriggling their way back into the building because it's "almost impossible" to seal off the large facility.

"They're getting in through the doors when people come in," he said, adding the cold-blooded creatures are likely drawn to the centre's black siding and warm sidewalks.

"They love the warmth, especially at this time of the year, so they all congregate here."

They're getting into peoples' homes too.

"They'll crawl up the walls, they're coming out of the light fixtures. If you've got a snake hanging down from the ceiling it does freak people out," Saunders said.

He said there's also been quite a few snakes on local roads, and some have been left flattened during their attempts to slither to the other side.

Manitoba's Interlake region is famous for red-sided garter snakes — a protected species in the province. It is illegal to kill, capture or hurt one without authority under the provincial Wildlife Act.

Visitors can see one of the world's largest gatherings of snakes at the Narcisse Snake Dens, located about 40 kilometres east of Eriksdale, where thousands of garters emerge each spring to mate.

The snakes migrate every spring and autumn when the weather warms up and cools down, respectively.

Saunders said Eriksdale residents are largely used to seeing snakes in the community, but the scale of the issue has been "building for years."

In a statement to Radio-Canada, a provincial spokesperson said the government's Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures department is "aware of the presence of large numbers of red-sided garter snakes in the Eriksdale area."

Interlake residents who are dealing with high numbers of snakes can discourage them from getting into buildings by sealing off foundational cracks, keeping grass short and removing debris piles where the creatures may seek shelter, the spokesperson said.

Derrick McCandless, one of the owners of the Eriksdale Music Shop, said the snakes can slither through the smallest cracks, squeezing their long bodies through little gaps to infiltrate his store and home — both located on the same property near a large snake den.

He estimates he takes about 50 snakes out of the building per day.

"I don't get any other work done, other than walking around taking snakes out of the building," McCandless said.

He's not usually too bothered by the snakes during the day. But it's a different story when he does his nightly checks to make sure the garters haven't gotten tangled in his bedsheets.

"It freaks me out too when I'm sleeping," McCandless said.

Snakes used to be a "novelty" in Eriksdale where they were only seen occasionally, he said. He said that's changed and the vast number of snakes have become a serious issue in recent years.

Adrian Bruce hates when the community gets overrun with the reptiles. In fact, says he hates snakes more than he hates doing the dishes.

"I can't even watch a snake on television. I have to turn away," he said.

Bruce, who is from Niverville, visits the area regularly. But he tries his best to stay away when the garters travel to and from their dens.

"I just do everything I can to avoid it during snake season."

The rural municipality of West Interlake's CAO Gary Campbell said community members have been telling him the scale of the problem is growing. But it's hard to say if there's more snakes than in a typical year, he said.

He said the municipality is looking into how it can address the issue and what actions it's allowed to take, given that the snakes are a protected species.

"We're trying our best to deal with it and live with them," Campbell said.

The fear of seeing a bunch of snakes while you're lacing up your skates may be keeping people from visiting the recreation centre, Saunders worries.

"There's people who probably aren't coming because of the snakes," Saunders said.

Lauren Scott is a Winnipeg-based reporter with CBC Manitoba. They hold a master’s degree in computational and data journalism, and have previously worked for the Hamilton Spectator and The Canadian Press.

With files from Radio-Canada's Catherine Moreau