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Re: [RC] [RC] snakes - heidiIf anyone started offing rattlesnakes on the huge cattle ranch we use for our CTR and endurance rides it would cost us the use of the ranch! The ranch manager has made it quite clear that the snakes are welcome on the ranch -- to control rodents and especially to control ground squirrels (http://cecalaveras.ucdavis.edu/squirrel.htm) whose holes will swallow a hoof and trip up a horse or cow, and whose burrows destabilize slopes and undermine trees, and whose fleas carry plague in our area. Fortunately we have a goodly array of other critters who fill that niche here--from hawks to house cats, and including various non-poisonous snakes. The hawks and non-rattlers do a pretty good job out in the fields, and the cats pretty well keep the barnyard, tack room, and house free of rodents (even though they don't come in the house themselves). Heidi ============================================================ ...but then, I do ride my horses a lot more than most people ~ Karen Chaton ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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