Rattlesnakes lover

I met a woman from Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue this weekend (at a memorial service of all places) who rescues rattlesnakes and releases them back into the mountain. For the record, Paula Perez seemed like a lovely woman and not crazy at all.

She said the fascinating thing about the Franklin Mountains is that one side is completely different from the other. You can see that plainly in the Spring when the East side is green and the West side is gray and purple. She said it's the same with wildlife. You find black-tailed rattlesnakes on the West side only and diamondback  rattle snakes on the east side. It has something to do with micro-climates.

I also asked her how she would handle a rattlesnake if she didn't have her sticks and tools. She said she would grab the tail and drag the snake backward because they don't have enough strength to completely bend back to bite you. Good to know. I filed this under "things I never want to have to do."