An increasingly arid summer lead to a startling wildlife sighting in Quincy: a timber rattlesnake was seen coiled up outside a home there Thursday evening.
Experts told WCVB that the snake was likely looking for water in an increasingly dry season, where an area just northwest of Boston was recently listed as having “extreme” drought conditions by the U.S. Drought Monitor. It’s the first time any part of the Northeast has been classified that way during the current dry season. Massachusetts environmental police said the venomous snake was released back into the wild at the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, which has reportedly has one of the largest wild populations of timber rattlesnakes. The timber rattlesnake is one of only two species of venomous snakes in New England, according to NECN. They are listed as an endangered species. Usually, the snakes are so rare in the state they are rarely encountered by people, Quincy Police said.
You can watch the removal of the snake below:
Endangered rattlesnake found outside of a Quincy home
Quincy Police (Screenshot)
