Slithering surprise: Woman discovers copperheads mating near dogs
A Wake County homeowner captured two copperheads mating in her backyard Monday, just steps away from her two dogs.
The woman, Jessica Price, spoke with WRAL News Tuesday, after posting her video of the most common venomous snakes in the state.
For Price, it just comes with the territory of living.
"[We see] hawks, owls, mice, bunnies, deer," Price said. "All the time."
It was supposed to be a quiet afternoon for Price, who was just bringing her dogs out into the sun when she saw the two copperheads.
"At that point, I was in fight-or-flight mode," Price explained. "[I] got my dogs out first."
Price said she usually moves the snakes out of the area, so she called Milton Morgan, who has been relocating and capturing snakes for the past nine years.
"They are finding a convenient place, normally, away from the ability of a hawk or owl to see them in a compromised position to swoop down on them," Morgan said.
Morgan said the best thing to do if you see a copperhead is to not disturb or kill them, but to just leave them be.
"At that point, those snakes have more on their mind than a dog or a person," Morgan explained.
Price and her two dogs avoided being bitten and she she said this experience has been a valuable learning lesson.
"I know now what to do next and I want everybody else to have a little bit more clarity, calmness and compassion," Price said.
The NC Wildlife commission says female copperheads give birth to live snakes around between late summer and September.
