The Kent County Lions Club enjoyed an educational program June 13 presented by Texas Parks & Wildlife biologists from the Matador Wildlife Management Area (named after the Matador Ranch but located between Paducah and Childress), who shared that in addition to wildlife research and management the area is also open for public use.
The lunch-hour program highlighted snakes from the area, including the rattlesnake, which was noted as being beneficial to the environment because of its role in rodent control. Safety practices the biologists emphasized were, first, never handle rattlesnakes, so as to avoid the risk of threatening them and thus being bitten (snakes want to save their venom for rodents and not waste it on humans); and second, if bitten, stay calm and get to a hospital (area hospitals have antivenom).
Biologists also introduced the group to Leroy the King Snake, who has been with the area for some 20 years, sharing that the king snake is immune to rattlesnake venom. A couple of the Lions members, such as county attorney Katie Lackey, shown here, even got to practice their snake handling skills meeting Leroy up close and personal.
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