Clarksville finds rat snakes in gym

Administrators with the Clarksville School District said Wednesday that a number of young snakes that were discovered in the Clarksville High School gymnasium were harmless.

District Superintendent David Hopkins said the school's athletic coaching staff discovered a number of small snakes, each measuring less than 12 inches long, late last week. Hopkins said the school contacted a pest control professional, who located and killed several snakes, and set out traps for additional ones.

"During the summer months, we've done a lot of construction and painting inside the gym," Hopkins said. "There's no air conditioning, so we'll leave the doors propped open and run the fans. At some point, a snake apparently went into the building and laid a clutch of eggs."

Hopkins said no adult snake has been located inside the building and that it likely left after laying the eggs.

Hopkins said the snakes were identified by a biologist as Great Plains rat snakes, which are nonvenomous. Hopkins said rumors among students or parents that copperheads or other venomous snakes were found in the building were patently false.

Arkansas Department of Health spokesman Kerry Krell said that according to statewide hospital discharge data, 72 Arkansans were treated as victims of snakebites in 2012, and another 63 were treated in 2013.

Staff members at the Arkansas Poison Control Center in Little Rock said the center has received 227 calls regarding venomous and nonvenomous snakebites since Jan. 1, 2013.

Metro on 08/21/2014

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