Rattlesnakes To Be Reintroduced In Two Arizona Cities
- Ron Lee Jones
- Apr 1
- 8 min read
Ron Lee Jones
April 1, 2025
The Arizona Fish and Game Commission (AZFC) announced today that it has been working in conjunction with the U.S. Wildlife Administration (USWA) for the past year and a half in preparation for reintroduction of rattlesnakes in two urban locations in Arizona. The initial two sites will be the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, human population approximately 4.8 million, and the Tucson area, human population approximately 1.0 million. The Phase One release of approximately 135 snakes in those two cities is planned for later this month. Springtime is the ideal opportunity for release before the hottest part of the year arrives.
Brad Burgeson, Director of Species Management for AZFC said the project drew inspiration from the reintroduction of other animal species at locations throughout the West. Burgeson explained, “With the reintroduction of grizzly bears in Wyoming in the 1990s, gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park in 1995, and Mexican wolves in eastern Arizona in 2020, there was no reason to not reintroduce rattlesnakes in Arizona. We had already started the planning stages for this project when wolves and wolverines were reintroduced in Colorado. This is a great project for Arizona, right along with those other exciting projects throughout the West.”
Burgeson and his team, working with the USWA, did a thorough environmental analysis to determine which varieties of rattlesnakes to reintroduce into Phoenix and Tucson. “We have many parks all across both metro areas that consist of well-groomed desert landscaping. Snakes will do very well, and a good mix of different types will be even better. If they can survive in the desert they can thrive in a desert-themed city park. They will naturally spread to other areas within the city, but that’s not a concern. We anticipate a very successful outcome.”
The project is slated to start with ten varieties of snakes with about 135 in total. Over time if the project is successful, officials may increase the scope of the project to as high as 300 snakes. However, increasing the population to around 200 or 300 would be the second and third phases of the project, with no specific timeline for those two later phases.
According to Burgeson, rattlers are excellent vermin control, so as they drift out of the parks and into other areas, they will actually do the cities a favor to help reduce the number of rats and mice in the cities. Roof rats, which have increased in population in recent years in Phoenix and other urban areas, don’t always stay on roofs. It is anticipated that the snakes will encounter rats and mice down on the ground and will be excellent vermin control. Also, city parks are well-populated with Cottontail rabbits, which are native to Arizona, and the Cottontails, especially when young, are a prime food source for rattlesnakes.
The citizens group called No Snakes In Cities (NSIC) has opposed the project. Their primary objective is to promote safety in the streets of Arizona, and they claim that snakes just don’t belong in areas populated by humans. Julieta Camarano, the current president of NSIC says, “People are going to get bit. And what about children and pets? What’s going to happen when someone is walking their dog and they come up on a rattlesnake? What will happen when a child is coming down a slide in a city park and there’s a rattlesnake in the sand at the bottom of the slide? It will be impossible for that child to avoid injury or death. We have lobbied hard against this reintroduction, even reaching out to state legislators, but so far we have not even slowed the project at all. We are currently seeking funding to file suit, although I know it’s at literally the last minute.”
However, the USWA assures citizens that the project will work and that any collateral risk is minimal. Also, local hospitals, urgent care clinics, and veterinarians have already been informed to be well prepared for treatment of snakebites. Burgeson clarified, “We are not reintroducing any highly lethal species, like those in South America where if you get bit you have thirty minutes to live. None of these Arizona species are that lethal. If you are bit, you have several hours to get medical care before the venom becomes life-threatening.”
Citizens of both cities were consulted through surveys conducted during the planning stages of the project, and although there was some opposition, the majority of surveys were positive. As one survey participant, Carlos Avenado from Scottsdale, explained, “I think it’s cool! Wolves back in our mountains where they used to be, so why not snakes back in the areas where they used to be? They were here first anyway, and then humans moved in. We can share our habitat.” Avenado is originally from Seattle, Washington and is a Liberal Arts student at Arizona State University.
When questioned about the announcement being made on April Fools’ Day, and whether people would doubt the truth of the report, Burgeson said, “We did consider that issue. However, we have been working toward this release for a long time. The funding to support this is triggered by the financial aspects of the calendar quarters, and April 1 is the start of the new quarter. We have to make the announcement today in order to release new funding, which is critical right now. The timing of funding and logistics and animal science consultants all have to be coordinated, so we had to make the announcement today, even though it’s April Fools’ Day. I think people will get over their initial skepticism. Besides, when they see the first trucks roll in and we start releasing snakes in a few days, they will know it’s not just a prank.”
As mentioned, funding has been an important part of the project. The initial grant of $450,000 was provided by the Rattles Rule Foundation, a U.S. based non-profit that participates with reptile reintroduction projects all around the world. Additional grants and funding came from various forward-thinking investors from all around the U.S. and even as far as Saudi Arabia. One oil sheik, who invested heavily in the project, said, “In the Middle East we don’t mind snakes at all. We share their habitat all the time, so sharing snake habitat in Phoenix and Tucson is no problem.” The sheik requested to remain anonymous, but he and his family own several homes around the world, including one in Paradise Valley in the Phoenix Metro area and one in Oro Valley near Tucson.
Burgeson shared the list of ten different varieties of rattlesnakes that have been selected for the project and which will be released later this month:
Arizona Diamondback. This is not the professional baseball team, but the actual rattlesnake. There is a high population of Arizona Diamondbacks in the state of Arizona. According to Burgeson, “This one couldn’t be more fitting.”
Patagonia Rattlesnake. This variety was first discovered in southern Arizona near the small town of Patagonia. According to Burgeson, this snake will be an excellent fit in Tucson because it will do well in the southern Arizona climate.
Red Tailed Rattlesnake. This variety has a brown body, but the area near the tail just before the rattles is dark red, thus giving the snake its name.
Indigo Diamondback. This snake has a beige or light brown body, but the darker diamond pattern on its back is very dark blueish-purple, thus the name.
Long-Nosed Rattler. This snake is found all across Arizona and can grow up to six feet long and as big around as a baseball bat.
Fruit Bat Rattlesnake. This snake derives its name from its behavior of hunting small Arizona fruit bats that sleep during the day clinging to the bottom of small limbs in the jojoba bushes in several locations in the Arizona desert. While the fruit bats sleep during the day, hanging from limbs in the bush and hidden from most passersby, the snakes manage to crawl into the bush up among the limbs and slowly and silently seek out and capture the fruit bats for their food source.
Oceanside Rattler. This snake was introduced to Arizona in the early 1900s from Mexico. Biologists believed the snakes, who lived along the Pacific Coast south of California, would adapt well to the Salt River, Gila River, and Colorado River shorelines of Arizona, which they have.
Oak Creek Red Rattler. This snake was first discovered around Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona, Arizona. Its reddish-brown color blends in with the red rocks around Oak Creek, thus providing excellent camouflage.
Lowell’s Sidewinder. This snake was first discovered in 1973 near Lake Havasu City in western Arizona near the confluence of the Central Arizona Project Canal and the Colorado River. Biologist Glendon Lowell discovered the snake, and he and his team spent several months relocating several hundred snakes out of the path of construction.
Southern Sidewinder. Sidewinders are typically smaller than their rattlesnake cousins. The Sidewinder’s unique slithering pattern, appearing to crawl forward but actually sliding sideways across the desert sand, gives it the name. Of course, this snake is native to the southern part of the state.
Larry Szubia, vice president of No Snakes In Cities (NSIC) has reached out to several talk radio hosts, seeking airtime to try to spread the message that rattlesnakes don’t belong in urban areas. “When we learned about Manifest Destiny in grade school, we understood that it meant to populate an area with people, and in doing so, remove the dangers and adapt the habitat for humans. Snakes don’t belong back in our cities. People will get killed. What’s next, reintroducing buffalo in downtown Amarillo and Oklahoma City? Yeah, yeah, I know they’re really called bison, but still!”
Monica Ballantine, a herpetologist (snake scientist) in Phoenix and the director of Snakes-R-Safe Consulting, has been designated by project officials as the public relations contact. She says, “We know some people will feel alarmed, but snakes are all around us. People hike all across Arizona year-round and the number of incidents of snake encounters is very low. People see snakes and admire them from a distance and then human and reptile both move on safely. Having snakes in our cities is not a problem.”
For anyone wishing to express support or concern regarding the project, or to obtain further information, please contact Monica at snakesrsafe@gmail.com.
The snakes will be tagged for identification and further study as the project moves forward. Because this is a government project, anyone who knowingly kills or captures or harasses one of these tagged snakes could face fines of up to $25,000 and up to six months in jail. If anyone encounters one of these snakes and needs assistance from project personnel, please contact Monica Ballentine by email as soon as possible.
Ron Lee Jones is a freelance writer in Arizona. He is the author of several action novels. Find his books at www.ronleejonesbooks.com and on Amazon and Audible in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats:
● Broken Bombs – Terrorists attack Phoenix, but armed citizens fight back. (Audiobook version on Audible and where audiobooks are sold. Also on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.)
● Emancipation Expedition – Where do you hide when the bad guys with guns are also with the FBI? (On Amazon in paperback and Kindle versions).
● Short Shots – A collection of short stories about self-defense and concealed weapons. (on Amazon in Kindle format, only 99 cents.)
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