The Short Life & Times of a Twin-spotted Dave Prival Rattlesnake Tucson, Arizona, USA. [email protected] Two Very Bad Days indignities – having a cold metal stick probed into The bad luck all started on one of his two hemi-penises, being stretched out an otherwise idyllic after- along a tape measure, having a PIT tag injected noon in late May 2006. The under his skin, having his rattle painted blue and Gambel oak branches rus- aqua green, and finally being dropped into a Ziploc tled in the slight breeze, an bag and dangled from a scale. occasional cloud shaded the Soon after his abduction, though, he found him- talus slope, and tasty Mountain Spiny Lizards (Sceloporus self back in familiar surroundings. He could smell jarrovii) were visible on the rocks just a few feet away. the faint track he had left across the rocks hours Although he was only nine months old, the Twin-spotted before he horror began. The Gambel oak branches Rattlesnake (Crotalus pricei) was already almost a foot were still rustling, the clouds were still floating long, and he knew he had picked a great ambush site. His placidly across the sky, nearby lizards were chasing spots helped him become almost invisible among the small flies and caterpillars as if nothing was wrong. The boulders in the partial shade of the trees. It wouldn’t be only signs that anything out of the ordinary had long until one of those cocky lizards came traipsing within happened were the fading smell of the musk he had reach. released during his frantic escape attempt and the Suddenly, he felt the rocks vibrate underneath him. strange new bump on his right side. A few weeks This was no lizard! An awkward, yet terrifying biped went by without further unpleasantness. The (Homo sapiens) stumbled over the horizon into view. The weather had become hot and dry, so the twin-spot rattlesnake panicked. He rattled as he dove into the rocks, remained under the rocks more often than before. but didn’t get far before he felt the soft leather of a glove on his tail and watched his escape route recede beneath him. Over the next 20 minutes, he was subjected to numerous INTERNATIONAL GAME WARDEN . SPRING 2008 . Page 9 To Trent Hammond, However, one day his Rattlesnake, Ridge-nosed Rattlesnakes, into the U.S. in hopes of a big payoff. Hank Molt seemed appetite got the better and Gila Monsters collected on the fam- Among these were several protected like just the guy to of him, and he moved up ily vacation to Arizona, the Hammonds iguanas from Fiji, which he sold to an- into an ambush posi- also had two other Banded Rock Rattle- other dealer, contrary to both Fijian and help him make a tion. Once again he felt snakes from the Huachuca Mountains, U.S. law. The sale of these iguanas quick profit from the rocks move under one Hopi Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis (which are now listed as endangered) some illegally his scales, once again he nuntius; probably from Arizona), two resulted in a $10,000 fine and a sentence rattled and dove, and Mottled Rock Rattlesnakes (Crotalus of three years probation for Hank Molt. caught reptiles. once again he was cap- lepidus lepidus; from Sutton County, Molt has found himself at odds not only tured. This time, how- Texas), three Dusky Pygmy Rattle- with law enforcement but with his rep- ever, he was about to snakes (Sistrurus miliarus barbouri; tile-dealing cohorts. In 2006, he was embark on a cross-country trip. He was from the southeastern U.S.), two Mexi- accused by reptile dealer Tim Colston of never to see Mountain Spiny Lizards, can Lance-headed Rattlesnakes Oklahoma of stealing a Twin-spotted talus, or anything even remotely resem- (Crotalus polystictus), and two Baja Rattlesnake and two Ridge-nosed Rat- bling his home ever again. California Rattlesnakes (Crotalus enyo) tlesnakes (apparently a different set of in their collection at the time. snakes than the ones the Hammonds An Unwanted Vacation Everything was going great for the collected). Molt subsequently accused It was dark and cold inside the suit- Hammonds until Trent’s fiancé decided Colston of theft and spammed accusa- case. The Twin-spotted Rattlesnake she didn’t really want to share her fu- tions against this former business asso- could smell other reptiles nearby, the ture husband with a bunch of venomous ciate. But to Trent Hammond, Hank same smells he had become accustomed snakes. Wisely, Trent decided to acqui- Molt seemed like just the guy to help to during the previous few days at the esce to his fiancé’s demands and get rid him make a quick profit from some ille- Motel 6 in Benson. Perhaps due to the of his collection. Unwisely, he decided to gally caught reptiles. fact that the educational film “Snakes on accomplish this by getting in touch with Belton, South Carolina, is located a a Plane” was still two months from its Henry “Hank” Molt. few miles from Anderson, in the release date, the crack Transportation northwest part of the Security Administration team at Tucson International Airport managed to com- pletely overlook the bag full of rattle- snakes and Gila Monsters. Eventually the bag containing the Twin-spotted Rattlesnake, one Banded Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus klauberi), two Ridge-nosed Rattle- snakes (Crotalus willardi), and three Gila Monsters (Heloderma suspectum) was opened in the home of the collectors – Jerry Hammond (age 52) and his state near the Savannah River. In addi- son Trent (age 22) – in tion to boasting a concrete water tower Guntersville, Alabama. Twin-spotted Rattlesnake (Crotalus pricei) that is one of the few of its type in the Guntersville is located in the Appala- retrieved following its poaching from the South and being the highest point be- chian foothills in the northeastern por- Chiricahua Mountains. Note its loose skin and tween Greenville and Columbia, South emaci-ated condition. Photo by Dave Prival. tion of the state and is famous for being Monster Carolina, Belton is home to 33 year old founded by John Gunter, Will Rogers’ transplanted Californian Adam Stew- great-grandfather. However, because art. In 2004, Adam Stewart decided to the Twin-spotted Rattlesnake had spent Three Costly Mistakes make some money off of his affinity for his whole short life in the Chiricahua Hank Molt (age 66) has been selling reptiles by selling them. He started a Mountains, the Ridge-nosed Rattle- snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodilians business called Living Earth Reptiles, snakes and Banded Rock Rattlesnake for over forty years, starting out with a through which Stewart sells herps of all were only familiar with the Huachuca business called Philadelphia Reptile varieties, but particularly venomous Mountains, and the Gila Monsters were Exchange. A few cities and a conviction reptiles. Hank Molt and Stewart had accustomed to the desert just east of for illegal wildlife trafficking later, he done business together before, and nei- Tucson, it is doubtful that the reptiles settled in Anderson, South Carolina, ther were too concerned about little were appreciative of having the opportu- where he currently operates Global technicalities such as whether the ani- nity to be a part of Guntersville’s his- Herp. As the company name implies, mals were protected or not, wild-caught tory. Molt sells high-dollar herps from around or not, legal or not. The important thing Jerry Hammond, a mechanic at a the world, including several endangered was to double your investment. When Ford dealership down the road in species. He has a long-standing reputa- Molt asked Stewart if he wanted to go in Albertsville, and Trent, an employee at a tion among both reptile fanciers and on the deal together, Stewart was ex- local pet store, supplemented their in- wildlife law enforcement officers. In cited about the opportunity to make come by collecting, buying, and selling 1974, he and a couple of associates col- some money and gain notoriety for his venomous reptiles. In addition to the lected over 600 reptiles from various new business. In fact, he was so excited Twin-spotted Rattlesnake, Banded Rock international locales and smuggled them that he convinced Hank Molt to let him Page 10 . INTERNATIONAL GAME WARDEN . SPRING 2008 purchase and sell the rattlesnakes and kingsnake.com. As dealers often do, he A marked Twin-spotted Rattlesnake, Gila Monsters on his own. This was the posted photographs of each animal in his however, is a different story. Koenig first of three costly mistakes made by advertisements. One of the photographs forwarded the kingsnake.com photo- Adam Stewart. was of the Twin-spotted Rattlesnake the graph of the snake to me. I am a wildlife Stewart agreed to purchase Trent Hammonds had collected in the biologist who has been studying and Hammond’s collection for $5,200. Stew- Chiricahua Mountains. This was Adam marking Twin-spotted Rattlesnakes in art came up with a large wad of cash Stewart’s third and most costly mistake. the Chiricahua Mountains since 1997. from somewhere, put it in his left front The paint mark was clearly visible in pants pocket for safe keeping, and to- Busted! the photograph, and because I paint gether he and Molt took a road trip to Twin-spotted Rattlesnakes, which each rattle with a unique color code, I Guntersville, Alabama, to make the inhabit four mountain ranges in south- was able to quickly determine that I had deal. Guntersville is about 300 miles eastern Arizona, as well as portions of marked that very snake in the west of Belton, and the two reptile the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Chiricahuas on May 28, 2006.