The first clue is when Walker calls timber rattlers "the puppy dogs of the rattlesnake world."

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has warm feelings too, listing them among the "species in need of conservation" — animals that cannot be hunted or killed unless they are threatening to attack.

But the little rattlers, living and let living for as long as 20 to 25 years, are mild-mannered.
"Timbers will rarely rattle, let alone strike. It takes a lot of energy to strike," Walker said, so the strike is saved for hunting and feeding. "Their first line of defense is to blend in."

Walker thinks the relocation project was unprecedented -- moving an entire nest of dozens to save them from ultimately fatal contact with humans.

Herpetologists and wildlife specialists from five surrounding states converged to help Walker and her research partner, retired KU professor George Pisani, now an adjunct with the Kansas Biological Survey.

"Our initial intent was to save as many as we could catch and move them," Walker said.
However, these were not a few slithering singles, but a serpent community, established over a decade.

"Snakes have family groups, are familiar with one another, and they recognize their den mates," said Walker.