Puddles the Copperhead keeps cool in the face of a curious onlooker. To get help identifying a potential copperhead snake in the Atlanta area call 678-753-4302 or email pictures of the snake to atlantacopperheads@gmail.com.

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Puddles the Copperhead keeps cool in the face of a curious onlooker. To get help identifying a potential copperhead snake in the Atlanta area call 678-753-4302 or email pictures of the snake to atlantacopperheads@gmail.com.

A program to help snakes and people live peacefully.

A roomful of children closes in on Puddles the copperhead snake. She’s in a clear plastic box. And today she’s acting as an ambassador for a copperhead catch and release program run by the Atlanta-based Amphibian Foundation.

Mark Mandica is the Executive Director of the foundation. They relocated 14 copperheads last year. And as spring warms up, these common snakes are waking up again.

“Keep your eyes peeled. They are out probably trolling our neighborhoods for rodents as we speak,” he says.

Last year Georgia saw a record number of venomous snake bites. But Mandica says most instances of snakes injuring people occur when people are trying to kill or handle snakes. And we often misidentify copperheads because there are so many harmless lookalikes. It’s illegal to kill non-venomous snakes in Georgia.

To get help identifying a potential copperhead snake in the Atlanta area call 678-753-4302 or email pictures of the snake to atlantacopperheads@gmail.com