Online
Venomous Snake Safety Training
Risk Management and Safety Education
Snake Safety Awareness Training: This online course is designed to provide and introduction to topics including identification and natural history of U.S. Venomous Snakes and introduction to safety.
This course is designed for those to need to learn about venomous snake safety, but do not need handling or manipulation skills. Length: 30 minutes |
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Regional Identification Courses: These online courses are designed to provide identification descriptions for the most common venomous snakes in the
Length: 15 minutes |
Snake Safety Awareness Training + Handling Fundamentals for Animal Control: This online course is designed to provide training and expertise for Animal Control Officers to safely work with U.S. venomous snakes. Topics include identification, natural history, safety, removal, relocation and introduction to handling.
Length: 1.25 hours |
The NWCOA Reptile and Amphibian Certified Course: Level 1: This National Wildlife Control Operators Course (NWCOA) is offered to aid in knowledge of safety guidelines, ecology, common encounters, and regulations for those who work with reptiles and amphibians. *NWCOA Members: Email info@nwcoa.com for coupon code.
Length: 5 hours |
Guides
Check out our library of free guides, quizzes and webinar replay. These include our Rattlesnake Safety Guide, Hiking in Rattlesnake Habitat Guide, Venomous Snake Identification Quizzes and our Webinar Replay.
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Snake Safe Certification Program
Our snake safety biologists will provide on-site risk assessments, customized snake safety plans, husbandry protocols and snake bite plans.
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Our Safety Standard
Our courses are known for an overwhelming amount of safety and attention to detail. All instruction areas are assessed prior to the workshop course for safety to course participants, instructors, the public, and snakes used. Reasonable methods to ensure safety will take place and constantly reassessed during our course. We coordinate with local hospitals and first responders to ensure safety and awareness for the day of our course in case their involvement becomes necessary. There have been no bites or close-calls in over 10 years of delivering this course around the U.S. However, every participant will be instructed to contact “911” in case an incident occurs. NOTE: Our courses will not take place if a threat to safety occurs (e.g., inclement weather that may risk a power outage or risk to first-responder personnel).
Our methods for handling and manipulation are not your "Hey, dude- hold my beer" type methods. We do not teach methods you see on TV, because to be honest- our methods are not for TV. They are boring, they are safe. We operate with safety first, always. The tools we use maximize safety while maintaining snake comfort.
Our methods for handling and manipulation are not your "Hey, dude- hold my beer" type methods. We do not teach methods you see on TV, because to be honest- our methods are not for TV. They are boring, they are safe. We operate with safety first, always. The tools we use maximize safety while maintaining snake comfort.
Leaders in Venomous Snake Trainings
Adaptation has taught our U.S. Venomous Snake Safety and Manipulation Course for military entities, wildlife and state agencies, energy companies, zoos, construction and community associations.
Venomous Snake Safety Training Topics
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Who should take a training?
Are you a professional who works near or directly with reptiles and amphibians? Everyone can benefit from one of our trainings, especially:
- Wildlife Professionals and Biologists, Botanists, Archaeologists,
- Military
- First responders (e.g. law enforcement, EMS, firefighters, FEMA)
- Construction/Facilities Managers and Workers
- Energy Workers
- Wildlife Control Operators
- Zoos
Past Clients
Adaptation has taught our U.S. Venomous Snake Safety and Handling Course for military entities, wildlife and state agencies, energy companies, zoos, construction and community associations.
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Our instructors are researchers, zoologists and wildlife biologists. Joe, the owner of Adaptation and lead instructor, was trained in captive husbandry with venomous snakes in the zoo setting. Since then he has worked in wildlife research and education. Our courses are taught by instructors that have first hand experience with venomous snakes in the field. We have 10+ years experience radio tracking rattlesnakes to inform managers on rattlesnake activity, den and hibernation location, determine habitat usage and monitor encroachment. Our trainers prioritize safety in all courses.
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Check out this video created for the Department of Defense:
What our course participants are saying:
"This was a great training and will be extremely helpful to me in the field! Thank you!" - Sean
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"Excellent course, recommend for all first responders" - Laura
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"The course was very interactive an actually being able to go hands on was very helpful." - Jordan
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"Hard to overstate value of live- snake handling- excellent experience!" - Deborah
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"Very safe instruction with the snakes. It was helpful to get multiple practice rounds in. Great training!" - John
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"I really enjoyed the course and feel a lot more confident handling snakes. Thanks!" - Saul
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Meaningful conversations in wildlife management and human-wildlife conflict cannot effectively take place until initial safety concerns are addressed. In the U.S. approximately 7,000-8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes (CDC) each year. While deaths are rare, lasting injuries are more common such as amputation or permanent disabilities. Snakebite envenoming can be controlled through preventative measures. Workers come into contact with venomous snakes while on the job and often receive little to no training in dealing with this risk management situation for their safety and others. Even though leaving a snake alone is usually safest for people and snakes, circumstances arise too often where a trained worker is needed to mitigate a potential conflict from escalating further.
Our courses are DIFFERENT because we teach and focus on risk management, and this resonates with who we train and their institutional policies. After all, we have families, children, coworkers, and pets that we want kept safe from potentially dangerous encounters. This is the only course designed by professionals and for professionals.
Our teams provide snake removal and exclusion services, and when possible we relocate rattlesnakes with land manager permission. We also conduct research on public and private lands, such as radio-telemetry and mark-recapture (via PIT-tags) of relocated rattlesnakes in the Denver metro area and Pueblo. It’s also important that we ask homeowners a short series of social sciences questions at every snake removal to gauge their knowledge and attitude about rattlesnakes. Aside from our own research in conjunction with local partners, our work also contributes to our partners’ efforts such as with venom toxicology at the University of Northern Colorado.
Our courses are DIFFERENT because we teach and focus on risk management, and this resonates with who we train and their institutional policies. After all, we have families, children, coworkers, and pets that we want kept safe from potentially dangerous encounters. This is the only course designed by professionals and for professionals.
Our teams provide snake removal and exclusion services, and when possible we relocate rattlesnakes with land manager permission. We also conduct research on public and private lands, such as radio-telemetry and mark-recapture (via PIT-tags) of relocated rattlesnakes in the Denver metro area and Pueblo. It’s also important that we ask homeowners a short series of social sciences questions at every snake removal to gauge their knowledge and attitude about rattlesnakes. Aside from our own research in conjunction with local partners, our work also contributes to our partners’ efforts such as with venom toxicology at the University of Northern Colorado.