Part wildlife conservation preserve, part ophidiophobic nightmare, Canada's Narcisse Snake Dens see tens of thousands of garter snakes arrive each year to sleep and mate in huge slithering piles of serpentine chaos.
At one point the population of red-sided garter snakes in the area of Narcisse, Canada approached 70,000 but terrible weather and an unprecedented number of the beasts being crushed while crossing the roads quickly eroded that number until, in the early 2000's the snake population was dangerously low. In order to remedy this depopulation, the Narcisse Snake Pits Wildlife Management Area was established. Tunnels were created under roads that saw a number of snake-crossings and snow-guards were installed to funnel the creatures into them, leading towards the wildlife area. Along with signs cautioning drivers to slow down during peak season, the population of snakes in the area rebounded and now the wildlife area has become a popular attraction where visitors come to witness the thriving beasts.
The preserve sees the arrival of tens of thousands of the small snakes each year as they come to hibernate in the natural crevasses and tunnels eroded into the porous limestone in the ground. With the thaw of the snow and ice each spring, the sleeping serpents awake and quickly get to making babies in huge, teeming orgies among the grasses outside of their limestone sleeping holes. Despite the seeming impropriety of leering at a bunch of snakes having sex, this is the prime serpent-watching season, as they are out for all to see.
