Dry conditions displacing snakes, other critters

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Experts say dry weather is forcing deadly critters from their homes and — possibly — toward yours. 

“The drought is definitely making the snakes move,” said Bob Cross, the owner of Critter Capture Services.

Cross told FOX 35 he’s seen an uptick in calls from customers near the Wekiva River Basin who are finding deadly snakes in their back yards.  

He said he recently captured a water moccasin, “in a fenced in area where the lady keeps her two dogs  and if that snake had bitten one of her two dogs it definitely would have died.”

As ponds and marshes dry up, so do sources of food.             

“[Snakes] need something to drink so they're going to move to find another source of water, plus…they like the dampness,” Cross said.

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Greg Workman, the drought is also likely to prompt alligators to look for new places to next, which could send them wandering into yards, too. 

“This is also breeding time for the alligators and the snakes so that's another reason that they're on the move,” Cross said.

Workman said wildfires are also forcing animals to either move to areas that haven’t burned or burrow deeper into the ground.