The homeowner was watering some plants when she spotted the Mojave Rattlesnake coiled under a plant by a drip system. There was only a small patch of suitable habitat left, around a half mile away, that was actively being bulldozed when Marissa went to pick up this snake.

These situations represent the reality of many relocations. Distance of relocation is one of many factors that can impact the success of a relocation, but is the only one that is typically discussed. Here, the nearest suitable habitat is further than we’d like, and that’s where the other aspects of what this species needs, in the season it needs it, kick in. A snake left in place that would surely die is not one that is represented in the current state of relocation research, and why statements like “relocation is a death sentence” is so plainly silly.