Sheboygan woman, 79, kills snake with ice chopper

[August 24, 2010]  SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) -- A 79-year-old Sheboygan woman who couldn't find any help when a rattlesnake showed up on her patio said it was no big deal taking matters into her own hands. Margaret Street said she used an ice chopper to kill the snake with three cuts behind the head.

She made some calls hoping to find someone who could help her. She said when that failed, she killed the snake because she was afraid it could hurt someone at a nearby elementary school.

Dale Katsma, with the state Department of Natural Resources, said the massasauga rattlesnake is endangered in Wisconsin, but photos suggest this was a prairie rattlesnake, which isn't endangered or native to the area.

He told The Sheboygan Press the snake may have been aboard a train bringing materials to a local salvage yard.

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Information from: The Sheboygan Press, http://www.sheboygan-press.com/

[Associated Press]

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