Wildlife Response Hotline: 912.222.5992
Living on a barrier island full of wildlife, means that people and wildlife are going to cross paths, frequently resulting in human-wildlife interactions. As a partially developed state park, we recognize the occasional need to respond to certain situations where wildlife and people may encounter one another. To prevent negative outcomes both for the safety of people and animals, we have a 24-hour wildlife response hotline (912.222.5992) allowing us to assess the need to immediately respond to certain wildlife situations, or provide advice in others. We have responded to calls about sick or injured animals such as lethargic raccoons and injured shorebirds, or animals that turn up in places they are unwelcome such as a snake in a garage or alligators emerging on the beach when it is busy. It is important to know, that when we receive wildlife calls, we assess the situation and respond based on need and availability of resources.
Some animals such as snakes and alligators that turn up in unwanted places receive a unique mark, to identify them in the future. This allows us to know if we are seeing different, or the same, individuals return to the same places. Knowing what snakes are found locally is important should you encounter one. To date, we have documented 15 species of snakes on Jekyll Island, three of which are venomous; the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the cottonmouth, and the canebrake rattlesnake (for a complete species list see below). To learn more about these snake species, and others found in the state, the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Lab herpetology page is an excellent source for more information about Georgia’s reptiles and amphibians.
Never attempt to approach or feed an animal, especially if it is sick or injured animal. Approaching an injured animal that cannot flee could be fatal or lead to serious injury, as they may fight out of fear for their life. If you observe a sick or injured animal call the wildlife response hotline at 912.222.5992.
Download: Snake Species List