{"id":390164,"date":"2026-07-08T05:01:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T05:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/390164\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T05:01:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T05:01:34","slug":"kern-county-reptile-wrangler-has-spent-more-than-70-years-rescuing-snakes-while-educating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/390164\/","title":{"rendered":"Kern County reptile wrangler has spent more than 70 years rescuing snakes while educating"},"content":{"rendered":"

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 For more than seven decades, Douglas Lemmons has been answering calls that most people would avoid.<\/p>\n

The 83-year-old volunteer reptile wrangler has spent more than 70 years rescuing snakes across Kern County and beyond, all while trying to educate the public about reptiles and their role in the environment.<\/p>\n

\"KBAK\/KBFX\"<\/p>\n

Lemmons said his interest in snakes began when he was a child after questioning what he had been taught.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey told me the only good snake was a dead snake and to kill all snakes before they killed me and I found out that they lied to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

What started as curiosity eventually became a lifelong passion. Lemmons said he began rescuing snakes when he was around 10 years old and continued that work while serving in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, where he helped remove snakes to keep fellow soldiers safe.<\/p>\n

Today, he continues responding to calls from homeowners, businesses and parks throughout Kern County. He said he has also been contacted by neighboring counties when they cannot find someone willing to remove a venomous snake.<\/p>\n

\"kpic<\/p>\n

kpic 081109 rattlesnake.jpg<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve rescued venomous snakes from all over Kern County and even get called into other counties when they can\u2019t find a snake person over there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lemmons volunteers his time and does not charge for his services, although he accepts donations to help cover expenses.<\/p>\n

When someone calls about a snake, he asks them to keep a safe distance and avoid approaching it so it does not disappear before he arrives.<\/p>\n

For nonvenomous snakes, Lemmons often handles them by hand. For venomous snakes, he uses a specialized clamp designed to safely capture the animal without injuring it.<\/p>\n

Once the snake is captured, he checks it for injuries before releasing it back into the same general area where it was found, away from roads, homes and livestock. He said he intentionally releases snakes close to where they were captured rather than moving them long distances.<\/p>\n

\u201cI release them right back in, you know, the same general area, away from the roads and the residential area and livestock, so that the snakes can do their job in nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lemmons said the two species he encounters most often in Kern County are gopher snakes and rattlesnakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cGopher snakes and rattlesnakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Rattlesnake<\/p>\n

Rattlesnake found at playground, tips to stay vigilant as summer arrives (Photo: Chico PD)<\/p>\n

Last year, he removed eight baby rattlesnakes from Hart Park. This year, he said he has already caught three. According to Lemmons, baby rattlesnakes are commonly found near squirrel holes because female rattlesnakes often give birth underground before the young emerge on their own.<\/p>\n

As temperatures have increased, so have the calls.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been averaging at least one or two calls a day for the past thirty days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond rescuing snakes, Lemmons also responds to calls involving lizards, tarantulas, scorpions, black widows and centipedes. For animals he is not licensed to handle, such as birds or raccoons, he refers people to licensed wildlife rehabilitators.<\/p>\n

Lemmons also spent six years volunteering at the California Living Museum (CALM), where he served as the facility’s first curator of reptiles and small mammals. During that time, he helped build exhibits, cared for reptiles and assisted with the care of other animals throughout the zoo.<\/p>\n

While many people fear snakes, Lemmons hopes his work encourages residents to better understand them instead of immediately trying to kill them.<\/p>\n

\"JOSHUA<\/p>\n

JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, CA – MAY 15: A red diamondback rattlesnake lies coiled among the rocks in the hour before a totally eclipsed moon rises over the desert on May 15, 2003 in Joshua Tree National Park, California. It has been three years since North Americans last witnessed the moon completely darkened by the earth’s shadow. (Photo by David McNew\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope they stop killing the snakes… I hope they pass the word on their children, and not pass on their phobias to their children… It\u2019s better to educate them and let them learn to be safe instead of to kill all the snakes that they find.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite more than 70 years of rescuing reptiles, Lemmons says he is not ready to retire.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I can\u2019t walk and bend over and pick up a snake, I\u2019ll retire from that.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you encounter a snake you can call Douglas Lemmons at 661-364-4793. He is available 24\/7.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK\/KBFX) \u2014 For more than seven decades, Douglas Lemmons has been answering calls that most people would…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390165,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-390164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390164"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390164\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390164"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}