All that slithers

GLASGOW — Calvin Wiley is more cautious now when he is around snakes. To complete his agriculture major at Western Kentucky University, Wiley recently took a three-week trip to Costa Rica. He was helping classmates improve one of the country’s national parks near Tenorio by laying new gravel along walking trails that had been damaged by erosion, when he spotted a snake. A fan of such television animal adventure shows as the ones starring Jeff Corwin and the late Steve Irwin, Wiley decided to pick it up. “I caught it and was showing it to people,” he said. While he was showing off his catch, the snake bit him. “That started a little of an ordeal,” he said. It turned out the snake was a Hognosed Pit Viper, which is poisonous. A park ranger who spoke very little English said, “‘This is not good. This is poisonous snake.’” The... [read full story]