Reports of human-snake encounters are on the rise – and some people react to a snake on their property by killing it. But is there a better way, for both people and the reptiles?

The rattlesnake hotline call handler had a question. Could Christa Reinach see whether the 3ft-long (1m) snake, currently stretched out on her patio, had black and white bands on its tail?

"Yes," said Reinach, eyeing the creature through her window. While the call handler couldn't be sure, those markings likely meant that Reinach had a venomous western diamondback rattlesnake on her property. A snake relocator would be there as soon as possible.

Reinach sat back and waited. Although a bite could potentially be fatal, she wasn't overly worried by the rattlesnake herself. And her dogs, two Chinese Shar-Peis, were safely locked inside the house. Reinach lives in Rio Verde Foothills, a community near Scottsdale, Arizona. Because this community is right by the desert, she had every expectation that snakes would appear on her land from time to time.

But she didn't want the snake sticking around for too long – particularly because of her horses, who might put their heads to the ground to inspect a snake, only to get bitten on the nose. "If the nose swells, then they cannot breathe," Reinach says.

Between 7,000-8,000 people are bitten by a venomous snake every year in the US; around five die. Pets are even more likely to suffer a bite, and to be killed by it. Of all US snake species, rattlesnakes are among the most dangerous. In a study of snakebites affecting 11,138 patients, published in 2019, the type of snake that caused the bite was identifiable in roughly half of those cases – and within that group, the most common bite was a rattlesnake bite. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that, for anyone bitten by a rattlesnake, 10-44% will have lasting injuries, such as losing a finger.

As property developers push further into snake habitats, the potential for human-snake encounters is on the rise, according to experts who spoke to the BBC. Climate change may also have an impact. It is eroding some snakes' habitats – as well as making them more likely to seek out, say, a cool garden on a hot day. But snakes play a crucial role in local ecosystems. Experts say that simply killing every snake that winds up on human property isn't just unethical; ultimately, it could cause problems for humans, too.

In certain cases, euthanising snakes is desirable, such as when invasive species begin taking too great a toll on native wildlife. Humanely killing those invasive snakes after capturing them can help to keep the ecosystem in balance.

But in Arizona and other parts of the US, some organisations are working to capture and relocate native snakes alive. Homebuilding projects in the state have expanded into desert areas, replacing shrubs with residential buildings. It means that people are increasingly living in rattlesnake hotspots. Local data suggests a steady rise in bite reports in recent years.

That's where Rattlesnake Solutions comes in. This local firm endeavours to rescue and move snakes when they're discovered somewhere that could pose a threat to humans or pets. The company indicates that

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