Snake 'mating balls' are being crushed by off-road vehicles: 'Most of them are run over'

Snake 'mating balls' are being crushed by off-road vehicles: 'Most of them are run over'

A garter snake den in Manitoba, Canada's Interlake region, is becoming the site of a recurring wildlife tragedy. Residents and advocates say off-road vehicles are crushing snakes during one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives: spring emergence and mating. At the den near Gimli, where potentially thousands of snakes gather each year, locals say animals — including snakes tangled together in seasonal "mating balls" — are being run over o…