Nearly 3-foot long pregnant copperhead killed in Cherokee County, Georgia

Credit: Amber Barnhart

Credit: Amber Barnhart

The owner of a tree service in Cherokee County, Georgia, found a very unwelcome surprise when he began removing a pile of logs.

Amber Barnhart and her husband, Chase Curtis, own C & C Tree Service in Canton.

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Barnhart said an employee was loading trucks behind their home in Macedonia when two copperheads appeared. One of the snakes was nearly three feet long.

With their 7-year-old daughter and other family members nearby, they made the decision to kill the snakes. They were able to get one and tried to run over the second, but it escaped and went back under the woodpiles.

Barnhart says Curtis and one of their employees skinned the snake they caught and measured it, recording a length of 32 inches and discovering that the pregnant female was carrying nine eggs.

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She said they didn't give it a second thought to the decision to kill the snake because of the number of families and children who live in the area.

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