Sierra Vista, Arizona (KGUN) — Bill Schumacher remembers catching his first snake in his backyard in Minnesota as a kid. Reptile enthusiasts now catch snakes around Cochise County and reintroduce them in remote areas of the county.

“About eight years ago I saw all these people posting on Facebook, ‘Oh I got this rattlesnake and it’s dead,'” Schumacher said. . So just call me, I’ll come get them. ”

And that’s where his nickname “The Snake Guy” came from.

Cochise County residents call Schumacher when they need a snake extermination on their property. Usually the calls he receives are about rattlesnakes.

Since the beginning of 2023, Schumacher has removed and released 75 snakes. He and his business His partner, Patrick Shaughnessy, uses a snakestick with a clamp on the end to grab the snake and keep the reptile away, and a bucket to hold the snake until it can be tanked. use.

“I basically take a snakestick and go down and pick it up and put it in a bucket,” said Schumacher.

Disabled veterans feed the snakes a final meal before releasing them back into the wild, far from humans. Sierra Vista Animal Control and other local law enforcement agencies will call Schumacher when they receive calls about snakes and help remove them from their property.

Schumacher and Shaughnessy offer this service free of charge to the community. They are strictly accepting donations just to cover the cost of Snake and Gus food.

“I would rather have safe people, safe pets, safe livestock than charge anyone,” Schumacher said.

When Schumacher isn’t on the phone, he helps educate the community about snakes. He said that children are not generally afraid of snakes, but that they are taught to do so.

“Education is a great thing. We have to teach them that snakes are good animals, but they are also dangerous animals. And that’s the best way I can teach them.”

Schumacher has three snakes. This is Luna the python. Buzz, Diamondback of the West. and Cuddles of the Mojave — he keeps them as pets and uses them for educational purposes. He takes his three snakes to schools and parks to help children and adults learn more about the state’s reptiles.

“Many of these kids have never heard or seen a rattlesnake, so catching a rattlesnake and being there can really give you insight.”