When a homeowner in Virginia noticed a snake tangled in netting in their backyard, they quickly called Tidewater Wildlife Rescue for help. The snake — a common garter snake — was trapped so tightly that she could barely move.
Within minutes, rescue volunteer Serenity Reiner and her partner, Daniel, arrived with scissors and steady hands.
“We were very focused,” Reiner told The Dodo. “We wanted to be as fast as possible to limit her stress.”
Daniel gently held the snake while Reiner carefully cut away each strand of plastic netting. The two worked in quiet concentration — until, suddenly, something incredible happened.
Right there, in Reiner’s hands, the snake began to give birth.
“I looked down, and she was having babies,” Reiner said. “It was the most unexpected and amazing thing.”
As the rescuers freed the last bits of netting, two tiny baby garter snakes wriggled into the world — healthy and alive. Once the mama and her newborns were untangled, Reiner carried them to the nearby woods and gently released them beneath the trees.
“She slithered off into the grass with her babies,” Reiner said. “It was such a beautiful moment.”
Despite their small size, baby garter snakes are independent from birth — able to hunt and survive on their own without help from their mother.
According to the U.S. National Park Service, a garter snake can give birth to anywhere from 15 to 40 babies at once, meaning this lucky mom likely had more little ones waiting to be born safely in the forest.
Before leaving, Reiner encouraged the homeowners to replace their netting with wildlife-safe alternatives to prevent other animals from getting trapped.
“I felt so much joy knowing she could return to her normal life unharmed,” Reiner said. “And being there to witness her bring new life into the world — that’s something I’ll never forget.”
