Ben's Birthday Invasive Species Hunt

Whoever said that birthdays are just another day, obviously never spent time with CCSP. We like to recognize birthdays as a day to celebrate as a community. Just four days into the semester, Ben (Messiah, ‘13) found himself no longer a teenager.

After finding out about his fascination with snakes, especially the hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos), we set out to capture New Zealand’s only hognose snake (which conveniently left clues for us to find it in our compost pile).

We didn’t go untrained however. Groups were first assigned to construct a destructive invasive species of the New Zealand forest and then “hunt” them off the clothesline. Everything from a feral pig made of a bucket and beach ball, to a deer with soccer cleats for teeth were eventually “harvested.” Caitlin (Bethel, ‘12) tried to hide her identity or perhaps just got a little too into the hunt by sporting a thick black beard. When all was said and done, no actual animals were harmed during the birthday celebration.