In Los Angeles, the small rodents and other animals that form the bulk of the rattlesnake diet are leaving the hills for well-watered suburban areas. The snakes are following them, The New York Times reports.

That means booming business for snake wranglers, people who offer to remove inconvenient snakes for a fee. Jason McElroy, owner of Southern California Snake Removal, reports he is getting an average of nine calls a day, up from two in wetter weather.

McElroy and other snake wranglers like snakes and believe they are doing them a good turn by removing them from a setting where they are likely to encounter lethal force.

"We remove them, release them and give them another chance to go on with their lives," he told the Times.