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Fair points, but I felt that your post came off as a bit condescending.
I don't disagree entirely with what you wrote, and yes, I was addressing the irrational fear of snakes that I have personally observed living in North America. Your points are good if looking at it on a worldwide scale. However, you mentioned (twice) disease harboring insects. I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment about ticks and mosquitoes, but you bolded my points that were supportive of your argument and ignored the points that I made about the benefits of snakes to humans, including the fact that snakes keep the number of rodents down, the same rodents that destroy crops and harbor the diseases that are passed along to humans through insects.
I'm well aware that there are large numbers of aggressive and venomous snakes in India and Africa, and that they are a legitimate concern. I am empathetic to those people and understand their fear and apprehension of snakes and even their wishes to get rid of them. I don't, however, empathize with the common generalizations that all snakes are bad, nor do I agree with people damning the entire order to hell and running them over and cutting their heads off because they are incapable of looking past the fact that they are not cute and furry or that they can't snuggle with them on the couch and watch TV.
Hope this clarifies.
Yeah sorry about that....I didn't mean to come off so abrasive/rude....My apolgogies
Snakes are fascinating and I did study snake venom for a bit so I have some knowledge on the different types and whatnot.....I would absolutely not want to live/work near highly venomous snakes through.....They are fascinating, but I know what their venom can do and it would freak me out to much...even through I know that venomous snakes only attack humans defensively....They usually only attack when a human is intentionally provoking them, when a human accidentally steps on them, or in the case of Kraits when they enter Human dwellings in search of lizards and other small prey and bite while the people are sleeping (the person moves around in their sleep and the Krait freaks out and bites)
There are many measures that can be taken that can reduce/eliminate snake bites even in 3rd world countries and I think most of that falls on the people who live in those areas (don't walk through fields without shoes....elevate your bed/mattress several feet off the ground so Kraits can not climb onto you at night etc)....but it's a complicated issue to be sure.....
I agree on the rest....No doubt snakes play a very important role in pest/disease reduction and in the food chain in general...
Being a lover of snakes, I just cant see why people have so much hatred towards these amazing animals. Is it ignorance? I find snakes to be one of the most forgiving animals in the entire animal kingdom. By that I mean they usually flee, and give ample warning that theyre upset, well before they bite. And even then their bites are mild, and even venomous snakes hesitate to inject venom (aka a "dry bite").
If you despise snakes, can I ask why it is that you do? I often find that those who educate themselves about snakes usually end up developing a soft spot for snakes. I would encourage you to do the same.
I don't despise snakes. However, they are not cuddly and they do not interest me as a companion animal.
For some, the Genesis story and the connection of the snake to Satan may be a reason.
For me, my problem is snake owners. People who take joy in seeing a baby mouse trying helplessly to escape it's predator, frighten me.
Creepy hobby. I saw this once as a child - the older brother of a friend called my us to watch. It was horrid
I should also say that I think Australian venomous snakes are extremely overrated and almost never bite/kill people...I think that Aussies love to hype them up in a nationalistic way (like Americans do with our military)....If I had to pick I would say that Asia/Africa has the most deadly snakes in the world by a long shot...
And he could easily have killed the snake. But they agreed on a mutual nonaggression policy.
Which works so long as caution is used , and always remember...he's IS a snake. I don't make such treaties with rattlers, because my dogs would not honor it. They are part of my chain of command, So they get a say.. Its not like they would yty and kill a snake, but my one dog is very old and could blunder into it and my Corgi...well..he's a Corgi. Nuff said.
Non venomous varieties are always welcome. Bull snakes make up the biggest share of those herebouts. I'm actually surprised that the posters chickens didn't have that snake for lunch. I've seen chickens tear lots of snakes to pieces. They are pretty vicious birds. I have both non aggression and peace treaties with my local fauna. Non venomous snakes and lizards fall under alliance. Spiders, except Black Widows, outside the house are under non aggression. However, if they fl prey to the lizards, (shrug).
I don't know. Probably because they bite people and inject venom into people.
However, cats and dogs are both known to bite and the bite of either can and often does cause life threatening infections.
Here in the US about 12 people a year die from snake bites. I have not found any statistics on deaths from cat bites/scratches except that in the USA about 24,000 people per year contract cat scratch fever, which is potentially fatal.
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Part 1 of 10: Overview
Overview
Cat scratch fever–also called cat scratch disease, or CSD–is a bacterial infection. The disease gets its name because people contract it from cats that are infected with Bartonella henselae bacteria, one of the most common bacteria in the world. According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, about 24,000 people get cat scratch fever in the United States each year.
The only venomous snake in Scotland is the European adder. They rarely bite and, even when they do, their bites are rarely fatal.
Have you ever seen an adder?
dont want to... ever
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