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When I lived in Texas a Diamondback took up residency in my chicken coop. Stayed for about a year. Never hurt any chickens but kept the rat and mouse population at zero.
Never once did it act aggressive. It usually stayed behind the feed box. We sort of had a relationship of mutual respect and nobody got hurt
Now thats the kind of story I like to hear. Thanks for sharing.
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.
Snakes kill more people than any other animal (not including disease carrying insects).....
In India alone they kill 30,000 people EVERY year.
I don't hate Snakes and I don't necessarily hate them here in America but if I lived in India or Sri Lanka I would be pretty damn scared of them...
I think generally speaking...Venomous snakes in the US are not particularly aggressive....in other parts of the world where they have coexisted with Humans for thousands of years in close settings they are much more aggressive and defensive around people...
Also most people who get killed by snakes in poor countries like India get killed because they accidentally step on them in them while working in the fields or they get bitten when they move around in their sleep and the snake is crawling on them (looking for lizards and other prey items in the huts that people live in)....So in those cases it's not the persons "fault" that they got bitten....It is an unavoidable accident or just bad luck....
I think that Venomous snakes in Asia/Africa are much more aggressive than snakes in American/Australia....Ask any keeper and he will tell you the same thing....They have lived with Humans for thousands of years and are more on alert around humans than in OZ or America....They seem to be less afraid of humans aswell....Most of the Australian snakes that I have seen avoid humans at all costs....Not the same thing for Snakes from the larger continents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJmmadude
Sadly, I think that it's the fault of myths and misconceptions passed along from generation to generation. I love snakes and take time to observe them in the field and photograph them whenever possible. They are beautiful, amazing, and fascinating creatures that play a key role in an ecosystem and are extremely beneficial to humans, both economically and directly, by keeping rodent populations in check (the same rodents that destroy crops and carry debilitating diseases such as Lyme).
That would depend on where you live....Ask that question in India and you might get a much less positive opinion about snakes being that they kill 20,000-40,000 people EACH year....
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJmmadude
I think that, in general, as people become less aware of their connection with the ecosystems that provide their food, they also gain more of an apathy and even disdain for creatures that they see as 'lower forms of life' (of which there is no such thing).
Yes there are....You think highly evolved intelligent mammals like Humans and Dolphins are on the same playing field and are as important to the ecosystem as worthless pests such as Ticks and Mosquitoes???
I personally don't mind snakes, but that's because I live in a safe 1st world nation where the chance of me getting bit are near 0....If I lived in a poor 3rd world farming society I would probably think differently of them...
Last edited by NY to Chicago; 03-18-2015 at 03:13 PM..
Snakes kill more people than any other animal (not including disease carrying insects).....
In India alone they kill 30,000 people EVERY year.
I don't hate Snakes and I don't necessarily hate them here in America but if I lived in India or Sri Lanka I would be pretty damn scared of them...
I think generally speaking...Venomous snakes in the US are not particularly aggressive....in other parts of the world where they have coexisted with Humans for thousands of years in close settings they are much more aggressive and defensive around people...
Those deaths are the results of bad treatment, or lack thereof. Anti-venom isnt available as much as it should be, and many remote villages simply dont have access to good medical care, hence the high death rates. Add into the equation overpopulation in India that encroaches on the snakes' territory, and youre bound to have issues.
Those deaths are the results of bad treatment, or lack thereof. Anti-venom isnt available as much as it should be, and many remote villages simply dont have access to good medical care, hence the high death rates. Add into the equation overpopulation in India that encroaches on the snakes' territory, and youre bound to have issues.
Anti Venom is not always effective for some types of snake venom especially if administered late (in fact with some Snakes that have 100% Neurotoxic venom like Kraits it's better to just put the victim on a ventillator until the venom wears off since the venom kills by paralyzing the diaphragm, but with an assisted breathing machine the victim can often survive without any anti venom)....Many Snakes of the same species often have variations in there venom....so Russell Viper Anti venom in East India may not work that well on Russell Viper bite victims in West India etc...Venom varies within the same snake species across different areas..
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIG CATS
Add into the equation overpopulation in India that encroaches on the snakes' territory, and youre bound to have issues.
I would say it's the otherway around...The increase of Human settlements and societies being more geared to agriculture has helped Snakes (increase in Rodent population).....This increase in Rodent.small prey item population has both humans and snakes living close together in the same environment and in large numbers....Snakes and Humans do not coexist well in many areas..
The fear of snakes is absolutely NOT illogical in many parts of the world....It's as logical as not walking through Compton at 2 in the morning with your wallet in your hand...
Just my own observations,
People fear that which they do not understand.
This fear is an unpleasant emotion and what we find unpleasant we counter with hate
This is total nonsense.....Fear is often very logical and may even save your life in many instances....Would you buy a home in a bad ghetto neighborhood because "fear is an unpleasant emotion"....No you would use your brain and look to buy a house in a safer neighborhood.
People fear snakes because they have always posed a threat/danger to Human life....More so in past decades when agricultural societies were far more common and before anti-venom was developed, but even in 2015 they still pose a CONSIDERABLE danger in certain areas around the world....Absolutely no two ways around it.
I'm a "snake-hater". Sorry. I can respect that they're beautiful, sometimes, and they're an interesting species. But I just have a repulsion for them, and I don't know where it comes from. Even when the animal defenders brought in snakes to our first grade classroom, and everyone had to reach out and pet them... I couldn't bring myself to do it. I suppose it's a kind of a phobia, but one that I'm not necessarily averse to having. When we lived in FL, it was unnerving to see news stories about snakes crawling through toilet pipes, and I couldn't enjoy walking around nature without imagining a snake under every bush and in every vine. I know it's not perfectly logical, as I pretty much grew up in the woods of New England (which also has snakes) but in FL I just felt like they were everywhere - whether they were or not. And when we lived in CO, I was genuinely perturbed by the signs of "don't step off the path - rattlesnakes live here!" right by the playground my toddlers were playing at. A bear and a wolf might be just as if not more dangerous, but I don't think I'd accidentally step on a bear. (Wander into his path, maybe, but not step on!)
I've always liked snakes but I think it's because they've been fairly common where we have lived. We grew up around a lot of timber rattlesnakes, we would become mostly aware of them when we would go "boulder rolling" while hiking and hearing them down the hill or cliff as the vibrations of the boulders would disturb them. And we would see them often out on the family farm in Nebraska, mostly harmless species. I remember once though walking with my brother and uncle out in a plowed field and noticed my brother stepping just inches from a resting rattlesnake in the shade of the plow- I pointed him out a bit dramatically and my Uncle immediately killed him with a shovel and I was a bit bummed for the poor snake who didn't even move.
I would often catch gopher, king and garter snakes as a kid and handle them for a while before releasing them, my mom, a Wyoming farm girl from way back was always completely chill with them as well. I think most of the fear is pretty irrational although i would want to remove dangerous species out of my yard for safety of pets and children. They are otherwise vital in a balanced environment.
Just last year while on a walk on a busy road near a canyon I discovered a 6' gopher snake on a busy road and fearing for its safety I managed to grab it behind and the head and had to hold it high above my head (I'm 6'-2) while moving it to the side of the road just as my neighbor drove by in a convertible- he just gaped at the sight of me walking across the road with this huge writhing snake haha!
I'm not a big fan of snakes as pets and think it rather odd, or as just a fashion accessory for otherwise insecure folks to portray themselves as more interesting than they actually are. You always see these shirtless guys on the boardwalk at the beach around here with their boas and pythons trying to impress girls, it is so trite as to be eye rolling.
This is total nonsense.....Fear is often very logical and may even save your life in many instances....Would you buy a home in a bad ghetto neighborhood because "fear is an unpleasant emotion"....No you would use your brain and look to buy a house in a safer neighborhood.
People fear snakes because they have always posed a threat/danger to Human life....More so in past decades when agricultural societies were far more common and before anti-venom was developed, but even in 2015 they still pose a CONSIDERABLE danger in certain areas around the world....Absolutely no two ways around it.
The more you know about something, the greater becomes your abiity to avoid that which may harm you, or the method of controlling what may harm you, thereby eliminating any fear of it.
Using your example, I know there are portions of some cites I would have a very short life epectency. I do not fear those areas, because I know enough to keep out of them.
Now if I did not know how to keep myself out of those areas and had to live in one. I would be in fear. But I have the knowledge to avoid them, thereby eliminating the need for fear.
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