illegal to kill snakes? (how much, house, live)

[Fubarbundy]

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord G-d made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

The purple tinted mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.

The tall trees in the forest,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
To gather every day.

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is G-d almighty,
Who has made all things well.


So, to answer your question, no, but the karmic implications (imo) are deeply troublesome.

(Probably not what you wanted to hear, sorry!)

[1973PINTO]

Originally Posted by Gilah G.

I see a stick at the bottom of the pic too
Hoss!!!

i helped him to the side of the hiway .. i dont kill things ...

[cwkimbro]

I am not with the OP.

After growing up here I have run into a few snakes.

I have never been bitten or snapped out or threatened. I always stayed well away, but they have always stayed well away from us.

What I have noticed is snakes have never really taken residence anywhere near us, rather they seem too scared. I have heard the are sensitive to vibrations in the ground from us moving around. In all cases I ran into a snake, I never saw that snake again and I can only assume they decided they had wondered too close to us and decided to go back to the woods they came from.

The one exception is on the back of our house is a moist area that attracts lots of snails. On a few seasons we have had a family of snail eating snacks take residence in an undisturbed area on the side of the house. While this might sound scary to some, it isn't. They are the smallest things ever and completely harmless. I actually find them fascinating to watch. The only thing it caused me to do was learn how to tell the difference between them and a baby copper head... just in case.

In short... I agree that one shouldn't rush to grab a shovel. Give the snake a chance to retreat. That is likely what it will already do when left alone.

[bryantm3]

you are far more likely to die from driving a car or regular cigarette smoking. seriously, if we choose to live in a forest (which is what everything outside of the city core is), we're going to have to put up with the wildlife that is much less dangerous than what we destroy ourselves with everyday.

and rakes are your friend. pick the snake up and move him somewhere else.

[AfternoonCoffee]

^^ Yeah, yeah, yeah...but copperheads are scary!!! Especially if you have pets or young children!

[Mezter]

OMG, is this normal in Atlanta?

Don't kill them though, guys. The poor things aren't trying to get in your way. I'm sure they're just as afraid of you as you are of it.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by Mezter

OMG, is this normal in Atlanta?

Don't kill them though, guys. The poor things aren't trying to get in your way. I'm sure they're just as afraid of you as you are of it.

Normal in the sense it has happened a few times in my lifetime that I have seen a snake. One time I believed it was a copperhead. I have also come across snakes while kayaking and hiking. In those cases I saw them from a distance.

We are in humid, subtropical wooded area. Many people have homes that back up to woods and there are tons of meandering creeks in the area. Snakes are native to the area. They generally stay away from developed areas, but sometimes make appearances.

It probably happens more often for those in the region that are in a more exurban area next to lots of undeveloped woods adjacent to a creek/river.

I've also never known anyone that got bit.

[ElleKaye]

Originally Posted by Mezter

OMG, is this normal in Atlanta?

Don't kill them though, guys. The poor things aren't trying to get in your way. I'm sure they're just as afraid of you as you are of it.

Look, I may not be a member of PETA, but I'm still all for humane treatment of animals. Still, I am telling you that when confronted with a threat, you want it eradicated by any means necessary. I would not say snakes are common in Atlanta proper; the more likely issue would be rats. Much of the metro is outside of the the city proper so yeah, you're going to run into some wildlife. I have a co-worker who lives in Woodstock who gets bears in the backyard. I have no idea what do to about that, but it's something I could not live with. If there a snake crawling around my house, it has to go. It's just that simple.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by ElleKaye

Look, I may not be a member of PETA, but I'm still all for humane treatment of animals. Still, I am telling you that when confronted with a threat, you want it eradicated by any means necessary. I would not say snakes are common in Atlanta proper; the more likely issue would be rats. Much of the metro is outside of the the city proper so yeah, you're going to run into some wildlife. I have a co-worker who lives in Woodstock who gets bears in the backyard. I have no idea what do to about that, but it's something I could not live with. If there a snake crawling around my house, it has to go. It's just that simple.

yeah; get a rake and carry the thing outside. there's no reason to kill it.

[arleigh]

Animals fallow food, if you are wise you learn how to use nature against it's self naturally.
Snakes as well as many other animals feed on mice ,
Mice feed on grains and insects,
If you improve the bird population, the grains and insects diminish leaving less for the mice and rats, which leaves less for snakes and other critters. ( I use bird feeders mice can't get to, and provide bird houses as well.)
Larger predators are attracted by smells and movement, and people that feed their animals (dogs) out side often attract this attention.
If you garden , a green house is best to reduce the attraction , if your do mulch ,be diligent about burying it and mixing it into the soil and keeping it covered. add worms to it to accelerate breaking it down.
The chickens in my yard ate all the ground cover and they scratch the daylights out of the soil looking for food .I've trained my dogs not to bother them ,but this means the bird think the dogs are afraid in which case they get aggressive with the dogs from time to time but after a while my large dog won't take the nonsense and chase them back just to remind them she is not afraid of them, other wise the chickens are like velociraptors .
I have also trained the birds to eat mice ,which is important so that un eaten food is untouched by any thing that doesn't belong in there.
The only problems I have now are birds of prey and Bob cats .
That is a love hate situation you have to accept being in a rural environment.
I try to keep my presents known well enough that these predators only rarely give me trouble.
It's cost me several birds but I'm fortunate ,my neighbors lost all their birds due to these predators.
A chicken thief is one thing, but often all cats and all K9 will kill for sport ,not just one, but the whole group, heard flock, and if you don't govern this , it gets out off hand right away.
Some snakes are aggressive like the Mojave green ( rattler) and will chase you down . All creatures have a will and exercise that will all the time depending on the moment ,just like you and I, only they have no moral code . they have fear or aggression or the struggle to survive.
I have dealt with many rattler in my time , most presented a threat and had to be dealt with permanently, others encountered in the bush could be left alone, or moved to a safer location from camp .
Never think to befriend a carnivore ,especially if you are in fear , they are quite accustomed to their prey acting that way.