I often wonder why people in the states are so bothered by snakes, it's more understandable in other countries, but here, there's just not much to worry about!
It's not an inborn fear, I'm sure of it!
But they aren't cuddlely and cute...
Ever try to handle a rodent? Or a raccoon?
So cuddly and cute!
So vicious!
I promise the blood will fly!
Cats for that matter...devastate native wildlife, are armed to the 9's and not afraid to use it!
Cottonmouth are notoriously vicious!
I witnessed a caged one kill anything and everything offered and simply spit it out after the bite, it was wild caught but had been caged for months and always the same thing, he'd bite and bite and thrash and flip til the victims blood was everywhere...
Nasty! I lost some respect for them, but then I thought, stuck me in a glass box for a year, and see if I'm not a little touchy too!
Funny thing is, I stepped on a pair of young ones once at the beach, they never tryied to strike, they were both ok, I barely touched their tails with my shoe...
They, like coral snakes, are rear fanged, they often need to chew to delive a good dose to something as large as a persons foot or leg, a finger or hand is a different story, unlike coral snake, a cottonmouth can open it's mouth very wide!
The only legitimate fear I know of when it comes to snakes, is that in deserts, like the southwest, it can very cold at night, if you sleep under the stars, there's a good chance a rattler will curl up under you, and of course when you move, they spook and bite you...
Still a minor concern for most anyone reading this...unless you plan on jumping the Mexican border and takin a long stroll thru the desert...
That story about the constrictor getting the young boys sounds tragic indeed, but your more likely to die from a meteor hitting you in the head than you are to die from a snakebite, in the us...
Ive handled several constrictors that outweigh me, never once have they threated me...
My point is, as gardeners, I think we need to learn to appreiate snakes more, we are some of the few people that truely can appriciate what they do for us!
It's not much different than racism, or any prejudice!
I constantly convert kids in my neighborhood from snake haters to lovers, I hear all the time about how bad they are, but when I catch one, and show it around to the kids they are fascinated! Even the scared ones! Usually after watching me handle it for a few minutes, one will work up the nerve to touch it too, it's all downhill from there, everybody wants a turn once they realize its harmless!
I do try my best to explain not to catch wild animals and that any wild animal deserves your respect, and if not shown that respect, can defend itself!
Now when anybody spots a snake around here they call me!
Except for one guy, 6'2 and 40 years old, he woke me up with a 12 gauge blast at 8 am...said he was killing a snake!
With me head hung low, I found the remains of a 18" ribbon snake...so sad...yet he thinks I'm the bad guy for wiping out his groundhogs...that have undermined his shed to the point that it had to be torn down! Once they moved to my place...curtains!
I've yet to actually find a snake in my yard...it's always the neighbors...but the groundhogs...there's an endless stream of them, and ill take ANY non poisonous snake bite over a groundhog bite...say bye bye to your fingers or hand...
