06-11-2008, 04:11 PM
[cool][#0000ff]You are right. You should never kill a snake...just because it is a snake. If it is taking up residence in a yard or area where pets and small children are at risk of being bitten, you should call animal control to come remove it...not kill it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]During the years we lived in Arizona, we hiked hundreds of square miles of desert habitat and we saw bajillions of snakes...both harmless and venomous. Almost without exception, the snakes made an effort to get away from us as soon as they knew we were near. Never had even the slightest inkling of aggression. In fact, we had times when we would walk by a rock or bush, with a rattler hiding under it, and when we looked back and saw that we could have been bitten, it was scary. But, unless you really get in their face or get them hot and bothered, it is rare for them to bite.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The newspapers in Arizona always warned people in the early spring to watch out for snakes that were migrating after coming out of their dens. The snakes were just moving to summer feeding or mating areas and seldom were a danger. But, there are always the wackos and macho types that have to show off to their buddies..."Here, hold my beer and watch this.". Almost always the cases of reported snake bite were because of some yoyo handling a snake when he should not have been doing so. True, there are bites recorded every year to careless hikers who step on snakes or suddenly appear and frighten them. They are just using their only defense mechanism and often do not have time to rattle...to warn the bitee.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In many areas, the farmers and other residents welcome the presence of ALL snakes. They do a great job of rodent control. And, some snakes seem to come to recognize the human residents of their domain and are very complacent about people coming close to look at them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Still, there are folks like TubeBabe. She is definitely not a "snake hugger". To the contrary, she has a highly developed "snake radar" and a "snake siren". Whenever we are hiking and I hear her hit "high Z" (musical note) I don't ask "What is it". I ask "Where is it". A harmless little blue racer once came across the water and thought she might be a friendly island in her float tube. Poor little thing couldn't understand all the screaming and the flailing of the water with the landing net. It is good that she saw the snake before it crawled up over her in the tube. She would have launched like a Polaris missile from a submarine.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]During the years we lived in Arizona, we hiked hundreds of square miles of desert habitat and we saw bajillions of snakes...both harmless and venomous. Almost without exception, the snakes made an effort to get away from us as soon as they knew we were near. Never had even the slightest inkling of aggression. In fact, we had times when we would walk by a rock or bush, with a rattler hiding under it, and when we looked back and saw that we could have been bitten, it was scary. But, unless you really get in their face or get them hot and bothered, it is rare for them to bite.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The newspapers in Arizona always warned people in the early spring to watch out for snakes that were migrating after coming out of their dens. The snakes were just moving to summer feeding or mating areas and seldom were a danger. But, there are always the wackos and macho types that have to show off to their buddies..."Here, hold my beer and watch this.". Almost always the cases of reported snake bite were because of some yoyo handling a snake when he should not have been doing so. True, there are bites recorded every year to careless hikers who step on snakes or suddenly appear and frighten them. They are just using their only defense mechanism and often do not have time to rattle...to warn the bitee.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]In many areas, the farmers and other residents welcome the presence of ALL snakes. They do a great job of rodent control. And, some snakes seem to come to recognize the human residents of their domain and are very complacent about people coming close to look at them.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Still, there are folks like TubeBabe. She is definitely not a "snake hugger". To the contrary, she has a highly developed "snake radar" and a "snake siren". Whenever we are hiking and I hear her hit "high Z" (musical note) I don't ask "What is it". I ask "Where is it". A harmless little blue racer once came across the water and thought she might be a friendly island in her float tube. Poor little thing couldn't understand all the screaming and the flailing of the water with the landing net. It is good that she saw the snake before it crawled up over her in the tube. She would have launched like a Polaris missile from a submarine.[/#0000ff]
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