Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexN
I love reptiles, and there is no greater feeling for me than releasing a snake into the wild after I've removed it from a residential area where it would have ended up being killed because people think that its ok to kill any and all snakes because they are not cute and fluffy like your dog.. They have feelings, they have personality and they are incredibly smart, not unlike a dog in many ways, yet for some reason, they are treated like the slithering spawn of the devil and its socially acceptable to kill harmless, defenseless snakes purely because you dont like them...
In some situations - Ie. Eastern Browns/Taipans/Mulga Snakes etc around children, I have no problem with them being killed.. If its a person or a snake, I choose the person. If there are no children around, there is no reason to kill a snake... Adults are (for the most part) smart enough, and aware enough to keep an eye out, and simply steer clear. If you live in the bush, or an area like mine that is frequented by snakes... Tidy up your yard so there is no places for snakes to hide, curl up in etc..
Harm minimization goes a long way people.. and prevention is better than cure... Sure, you can cure a snake situation by killing it... but you can stop them from hanging around by removing reasons for them to stay..
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Totally agree Alex, they are marvellous creatures who have got a bad press from the religious nutters out there and have had to wear it for original sin. What a load of claptrap. I worked with the snake ranger in ACT Parks and one of his pythons loved me, always came and draped herself over me when he brought her in. It was fun to see the client's faces when they came to the counter and there I was with 2.5 m of Carpet/diamond hybrid python coiled round my shoulders!
I am glad it is illegal to kill snakes but sadly most country people do it anyway. I love the fact that they live in our garden, despite their being rats in next doors banana farm we've never had one in the house, the brown snakes live in the rock wall between them and us. And we have quite a few pythons too, I've seen at least 3 individuals here.
If people can't get a snake handler immediately, well, in this type of situation, stay away from the area and keep an eye out (which sounds like what the original poster is doing.
Do snakes really like milk or it is a myth?