The snake really needs a better publicist.
It’s easy to get a person worked up about saving cute panda bears, cheeky dolphins, or tough little butterflies, but mention snakes, and you’re more likely to see that same person reach for a heavy shovel. Yet snakes are vital predators in many ecosystems around the world, and are just as much in need of conservation as the cuddly critters.
That’s why the Center for Snake Conservation (CSC) is holding a snake count from May 12-20 this year (and again from September 15-23). The goal is to document all the species of snakes currently in the United States in a specific time window. The data collected will be used by the CSC to map the current distribution of snakes.
The site provides suggestions on what to include in your snake counting tool kit, and of course, safety tips if you live in an area where the snake population is venomous (hint: don’t try to catch them).
Photo by Trevor Cole on Unsplash
It’s the snakes fault for all the bad PR. If they would stop biting people, squeezing people, eating people, etc. maybe folks would get closer to them and love them more. But untill that happens, ecosystem or not, I’m for the shotgun approach.
most snakes only bite when either threatened or cornered. If you back off slowly the snake will not attack and remember rats are the main food for snakes.. Never try to catch a snake unless you know exactly what you are doing and never grab a snakes tail unless you know where his head is.
Count me in! My son and I have been catching snakes since he was four years old. We love cataloging species native to different regions (I’m an environmental scientist and educator) and photographing them. I get a special sense of joy when he helps me; not only are we building memories, but the inevitable onlookers present opportunities to send the message that “if my kid isn’t scared of them, you shouldn’t be, either”.
We had a fabulous day watching garter snakes a couple of weeks ago. We have a tiny pond in our backyard and it became a one-day breeding and feeding spot for a full day (much to the displeasure of our goldfish. So fascinating to watching them swim, eat and twirl around in a big ball. We were sad to see them move on.