CBC (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) 18 August 06 Snakes on the plains need respect, group says
A group of animal educators is travelling through the Prairie provinces trying to spread the message that snakes and other reptiles should be respected, not killed.
While movies like Snakes on a Plane are portraying the slithering creatures as a danger to life and limb, Jeff Hathaway and Crystal Roberston are doing their best to counter snake-phobia.
They're with an Ontario-based group called Reptiles at Risk and were crossing Saskatchewan and Manitoba this week with a collection of snakes and turtles in tow.
Hathaway said he wants the public to realize that reptile populations are in decline and that many snakes are endangered.
A large part of the problem is habitat loss. Accidental road kills also contribute to many reptile deaths.
On the other hand, people's feelings about reptiles are also a factor, he said.
"We've talked to a lot of people who assume that all snakes are dangerous and if they see a snake it's going to do something bad to them," Hathaway said.
"They think killing them is the best way to go. They don't realize the benefits snakes have to the environment."
But some people in Saskatchewan, such as farmers, appreciate the importance of snakes when it comes to controlling rats and other vermin, he said.
After stops in Regina, Estevan and Weyburn Wednesday and Thursday, Reptiles at Risk took their road show Friday to Manitoba.
"We don't want people to love them and cuddle them … just have some respect for them like you would for other animals," Roberston said.
Snakes on the plains need respect, group says