Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just wanted to share my disgust concerning an item on my local news. Hearing the word "snake" while surfing kingsnake.com, I looked to the T.V. to see an old woman chasing and hitting (with a big stick) a beautiful six feet long black ratsnake. Fortunately she didn't kill it, but who knows what damage she did by whacking it repeatedly. Evidently a "professional" was called to remove the snake, it's final fate unknown. I'm just thinking that someone that old should be mature enough to respect nature!

That is sad!! Years ago my mom tried to stop this guy from stoning a california king. We were on a day trip to the lake. We brought the snake home but he died...the guy hit it pretty hard on the neck and made quite a hole.

She told him that these guys were harmless and known for feasting on rattlesnakes, which keeps the dangerous snakes somewhat controlled but I doubt he listened. Some people are so stuck on the idea that snakes are "evil," that I doubt it will change any time soon. It's all the bible's fault. LOL! (it's a joke guys...come on. <G>

I think it's not so much the bible's fault as it is our ignorance and obvious lack of knowledge that causes man to do the stupid things we do. I know you were joking, but in all serious, if you see someone killing such a beatiful creature, and they say it's because God curses the serpent (we are not even sure that means "snake". There is a different word in hebrew that means "snake", you might want to point this out to them:
1. Yes, God does curse the serpent in Genesis, but...
2. God also curses man and woman! So...
3. If someone thinks it's okay to kill a snake based on their misinterpretation of scripture, then they might as well say it's okay to beat our wives!!!
The Reality is:
God called us to love, serve, respect, and protect our wives, even though we and the women are cursed. Based on that, my logic tells me to love, serve, respect, and protect the snake.
You also could point out that no biblical scholars (including the ones that hate snakes) have ever found scripture that demands extermination of any reptile species, and if God wanted snakes exterminated, he would have said so. There are even parts of the old testament that ask man specifically to refrain from killing or eating certain reptiles (some sand gecko species and stuff).

I'd so love a good scholarly bible discussion but it may be too off topic and "provoking" for this forum.

I agree, a Biblical scholarly discussion would be fun...would you take an objective, neutral position or choose a point from which to debate?

Neutral, of course. I don't claim any religion as my own, nor am I stubborn in any opinions about them when it concerns snakes. I love religions though...I think they're great! If I buy another book, I'm going to have to get a new bookshelf! LOL!

I think rebutting the bible-twister's reasoning is perfectly fitting for any forum of people who would like for others to refrain from killing any snake on sight. We have "dominion" over all the creatures of the earth, and to me, that means caretaker, not judge and jury of what lives and dies.

Me too! Thanks.

I completely agree!

I apologize if I put this in the wrong spot. I'm just getting used to doing forum chat.

I have often asked myself what's up with people too, like today I almost ran over a dog. The kids who owned it just sat there and watched. Didn't call it. Didn't act concerned at all. After giving them my 2 cents, and making sure they put the dog in their yard, I left.

Ok, so this is about snakes. So here goes. There was this old man that had jumped outta his car in front of my house to throw rocks at a bull snake that was in the middle of the street. Once I figured out what was going on I told the old geezer to quit and rescued the poor thing. I didn't have snakes at the time so I put it by my barn. He was really beat up and dazzed, and I was afraid he wouldn't make it. I checked on him from time to time till he finally regained his wits and left. For the next 6 years I would occassionally find a shed skin laying around and hoped it was his. Then one day I found a snake carcus under my Arizona Cyprus. I had a feeling it was him and was sad and yet I felt honored that he had chosen to stick around for so many years.

Thanks for letting me share.
MissHisssss

Isn't God's nature awesome? Even in death it provides wonderment.

that we moved into the snakes yard not the snake moved into ours. Snakes and creatures can only move out of areas and survive so much. Evidently, this TV station thinks that snakes are bad since that is the type story it runs. Write the TV station and tell them you don't agree with their obvious position of snakes being bad. I don't know if a person who is afraid of snakes ever really thinks they are O.K. Farmers used to kill off snakes whenever they saw them in alot of areas of the country. With education and some adjustment on their part, they have learned to at least tolerate them and not kill them off. There are several phone numbers listed for the Bakersfield, CA area where I live for people to call to get a snake or animal removed from their property. I know it disgusts you to see a film clip on the TV showing a snake being beaten. The TV station should use this as NOT being the thing to do as opposed to looking like it favors it.

Contacting the T.V. station is a great idea...I'll ask them to be more responsible in their reporting (politely of course). Thanks!

I have saved countless snakes (even some copperheads and rattlers) on job sites when folks tried to kill them. I am known among many Mexican sheetrock and landscape guys as "the snake man." It has been, in my experience, particularly among the Hispanics, that they circle and bash to death even garters, ringnecks and Dekay's.
But I have told non-truths. I have passed on the falsehood that most seem to believe, that blacksnakes (Blk rats) seek out venomous snakes like a heat-seeking missile and kill and eat them, even knowing better. But if it saves a few snakes, it's worth it.