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  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran Daigga's Avatar
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    Can't stand this

    Bit of a rant ahead, but I honestly don't even know what to say to people around here anymore.

    While relaxing at home today after a long day of taking care of the baby and mentally preparing myself to work tomorrow, I check Facebook only to find a picture of a very dead (and grossly mutilated) texas rat snake on a local for sale group asking for an ID on the snake. There were a few comments of "rat snake" and/or "good job". For someone like me who loves animals, seeing pictures and comments like these are a punch in the gut to say the least. Sadly, it's not even the first dead snake I've seen or heard of this week...

    I live in a part of Texas where anything that isn't a cat, dog, or domesticated livestock is viewed as a pest and better off dead. Snakes, opossums, racoons, armadillos, bobcats, hogs and whatever else may wander through are frequently killed and bragged over, and you just can't tell people that those animals are around for a reason. Every week my nephew comes to my parents house, gun in hand, and goes off to the creek with his dad to shoot at the snakes there (cottonmouths, rat snakes, and bullsnakes, mostly), and if I try to explain why they shouldn't I get laughed at and called some rather unfair names.

    How do you convince people that these are living, ecologically important animals that feel what you do when you saw off their heads or crush their bodies? How do you reverse the mindset everyone around me seems stuck in where "the only good snake is a dead snake"? What do you say? What should I say? Can you even change people's minds when it comes to these terrible situations? I've gotten so discouraged lately that I end up saying nothing, but I just don't even low what to do anymore...

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  3. #2
    BPnet Veteran piedlover79's Avatar
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    It took a LOT of work (about a year's worth) but I finally got my neighbor (who is also a coworker) to stop killing the snakes on his property simply by continuing to share my enthusiasm for all things reptile and showing him pics of my eggs and baby snakes. The more I taught him about snakes and how to identify the ones in his yard the more interested he became. He *just* came to me last week and announced that I would be proud of him because he let a snake live on his property to which I told him that I was not just proud but over joyed. Most of what was motivating him to kill snake was fear of the unknown.

    ...but changing the views of everyone in Texas....that's a harder task.

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  5. #3
    BPnet Senior Member jmcrook's Avatar
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    Re: Can't stand this

    I feel ya. I was on a float trip a couple months ago and from my canoe saw a couple people trying to stone a snake to death because, as I overheard, "a snake bit my dog once!" So now for that person every snake that crosses his path must die because his dog was bit once. Some people can't have their minds changes because they simply are not interested in changing. Ignorant to say the least. Totally understand your dilemma about whether or not to say anything. Most of the time, in my case anyway, it just results in me being angry and frustrated and the other party not having listened at all and getting a kick out of my frustration.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  7. #4
    BPnet Lifer redshepherd's Avatar
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    Some people can change with education and appealing to their emotions/sympathy with stories of pet snakes, hatching eggs, etc... Some people just refuse to believe a word. It's frustrating.

    I didn't actually realize how afraid society STILL was of snakes, and how misunderstood they still are, until I got my first albino ball python. A few months after I got him, I made a thread very similar to this one.

    I've concluded that snakes as a whole are the single most misunderstood animals in the animal kingdom. I can't think of another animal where the truth about them is such a vast difference from the myths/what people genuinely believe. That even when provided with facts, they refuse to believe them and just think I'm/we're crazy. All we can try to do is continue to educate, especially those closest to us, and appeal to emotion. I've found that what helps the most is actually letting them hold a baby ball python in their hands (once they're willing to, of course).
    Last edited by redshepherd; 09-21-2016 at 09:04 PM.




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  9. #5
    BPnet Veteran piedlover79's Avatar
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    The best place to start would probably be educating children and getting them excited about snakes. I bring in my snake sheds and give them to coworkers with kids so they can take them to school. I washed out my most recent ball python eggs and my friend's son did a presentation in class on them that the teacher said everyone really loved. I have actually been thinking of seeing if any schools would be interested in a live snake demonstration.

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  11. #6
    Registered User anthroterra's Avatar
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    Re: Can't stand this

    I've actually begun seeing fewer of the folks on my Facebook feed killing snakes after 4-5 years of my talking about snakes in a positive light and commenting. I encourage people to text or message me if they need an ID, and answer immediately every time. It's saved several "copperheads" that were actually just garters or eastern milks. My comments tend to be about how much problem mice can be, how black snakes will actually eat copperheads rather than breed with them, etc rather than berating the killer. I don't try to force the truly phobic into anything, but the haters are finally coming around! I even had one friend, who has sent more than one pic of a dead snake to me, come over this summer and hold my young corn snakes. She is now a snake advocate
    Leilani- corn snake (butter tesserra)
    Keahi- corn snake (sunglow motley)
    Pololena- ball python (banana)
    Ichtaka- ball python (mystic potion)
    Wonambi- Brazilian rainbow boa (normal)

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  13. #7
    BPnet Lifer wolfy-hound's Avatar
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    Definitely approach them in a positive manner.

    They do not value snakes, so make them value live snakes. Tell them the snake will eat venomous species, for all the kingsnakes and such that do that. Give the numbers for rodents eaten by cornsnakes, and then the amount of spoilage that would be caused by those rodents if they weren't eaten by snakes. Remind them that wild rats carry diseases and destroy the plumbing and electrical in homes.

    You can't make some just love snakes by telling them YOU love snakes. You have to show them, you have to involve them, you have to make live snakes valuable.

    Showing photos of the eggs and later the hatchlings really does affect how someone thinks of a snake in abstract. I have a photo of a mom with the new hatchlings emerging from the eggs, in her coils. It's very easy to think "Omg, look at the mommy cuddling her little babies!" and that means the person is viewing the snake in a positive light. Show them candled eggs and then later the hatching eggs. Involve them in the process. It's not a usual thing to see, so they will perhaps become excited and even talk to other people about how this person they know is hatching real live snake eggs. This makes them think of the snakes as "cool and unusual" instead of scary.

    Don't preach at people, they won't listen. Don't accuse them or call them cruel, they will close off and dismiss all your facts and figures.
    Theresa Baker
    No Legs and More
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    "Stop being a wimpy monkey,; bare some teeth, steal some food and fling poo with the alphas. "

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  15. #8
    Registered User KWAddict's Avatar
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    I know this is an old post but I wanted to comment on it.

    My wife and I just moved to Texas from the northeast around two years ago. It is UNREAL how little value people here place on the life of anything that isn't human. One of the most offensive statements we hear (in our opinion) is "Oh it's JUST a (insert animal here)". Yeah, and you're JUST a human. We all live, breathe, and bleed. We hear that statement FAR too often here. People here even treat their dogs like disposable items. It's sickening, really.

    Our dogs are our lives. I just recently got into this hobby and I fully intend to treat my snake(s) (as well as any other future reptiles) as family, just as I do our dogs. The snakes' wants and needs may be different from the dogs so the amount of time spent with them will be very different. I will love them all the same though. A good friend of mine's wife once said "They're just dogs. I don't see why you care so much." and we haven't spoken to them since, haha. Well he was a good friend, I suppose. He's more disposable to me than my animals though. To hell with that attitude.

    With that being said, I am part of a Facebook group called "What kind of snake is this? Central Texas". This group has helped educate MANY. There are people posting every single day about their fear of snakes disappearing and they enjoy seeing them now. People will comment within seconds to post an ID and state whether or not the snake is venomous. If it is in fact venomous, there are MANY people on the group that will offer to come relocate the snake for free rather than it die! I know there is a Central Texas and a North Texas group. I would assume there are others for other parts of Texas but it really is a great group. It has also basically become a game for me. I never comment with an ID at the moment because false IDs are what get people hurt. Most everyone on the page is aware of that and unless they are 110% sure, they wait for someone who has a sure, positive ID before they discuss what they thought it was.

    P.S. Dallas is only around 3 hours from me. I use to haul there quite a bit with the last company I drove for. There is an expo next weekend in Conroe. Not sure if it is too far for you or if you're working or not. The world is round though, maybe I'll see you around sometime! Until then!
    Last edited by KWAddict; 04-22-2017 at 03:33 AM.
    1.1 Ball Python
    5.1 Canines (All rescues - mixed breeds)

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