Before you think we’ve completely lost it, please read the entire article below:
No species of native animal should be the target of extemination.
We hope that you are familiar enough with us by now, to know that we are NOT advocating the slaughter of Pandas! Virtually all people, including SnakeBuddies, love these adorable black and white puffballs. Unfortunately however, there is one animal (the snake) that constantly finds itself as the subject of this thoughtless, barbaric, and ignorant saying. The past indiscretions of mankind have proven that the blanket extermination of any native species, has a far-reaching and devastating impact on our planet.
We are not asking people to love snakes, or to even like them. However, we do want EVERYONE to appreciate the ecological importance and value of these limbless reptiles, enough to lift the death sentence that has been handed down to them from generations of fearful people who may have simply not known any better. If anything truly needs to die, it is the primitive and toxically infectious adage, “The only good snake, is a dead snake.”
Please help us promote awareness, education and the conservation of snakes, before it’s too late. It is time that people know that THE ONLY GOOD SNAKE, IS A LIVE SNAKE!
Educate. Inspire. Conserve.
SnakeBuddies
Snake Buddies
I really liked your blog.i think all the things you said were true.I hope i can see more for you
Thanks, Chase! Currently, we publish a lot more on our Facebook page SnakeBuddies and also on our YouTube account that we just set up here: YouTube Feel free to follow us on FB, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. We are also on Instagram, if you have an account. Thanks again!
Sincerely,
SnakeBuddies
you’re blog was great and good choice about wrting about snakes.I have one quistion though,have you ever toched a snake?
Thanks Caden! We are glad you like our blog. We touch HUNDREDS of snakes each year. Holding a calm, pet snake can be a lot of fun. We also touch them when collecting data for various agencies, and we often catch them in the wild, to move them off busy roads, or to photograph them. However, we never touch venomous snakes with our bare hands, and always use hooks and other tools, when dealing with any snake that could potentially harm us.
Thanks again!
SnakeBuddies
I love this post about saving snakes.I think snakes are cool looking.I seen a snake in person before but it was a poisonous one .
I believe you are correct it isn’t fair.
cool blog .snakes are cool and love snakes. they are not weird.
Hi i’m Presley I liked your blog but I hate snakes . I think that all snakes should be extinct
.I wonder if anyone that has a snake has been bitten by one . have you ever been bitten by one?
love,Presley
Presley, Thank you so much for taking a moment to comment, even if you’re not fond of snakes! We are glad you at least like the blog. Haha!
We do understand your dislike for snakes, but asure you that you and all of us would be in a very sad state without snakes. They are the best predators on earth of the animals that can cause us serious harm. Eating mice and rats not only saves our grain supply from the plague of rodents that would exist without snakes, but it also helps control our exposure to several life-threatening, rodent-born diseases like the plague and hantavirus. Rodents are also prime hosts for many disease-carrying vectors like fleas and ticks, and studies have shown for example, that incidents of humans contracting the Tick-transmitted Lyme Disease, is much lower in areas where the Timber Rattlesnake is present, to control the rodent populations. Lastly – not to beat the proverbial dead horse – we have many life-saving medications that have been derived from snake venoms, and more are being studied as you read this. Ultimately, snakes do much more good for us, than they can ever do bad. Pretty cool, huh?
As for being bitten, we don’t keep many snakes these days, but anyone who spends time with any animal, is at risk of taking the occasional bite. The answer is “yes”, we have all been bitten by snakes – both in the wild, and by pets, but none of us have ever been bitten by anything venomous, and we take great care, to ensure that we don’t put ourselves in situations where that could easily happen. The worst bite I ever got from a snake, resulted in a small scratch that caused virtually no pain. By far the worst bites I have ever gotten, where delivered by dogs, and I have the medical bills and scars to prove it. Haha! Birds, hamsters, cats and even a turtle all rank much higher on my personal experiene with bites, than snakes do.
Hope that all makes sense. Take care, and have a great day!
Snake Buddies
I disagree with your statements because I think snakes are nasty creatures and I do think that the “only good snake is a dead snake”.
Briana,
Thanks for your comment. We always appreciate the kind comments of others who agree with us, but comments of differing opinions like yours are often even more valuable. You are absolutely entitled to your opinions, and we understand how many people can think that snakes are nasty. To be honest, although we promote the conservation of all wildlife, I am not particularly fond of centitpedes, and although I am working on it, I tend to think they are more than a little creepy. However, we think it is extremely important that we all work to understand the distinct differences between our opinions or preferences, and science. I have personally been studying snakes for well over 30 years, and still learn new things about these fascinating animals.
We have differing opinions and that is fine. We think snakes are awesome, and you think they are nasty. We can simply agree to disagree on that topic, and remain friends despite our differences. However Briana, when it comes to making a statement like, “The only good snake is a dead snake.”, we are no longer talking about opinions. There is volumes of scientific data and proof to support the
fact
that snakes are extremely important to the health of our natural environment. Because of snakes, we have lots of life-saving medicines. Our grain crops like corn and wheat are not consumed or contaminated by mice and rats that would be everywhere, if we didn’t have snakes to help keep populations in balance. It is true, that some snakes have the potential to harm us, but science has proven that snakes help us much more than they will ever harm us. You are welcome to call snakes “yucky” or “gross” or “disgusting”, but we beg you to please consider the many benefits they provide us.
I know from your email address that you live in a state, where education about snakes is desperately needed. We LOVE Texas, and have many friends there, but it is very unfortunate, that to this day, Sweetwater, Texas still hosts their annual Rattlesnake Round-up. Prior to the round-up, locals and out-of-staters hike into the Western Diamondback’s native habitat, pumping gasoline into century-old den sites, and collecting entire populations of these snakes out of the wild. The gasoline fumes leave thier dens uninhabitable for years, essentially killing off all animals (rattlers and harmless animals alike) that need that den to survive the Winter. Several thousands of rattlesnakes are then taken to the round-up, where they are all killed, skinned, sold and eaten. They even milk the venom from the rattlesnakes, stating that it will be used to make antivenom or other medicine. But, if you do a little research, you will find that snake venom used for making medications must be collected in a sterile environment, or it cannnot be used. The truth, is that the venom is only collected for show, and then thrown away. Hopefully you can grasp that while this festival might generate revenue for the little town of Sweetwater, it is very, very bad for the environment.
Sorry for the long response, but thanks for being a good sport, and giving us the chance to share our perspective. Now get out there, and save all the centipedes! Somebody’s gotta do it. HAHA!
I believe that your blog is so true, many people don’t see how snake can help us out in life and don’t see what we are doing to their population. I hope that one day people across the world we’ll see that snakes lives do matter. I really like your blog everything you said is so true and I hope other people will see your blog and like it as much as I do.
Thank you so much for your awesome comment, Kati! Most people out there are either afraid of snakes, or dislike or even hate them. However, we feel very honored that we have been able to teach many people about these misunderstood creatures, and that lots of those people have grown to tolerate or even like snakes, as they have learned more about these scaley critters. There is nothing better than the feeling we get, when someone tells us they used to kill every snake they saw, but since finding our blog and facebook page, they now go out of their way to save snakes. It may feel like an uphill battle, but we can all make a difference, and with the help of people like you, more and more people will come to realize the important role that snakes play in our natural ecosystem. Share your passion with your friends and family, and you’ll be surprised by the difference you can make too! Keep being awesome, and tell your teacher at New Caney ISD that we really appreciate them for sending so many students our way! You guys are great!!!
Sincerely,
SnakeBuddies
I think your right, it isn’t fair. I am kinda into snakes,but at the same time they scare me,anyway I like your blog.
We are glad you feel that way, Carmen! We have found that most people get over their fears, as they learn more about snakes and other “scary” animals. Education is a great way to turn that fear into appreciation. You’re definitely on the right track. Thanks for your great comment, and keep it up!
Sincerely,
SnakeBuddies
I love your blog. The blog is pretty cool and there are actually good snakes like the ones that are trained but there are many more other snakes simply snakes are my favorite animal.
Love, Rosa
Hi my name is Rachel,
I have a quick question if you have been bitten by a snake and it was poisonous, What would you do?
But anyways I love that you took time to try and save snakes!! I mean I am NOT to fond of snakes but I DO care about these creatures, a lot!
Did you know that snakes help us in sertain ways, Like they help are natural ecosystem working,and people forgot about that because they are to involved in killing them rather then saving them.
I hope this reptiles (snakes) never go extent because WE NEED THEM!!!!!
sincerely,Rachel
Thanks for the comment, Rachel! If you are ever bitten by a snake that you think might be venomous, there are only 3 steps. First, remain calm. Second, call 911 or your equivalent emergency services if you are outside of the United States. And third, seek immediate medical attention. Do not cut yourself, do not try to suck out the venom, and do not apply a tourniquet. These are antiquated practices, and generally cause more harm than good. We hope that help.
Sincerely,
SnakeBuddies
People love to say “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” when talking about judging people on their looks alone, about time we started applying that to all living things.
Yes!! I completely agree! This is my new favorite saying 🙂