Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> Note: On "Venom ER" last week it was stated "The MOST common
> time for a person to be bit by a poisonous snake is when they are trying
> to kill it."  So just leave them alone.  Snakes don't understand revenge
> anyway.  They're brains are pretty primitive.  Show some respect for the
> natural world dude.  The attitude of "I AM HUMAN AND I MUST EITHER BE IN
> CONTROL OF NATURE OR KILL IT" is so yesterday.
That isn't why I kill snakes, Tracy.  I kill them because they are a
danger to my livestock.  It is a matter of good horse husbandry to reduce
the snake population in the area where my mares and foals live.  I do the
same thing to the mice and the pack rats that get into the tack room.  It
isn't about revenge--it is about taking care of my own.

I don't go hunting for snakes--they are welcome to frequent any turf that
is not mine.  I don't hate snakes.  But I DO care about my critters, and
will continue to "remove" snakes from their environment in the same manner
that I also try to remove such things as rusty nails in boards, moldy
feed, and anything else that may harm them.  I also have been known to use
insect repellant and other evil means to protect my critters.

BTW, the most common time to be bitten around here is when snakes are both
mating and molting in the late summer.  When you find one and back away
from it, you get bitten by its mate, who is not only close by but is
overreactive because the loose skin over the eyes and "pit" has hindered
the sensitivity of those sense organs.

I don't expect the snake to "understand" why I kill it, nor do I do so as
an act of revenge--that's a whole lot of heavy anthropomorphizing that
just doesn't have any place in the equation of simply keeping my area safe
for myself, my family, and my critters.

Heidi


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REAL endurance is taking your non-horsey family to a ridecamp with you!
~ Heidi Sowards

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