Why Are We Killing Our Wildlife?

Friday, July 18, 2008 · Filed under Environment · Tagged copperheads, Green snake, northern water snakes, rat snakes, reptiles, timber rattlers, venomous

And Now For Something Completely Different….

This poor green snake was photographed dead in the road. We need to protect our snakes because reptiles as this one eat insects and spiders. Larger snakes in our area such as rat snakes and northern water snakes eat mice and rats.

The bad snakes in Middle Tennessee, otherwise known as copperheads and timber rattlesnakes, are venomous. These snakes are rarely seen in the wild, as they are reclusive and avoid heavily populated areas. My husband and I herp* for snakes a lot and have never found a venomous reptile in this area. Our rattlers and copperheads are important to our ecosystem and should be left alone. Fortunately, all snakes in Tennessee are protected wildlife. It’s illegal to kill or capture a wild snake. Unfortunately, we don’t know who killed this specimen. I would have loved to observe it alive. All snakes are welcome in my yard.

To destroy our wildlife is as bad as littering to me.

*To herp: to observe reptiles and amphibians in their natural habitat.

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