World Snake Day 2022
A disturbing event from years ago runs through my thoughts on occasion. I was at the River Walk off of Williams Street where I once frequently trotted about for exercise when I encountered a long time friend and we laughed and joked around for about an hour.When we were headed out my friend encountered a green snake on the wooden walk way and he smashed it to bits.
I'm afraid that I was a little chapped over this incident and I explained to my friend, who by the way was a fellow of outstanding character, that we were in it's habitat and the animal — which wasn't even venomous — should have been left to it's own devices and not killed like the menace it was not.
Anyway, he accepted my criticism and we moved on because like I said, he was a fine fellow and one transgression shouldn't be a deal breaker between old friends such as we were.
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So now we have one of those days I'd just as soon avoid. World Snake Day happens July 16 and provides a vehicle to celebrate snakes and raise awareness regarding preserving them as species of wildlife.
Over the years I have learned peaceful coexistence. Whereas in a less evolved period in my life I might seek to simply kill a snake because it was there, now I let them go their way and I simply go mine.
So many of us have negative attitudes regarding these reptiles and this may be the biggest contraindication for the preservation of snakes because they often impede efforts to address threats to snakes which largely seek only to cohabitate in safety.
I find the notion of killing an animal just because of some ill conceived notion rather unevolved in humanity. In my latter days I have noticed that snakes really don't seek to harm you just because you're there. They just want to get along and make their way as we do.