Wednesday, June 4, 2003
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Wednesday, June 4, 2003 |
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The best snake is a live snake Now that spring is upon us, Georgians can expect to see more and more snakes on the move as they begin to come out of their winter dormancy to sun in the warmer weather. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resource Division would like to remind Georgians that the best snake is a live snake. According to the WRD, the vast majority of snakes found in backyards and the surrounding habitat are beneficial and worthy of protection and respect including the venomous snakes. Every year thousands of snakes are hacked at by gardeners, run over with cars, or shot by people who have a deep-rooted sense of fear of snakes. "What's disheartening is that most of the snakes killed by these people are essentially harmless and pose no real threat to man," said John Jensen, a wildlife biologist with the WRD. "Even the venomous snakes that are killed are harmless if left alone to go about their business. Nearly 60 percent of venomous snakebites are to a person's hands. This leads us to believe that most people were handling or harassing the snake when bitten. "Of the 7,000 snakebites reported each year in the U.S., which includes non-venomous snakebites, 70 percent are determined to be avoidable that is, the snake was seen well before the bite and simply walking away would have prevented the bite." According to Jensen, many of these bites are not even from wild snakes rather, captive snakes biting careless handlers. The WRD works with other state and local agencies to help dispel many myths about venomous snakes and educate the public about their true benefits to the environment. The most popular myths focus on the fatality rate of a venomous snakebite. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, which began maintaining annual snakebite reports in 1983, an average of 5-6 people in the U.S. die each year from snakebite; usually because the victim did not seek treatment. The mortality rate of snakebite in Georgia, when treated with antivenom, is less than 0.5 percent. Statistically speaking, Georgians have a much higher chance of dying from a lightning strike than dying from snakebite. "Despite the facts, many people still have an illogical fear of snakes," said Jensen. "Movies, books and urban legends have depicted snakes as evil and aggressive enemies. In reality, a snake's first response when confronted by a human being is to flee the area or remain completely still hoping the 'predator' won't detect it. "Everyone has heard about someone being chased by a snake; however, the research of thousands of herpetologists across the US has proven this to be false. Snakebites occur when a snake is frightened and forced to defend itself rather than escape. If simply left alone, a snake will usually try to leave the area." Georgia is home to 42 species of snakes, of which only six are venomous. Five of these species are known as pit vipers (family Viperidae) and include the Cottonmouth (water moccasin), Copperhead, Pigmy Rattlesnake, Timber Rattlesnake (canebrake rattlesnake) and the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. The sixth is the Eastern Coral Snake, a member of the cobra family (family Elapidae), and is rarely seen in the wild due to its secretive nature. Though there is no single way to differentiate all venomous snakes from non-venomous ones, there are guidelines that can be used to identify the six species that occur in Georgia. Pit vipers have a large triangular-shaped head with elliptical pupils, whereas all non-venomous snakes (and coral snakes) have round pupils. Coral snakes can be identified by a distinctive color pattern of red, yellow and black rings encircling the body. The narrow yellow rings touch the red rings, a pattern distinguishing this species from the scarlet kingsnake and the scarlet snake non-venomous snakes with similar color patterns but which always have black rings touching red rings. The best advice is to learn how to identify the few venomous snakes that occur in your area. This way you can be sure that any other snake not fitting their descriptions is a harmless species. Keep in mind that any snake that cannot be positively identified as harmless should not be picked up. Also, young, immature snakes are sometimes difficult to identify and their small size can give the false impression that they are harmless. Of the 36 non-venomous species found in Georgia, one, the Eastern Indigo Snake, is federally protected by the Endangered Species Act as a threatened species. However, all non-venomous snakes found in Georgia are locally protected from taking by Georgia's nongame laws. Taking is defined by Georgia law as the harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing or collecting of a species. In the rare event that a snake should bite you, your first action should be to try and determine if the snake was venomous or non-venomous. If it can be positively identified as a non-venomous snake, simply wash the area with soap and water and treat the area as you would a cut or scrape. However, if you cannot be sure if the snake was harmless or have identified it as venomous, seek treatment immediately. The following is a list of what to do and not to do if bitten by a venomous snake: Get to the nearest hospital or emergency medical facility immediately. Try to stay calm. Try to identify the snake if you can do so easily without putting yourself at risk or wasting valuable time. Remove any constricting accessories, such as rings, watches, and bracelets from the affected limb. Do not eat or drink anything, including alcoholic beverages or medicine. Do not run or engage in strenuous physical activity. Do not cut into or incise bite marks with a blade. Do not apply a constrictive tourniquet Do not use a stun gun or other electrical shock Do not freeze or apply extreme cold to the area of the bite. According to WRD, good judgment is the best action in preventing snakebite. Though 70 percent of all occurrences are determined to be avoidable, there are occasions when a snake is not seen before snakebite occurs. In order to decrease this risk, WRD encourages Georgians to use caution around fallen logs, vegetation, rocks and piles of debris, which provide shelter for snakes and the foods they eat. Use caution when moving such materials and avoid placing your hands and feet into areas where a snake could be hiding. Should you encounter a venomous snake in the wild, simply move away from the snake and select a course that bypasses the area. If necessary, leave the area and come back later. Never try to handle a venomous snake. Following these guidelines will help you to enjoy the outdoors without becoming a snakebite victim. For more information on venomous and non-venomous snakes in Georgia, as well as Georgia's other nongame wildlife, contact the Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program at 116 Rum Creek Drive, Forsyth, GA 31029. Georgians can support the conservation and management of snakes and other nongame wildlife by purchasing a wildlife license plate for their vehicles, or by donating to the "Give Wildlife a Chance" State Income Tax Checkoff. Since 1997, more than 900,000 wildlife license plates have been sold in Georgia, raising over $12 million for wildlife conservation, recreation and education projects. The primary source of funding for the Nongame Wildlife and Natural Heritage Section, the 1997 plate depicts a Northern bobwhite (quail) in flight through longleaf pine habitat one of Georgia's most at-risk ecosystems.
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