ignorance- a beautiful cornsnake dies

[Lycanthrope]

i was on lunch today when a girl i work with walks in, hands me a bag, and says "a customer wants you to identify a snake." so i think, oh cool a snake. to my anger and astonishment, i open the bag to see one of the most beautiful wild cornsnakes ive ever seen, about 3 foot, with its head severed and its body bashed in overkill. sooo, i got up and stomped out to the ignorant redneck that brought the snake in. heres how it went: me-"you bring the snake in?" ignorant redneck -" yeah, what the hell is it?" me- "well sir it was just a harmless cornsnake, couldnt have hurt you if it wanted to." him-" heheh yeah thats what i figured." me-" then why did you kill it?" him-" just in case it was poisonous." me-" even if it were poisonous you had no place killing it, snakes dont go out hunting people. if it were poisonous you probably wouldnt have been bitten anyway, save it getting one in on you as you killed it. you are an ignorant redneck sir. please leave, and dont bring anymore dead snakes in this store." i had so much more to say, but what i did say could cost me my job so i clammed up. anyway just thought id rant, i hate ignorant people who feel more like a man for killing "evil snakes".

 

[Bry]

I'm sorry to hear that, Lycanthrope. People can be such idiots. I recently came back from a camping/herping trip in southern GA and northern FL. There was a beautiful 5' Canebrake rattlesnake about as big around as a 1 liter pop bottle that had been decapitated, and its rattle chopped off. Very sad sight to see. We even took a picture of it to show the extent some people will go to, and it's somewhat graphic.

Bry

 

[Phillip]

That sucks...

I only wish I could say I hadn't seen that before but sadly it happens all too often. I still remember last year while cruising the road for snakes turning around to stop and get a great looking rat snake off the road only to have some guy slow down to a crawl look out the window and deliberately get the tire right on it just as I jumped out to try and snatch it. He then looks at me grins and says I got him. Sadly you just can't save them all. I have managed to educate quite a few folks through the years about snakes being a valuable resource and to leave them be and they wont harm you but the ones like that guy still stick in my mind.

Phil

 

[Lycanthrope]

I recently came back from a camping/herping trip in southern GA and northern FL. There was a beautiful 5' Canebrake rattlesnake about as big around as a 1 liter pop bottle that had been decapitated, and its rattle chopped off.

that just bothers the crap out of me. you know as well as i do, some days you can spend 8 hours straight romping through the woods, just hoping for the chance to see and interact with some wild herps, and find nothing at all. this jackass stumbles upon a gorgeous animal on accident, bashes it to death and decapitates it. i dunno maybe im just a fanatic but it makes me sick. it just seems like such gross ignorance.

 

[Bry]

Yeah it is just gross ignorance. What's even worse is the guy at your job went out of his way to kill a perfectly harmless corn snake. We also found a beautiful DOR (Dead On Road) melanistic Southern hognose snake on the side of the road. Someone had to nearly drive themselves into a ditch just to run over this snake. Some people are such idiots.

Bry