Why is it that some people lose control and go berserk at the sight of a harmless snake?" /> Why is it that some people lose control and go berserk at the sight of a harmless snake?" />

CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 02/21/02

SNAKE! So What's Your Point?

By Mike Isbell
Georgia Extension Service

Volume XXVII
Number 1
Page 24

Why is it that some people lose control and go berserk at the sight of a harmless snake?

A good friend of mine discovered one on her front porch as she and her three children were going inside. The funny part was that all the other doors were locked and there was no way in except through the front door.

So what does she do? Well, instead of simply taking a stick and guiding the snake off the porch (I can all but assure you it was more than willing to leave), she locks her screaming kids in a van, runs a good 200 yards to a neighbor's house, comes back with her gun-wielding neighbor who kills the harmless snake.

My wife is just like her. I found a king snake crossing my yard when the girls were little. It was lost and just happened to be wandering around trying to figure out which way it should be going.

I caught it and showed it to my daughter (she was 4 at the time). I let her pet it and then turned it loose. After all, it was harmless. Well, my wife didn't like it one bit, what with letting her daughter touch that vicious serpent.

Which just brings me to my point: the fear of snakes is a learned thing. Kids learn to be afraid of snakes from their parents. The more you learn about snakes, the less there is to fear.

Snakes go wherever there is a suitable habitat and adequate food. Most people don't have suitable habitat and food in their yards to attract snakes, so they don't need anything to keep them away. As it is most of the time, the snakes just happen to visit your yard by accident.

But if you're worried about snakes, among things that will help keep them away are keeping the grass cut close and moving the rock garden, compost heap and woodpile.

If you do these kinds of things, you lower the odds of finding a snake in the yard. But there are no guarantees.

Sometimes a venomous snake comes into an area and presents a danger to people. It may need to be killed. Of the 39 species of snakes in Georgia, though, only six are venomous.

Most of the time, it's just a harmless snake -- and I might add, a beneficial one that, if you learn to identify and leave it alone, would happily move on its way to wherever it was going to start with.

A few years ago, my daughter Jordan, who was 9 at the time, found another king snake in our front yard. It was about 3 feet long. Again, I caught it and after handling it for a few minutes gave it to Jordan, who proudly and without fear carried it coiled around her arm to show her friends. I went into the house.

About 45 minutes later I heard all this screaming coming from outside. I ran outside and found out that the snake had bitten Jordan on the arm and she'd thrown it down.

Her friends were the ones doing all the screaming. Jordan quickly asked me to catch the snake again, which I did, and we walked back to the house.

On the way, our conversation went like this:

"Jordan, did the snakebite hurt?"

"Nah."

"Well, if it didn't hurt, why did you throw it down?"

"Daddy, I'm just a little kid. What do you think a little kid would do?"

The next day she proudly carried the snake to school and showed it to five classes. Jordan's not afraid of snakes, because she's learned not to be.

Mike Isbell is the Heard County extension coordinator with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Mike Isbell
A new UGA study found that children improved their diet quality when they ate school-prepared lunches. CAES News
UGA study shows all students benefit from healthy school lunches 04/24/24 Erica P. Techo
School lunches have come a long way from square pizza and fish sticks, and students across the board are benefiting from improved nutritional standards in the cafeteria. A new study from the University of Georgia found that children from all walks of life improved their diet quality when they ate school-prepared lunches following the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act nutritional guidelines instead of home-prepared lunches.
Jeffrey Dean (center), assistant provost and campus director for UGA-Griffin, with 2024 Classified Employee Award recipients Daniel Nordstrom (left) and Kenny Corley. (Photos by Ashley Biles) CAES News
Corley, Nordstrom named UGA-Griffin 2024 Classified Employees of the Year 04/23/24 Ashley N Biles
The University of Georgia Griffin campus recently named Kenny Corley and Daniel Nordstrom the 2024 Classified Employees of the Year. The designation was made at the 35th annual Employee Recognition Ceremony held April 3. The Employee of the Year award is presented to classified personnel who have made a significant impact on programs at UGA-Griffin through superior job knowledge and performance, work attitude, initiative, dependability and time management.
A Master Gardener with UGA Extension teaches a class at the GROWL Fulton County Demonstration and Teaching Garden. (Submitted photo) CAES News
Volunteers uplift statewide UGA Extension outreach programs 04/22/24 Sheri Dorn, Keri Gandy Hobbs
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension depends on thousands of volunteers who give generously to extend program impact and reach in support Extension missions. During Volunteer Appreciation Week April 21-28, UGA Extension celebrates the many volunteers who donate their time to facilitate 4-H, Master Gardener and Family and Consumer Sciences programming. Volunteers across Extension contributed over 324,200 hours in 2023, the equivalent of more than 155 full-time employees.
uga commencement CAES News
CAES to celebrate new graduates during May 9 convocation 04/18/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
As another academic year draws to a close, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is gearing up for its Athens campus convocation ceremony, which will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, at The Classic Center in Athens. “Each year, it’s an honor to celebrate the success of our CAES graduates,” said CAES Dean and Director Nick T. Place. “It’s amazing what these students accomplish during their time with us, and I’m always excited to commemorate this next step in their lives as they continue on to either further studies or the start of their careers.”
A student harvests red clover at UGArden. CAES News
UGA horticulture class shows students the science behind herbal remedies 04/16/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
The field of medicine is ever-changing, and the use of herbal medicines may play a bigger role in health care as the value of natural remedies gain recognition in the Western world. Students at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are delving into the field of medicinal remedies through the class “Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants.” Offered to undergraduate students through the Department of Horticulture, the class helps students develop a deeper understanding of the connection between nature and health.
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms CAES News
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms 04/15/24 David Mitchell
During the pandemic, labor problems became acute on many farms in Georgia and across the country. Farms once staffed by humans to bring produce from the field to stores for purchase were suddenly short-staffed, and the global supply chain was severely impacted. Working with UGA’s Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center and A&M Farms in Lyons, Georgia, a team of researchers led by School of Computing Professor Prashant Doshi is designing collaborative robots to mitigate some of these potential challenges.