I will give
advice on how to kill a snake. You probably
already know - behead it with a shovel, shoot it
with a shotgun, etc. But before you do kill a
snake, I'm just going to say that in general,
it's only ignorant assholes who kill snakes.
Seriously, that's the only people who kill
snakes - uneducated idiots who have never
bothered to try to actually understand the world
they live in. Here are the two main reasons to
never kill a snake:
1 - 85%, yes 85% of all snakebites occur when
people attempt to kill or capture snakes. Just
leave them alone! They will NEVER strike out of
pointless aggression (unlike humans, who are
undeniably the world's most destructive
superpredator).
2 - The odds that you actually saw a venomous
snake are super slim. Almost all snakes killed
by people are not only harmless, but rare and
beneficial creatures that have a hard enough
time surviving as it is. Is the snake big and
fat? No? It's a slim snake? Then it's harmless!
If you don't live in
Florida, click here for the National
Directory of Wildlife Trappers servicing
98% of the USA population.
How To Kill A Snake In most
cases it is not humans that are the victims of
snakes but the other way around. Because of
misunderstandings a snake can be seen as
something dangerous when in fact they do not
represent as much danger to people as other
wildlife. Snakes can in fact be beneficial to
humans because they can keep rodent population
down and prevent other kinds of infestation on
your property. It is understandable however that
you may want to get rid of a snake that has gone
into your house or your back yard. Some people
do not like the idea of having a snake around
pets, children or even themselves and it can
become a necessity to kill the snake. In those
situations you should try to make the killing
fast to avoid risk to yourself and to do it as
humanely as possible.
Dangers You should never try to
handle a snake if you do not have any experience
with snakes. Although the number of venomous
snakes in North America is small, you may have
enough bad luck to run into one. If you do not
know how to recognize them then do not risk it.
Most people who are bitten suffer the bites
because they were trying to handle or capture a
snake. At that point the snake feels that it has
to defend itself so it will strike. Generally a
snake will rather avoid humans and escape or
hide when in our presence. Some snakes are in
rare cases confrontational and will defend what
they see as their territory. Even if a snake is
not venomous it will still be able to deliver a
painful bite if the handler does not take the
necessary precautions.
Snake Traps Snake traps are the
easiest way to kill a snake. Some of the traps
which end up always being the more effective
ones go for the head. They trap and snap the
head of the snake instantly so it is a humane
way of doing it if they work correctly.
Sometimes these traps will fail and will just
hold the snake in place which is not very
common, but it does happen. In those cases you
should try and cut the snake’s head off
yourself. Even if the snake is not moving and
you believe it to be dead you should still take
this precaution because you can never be 100
percent sure unless the head is off. Do not
release the snake before cutting off the head
because a snake, even when badly injured could
still strike. Make sure you do this especially
in the case of venomous snakes. Once you have
cut the head off then you can dispose of the
snake.
If You Have No Traps You will not always have a
snake trap handy. If you are camping for example
you will not have much more than what you can
find in nature. In those cases if you need to
kill a snake you have to be a lot more careful
and creative. You will need a Y shaped branch
that will not break and that is small enough to
trap the snake’s head. The moment you try to
trap the head that is when you are most at risk
because a snake that has noticed you will be
weary of you and will try to defend itself. Once
you have the head use a blunt object and hit the
head of the snake. One blow should do it, but
don’t take chances and cut the head if possible.
You can go for the head with the blunt object
without trapping it, but you will have to make
sure you hit it on the first try. If you do this
make sure that the thing you hit the snake with
is long enough to give you some distance. Some
snakes can dart a few feet to strike. Remember
in most cases it is unnecessary to kill a snake,
but if you have to do it, be extremely careful.
My information page about
The
Venomous Snakes of Florida - with many
photographs and info.
Read my article about
How
to Identify Snakes - is the snake you saw
dangerous or safe?
Here's my article about
Snake
Bite First Aid Treatment - how to tell if
it was venomous, how to treat.
Here's my advice about
How
to Kill Snakes - practical advice to best
protect you.
How do snakes kill
their prey?
Do snakes jump?
Do snakes always
inject venom when they bite?
How do snakes
sleep?
How do snakes eat?
Do snakes feed
their young babies?
Do snakes eat birds?
Do snakes drink
water?
Do snakes dig holes?
How do snakes
communicate?
Common snakes of
South Carolina
Do snakes climb
trees?
Do snakes chase
you?
Do snakes blink?
What attracts
snakes?
How to get rid of
snakes in the attic
