Why Conserve a Venomous Snake?
The eastern massasauga is a small venomous rattlesnake found in the northeastern United States. Populations of this snake have declined so much that it is now necessary to work to conserve it or it could go extinct in the future. To some people, conservation of a venomous snake may seem a waste of money, stupid, and even negligent. That view is somewhat unique to our culture. Other cultures do not hold such a dark view of snakes. For example, in India, a country where thousands die from snake bite each year, they hold an annual festival to honor the snake because it eats mice and rats that eat their crops. Australian aborigines eat snakes and believe that life on earth began with the rainbow snake. Many Native Americans thought of snakes as sacred and would ask the animal to protect them. The eastern massasauga is a natural part of our environment that has evolved over millennia. Yes, people and animals can be hurt by massasauga, but people and animals can be hurt and killed by many th
