Endangered Rattlesnakes

The Western Prairie Rattler is one of only two types of rattlesnakes currently considered endangered. The other is the masaqua, smaller snake. This means it is against the law to kill a either of the twoi species unless the snake is actually attacking an individual. In other words, if you see one in the back yard where your kids play regularly, you cannot kill it unless it is actually attacking. The law apparently considers the snake more endangered than your kids playing and sharing space with one of the pesky varmints in the backyard. That is plain bovine effluvia. While one should not traipse in the woods to kill where there are no humans in peril there is a definite danger of one in the back yard whether or not it is attacking at the time. I suppose one could go over and provoke the snake to coil and threaten to invoke its natural form of protection, but that is not a wise move. In some such cases the snake has been known to win. One of the most erroneous and dangerous misconceptions about rattlesnakes is that they always give audible warning before striking. If that was true, rattlesnakes would starve to death, since most animals that make up the diet for the snakes have an inherent knowledge of the danger involved when they hear a rattler shaking its tail. Often when the snake gets around to rattling, the damage has been done. Law or no law, if there is a rattlesnake in my yard, attacking or not, it is not only endangered but dead...Beauregard Daily News