Saturday, March 17, 2012

Why we Shouldn't Litter

Few things in this World get me as riled as littering. Not only is it unsightly, but it often has detrimental consequences on wildlife. Tonight my daughter was coming in the backdoor and yelled for me to "come quick!" I hurried to see what the problem was and she had found a black snake with a piece of plastic PVC pipe wrapped around its midsection. There as no possible way this snake would have survived had my daughter not found it and we had not been given the opportunity to rescue it.


I picked the snake up and immediately it musked and bit me. Which is exactly the type of behavior one can expect from a snake that has been snatched up by a giant. You can see the blood on my finger. It is nothing more than a superficial scratch.


The snake is probably 3 to 4 years of age and measures nearly 2 feet in length. The piece of pipe had grown into its skin and my fear was that it was so embedded that we would not be able to remove it without causing further damage.


We decided to try and saw the pipe off. My husband helped me, and it took about 20 minutes to finally free the snake of its PVC entrapment. I need you to understand something too, my husband does not like snakes and I really think he secretly fears them. He bucked up and helped me save this snake when he saw the condition it was in and how important it was to me. He really came through for me and for this snake in need.  The wound that was exposed did not look too severe so I made the decision to release it in a safe place in the yard.

I hope this snake heals and goes on to lead a productive snakey life. 
 

Littering is an ongoing problem faced by wildlife on a daily basis. We as humans often discard our trash without a second thought. We wrongly assume that someone else will take care of it. We throw trash out of our car windows, simply because we don't want our cars littered with trash. For some reason we prefer it laying along the highways, roadways, walking trails and other natural areas. Why can we not take the trash home with us and dispose of it properly? Why can we not pull into the nearest gas station and dispose of it in the trash bin? Do we really need to throw it out for all the World to see? I don't know about you but there is nothing I hate worse than hiking a beautiful trail, only to have it disturbed by fast food packages, pop or beer cans, bottles, plastic bags, etc. 

There are many stories that abound of animals that have been in similar situations including the one here Common Snapper trapped by six pack ring 


In Missouri we have an ambassador of trash by the name of Peanut. Peanut's story can be read here Peanut the Turtle



If you plan to be outside this spring, summer and fall, if you pack it in, please remember to pack it out. Our wildlife will thank you.

7 comments:

  1. That is one lucky snake! If it had turned up at any other back door, it may not have had the same fate. Good for you

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    1. Thanks Bonnie, I just hope the little guy makes it

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  2. I've been cutting up those plastic bottle holders for years Shelly, ever since I saw a story about a duck with one on its neck.takes a couple extra minutes but I know I'm doing good. Great post! You did good and your hubby did good too!

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    1. It only takes seconds to dispose of our trash properly, if people would just take the time to do it. I find laziness to be a pitiful excuse. Our planet and the creatures living on it depend on us to make the right choices. Th

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  3. You are such a huge service to wildlife, not just for the critters you rescue, but for the education you offer others on how to be good stewards of the planet. Thank you!

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    1. Joe thanks for your kind words. I am truly blessed to be able in life to do what I love. I always feel privileged to be given the opportunity to help in these small ways. A few years ago we came across a snake that was wrapped up in the netting that farmers use to wrap their large bales of hay in. The netting was embedded and it took us awhile to get it out. It lived though, after turning it loose I saw it a year later in the yard complete with scars, but completely healed. That is the best feeling in the world

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  4. I'm just shocked about how careless people can be. I trek the deserts of AZ and I'll often pick up garbage that's either been left behind or blown in from the local neighborhoods. Thanks for providing such an informative blog.

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