To warn about poisonous snakes or not to warn that is the question?
When I do my write ups for destinations I have visited, I always add tips, important safety information, and a soliloquy from Hamlet. Often times these safety tips revolve around the possibility of a dangerous animal encounter. Since I am frequently in the tropics or at least often in the southern United States, poisonous snakes are a theme to many of these warnings.
Invariably, someone will make a comment about the hazard. “I hate snakes,” “Soooo afraid of snakes,” or merely “yikes” are some of the common responses I get to these travel tips and warnings. This presents a predicament and makes me wonder if I should even bother including. I sometimes ponder that the travel warning is installing unnecessary fear and negating the effect of the post in regards to inspiring people to follow in my footsteps. On the other hand, to not include could be considered negligent.
The reason I feel like sometimes I am doing a disservice by mentioning snakes is the threat is way overblown and even mentioning them inflames people’s phobias and paranoia. I have been all over the globe these last couple years in some very so called snake infested areas, and I have only seen one poisonous snake in the last year and only a handful in my life.
Snakes will do their best to avoid people at all costs. Adventure travel is not like the Garden of Eden. There are no snakes to welcome, tempt, or threaten you as soon as you step in the jungle. Snakes know as a survival skill that when they encounter mankind, they are overwhelmingly the loser. Many people kill snakes on sight. It is basic snake instinct to slither away at the mere hint of human presence.
