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Snakes Alive! Audience learns snakes aren’t really bad guys
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Erin C. Perkins
Staff Reporter
While a room full of snakes would probably frighten most people, it drew a crowd of 50 people to the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History’s Annex Thursday.
The audience of adults and children were there to learn more about snakes and other reptiles.
Herpetologist (snake specialist) Fred Boyce brought a wide selection of snakes to present at his program, “Snakes Alive,” which is aimed at clearing up misconceptions associated with reptiles.
Boyce said the idea of the program is to familiarize people with some of the snakes of this region and help them learn to enjoy and appreciate encountering a snake in the woods as much as they would any other wild creature.
“After this you should stop encountering a snake in the woods the same way you would a bear,” Boyce told the audience, some laughing, while others cringed.
Patricia Leftwich isn’t necessarily a fan of snakes, but decided to bring her three grandsons to the program for fun.
“I thought it would be interesting for them,” she said in between watching Boyce handle a copperhead on stage.
Her grandson, Tanner Leftwich, said the program was the closest he ever been to a real snake.
“I think (the program) is cool,” said the 9-year-old. “I didn’t know some snakes didn’t have venom.”
Boyce told the audience that the majority of snakes most people encounter are generally harmless and very beneficial to society—”taking care” of the mice and rats that threaten human’s food supply and health. He even allowed a smaller non-venomous snake to bite him to demonstrate it was harmless.
When he let the snake loose on stage, a few audience members close to the front of the stage squirmed as it wiggled near the edge of the platform.
Picking the snake back up, Boyce laughed.
“I let you see it bite me and you’re still scared,” he said with a smiling.
Boyce said he wants the program to help people see that snakes are peaceful, quiet animals that will tame down quickly once they understand that you mean them no harm.
“Snakes are not one bit malicious, devious or aggressive, but in reality are very shy, gentle creatures that only want to hide somewhere and stay out of our way as much as possible. They mind their own business, and a lot of people would be better off following their example,” he said. “They are not out to get us and that, as dangers go, people should worry a lot more about drunk drivers, getting struck by lightning or even being hit in the head by a falling coconut.”
Dylan Mitchell visited the program along with his cousin, Tanner, and said he’d learned to treat snakes differently.
“I learned I didn’t know as much I thought I did,” said the 9-year-old. “ One time, my brother and I killed a garden snake in our yard, we didn’t know it wasn’t a bad snake. Next time I see one, I won’t kill, I’ll probably just pick it up.”
Contact Erin C. Perkins at eperkins@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.
Staff Reporter
While a room full of snakes would probably frighten most people, it drew a crowd of 50 people to the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History’s Annex Thursday.
The audience of adults and children were there to learn more about snakes and other reptiles.
Herpetologist (snake specialist) Fred Boyce brought a wide selection of snakes to present at his program, “Snakes Alive,” which is aimed at clearing up misconceptions associated with reptiles.
Boyce said the idea of the program is to familiarize people with some of the snakes of this region and help them learn to enjoy and appreciate encountering a snake in the woods as much as they would any other wild creature.
“After this you should stop encountering a snake in the woods the same way you would a bear,” Boyce told the audience, some laughing, while others cringed.
Patricia Leftwich isn’t necessarily a fan of snakes, but decided to bring her three grandsons to the program for fun.
“I thought it would be interesting for them,” she said in between watching Boyce handle a copperhead on stage.
Her grandson, Tanner Leftwich, said the program was the closest he ever been to a real snake.
“I think (the program) is cool,” said the 9-year-old. “I didn’t know some snakes didn’t have venom.”
Boyce told the audience that the majority of snakes most people encounter are generally harmless and very beneficial to society—”taking care” of the mice and rats that threaten human’s food supply and health. He even allowed a smaller non-venomous snake to bite him to demonstrate it was harmless.
When he let the snake loose on stage, a few audience members close to the front of the stage squirmed as it wiggled near the edge of the platform.
Picking the snake back up, Boyce laughed.
“I let you see it bite me and you’re still scared,” he said with a smiling.
Boyce said he wants the program to help people see that snakes are peaceful, quiet animals that will tame down quickly once they understand that you mean them no harm.
“Snakes are not one bit malicious, devious or aggressive, but in reality are very shy, gentle creatures that only want to hide somewhere and stay out of our way as much as possible. They mind their own business, and a lot of people would be better off following their example,” he said. “They are not out to get us and that, as dangers go, people should worry a lot more about drunk drivers, getting struck by lightning or even being hit in the head by a falling coconut.”
Dylan Mitchell visited the program along with his cousin, Tanner, and said he’d learned to treat snakes differently.
“I learned I didn’t know as much I thought I did,” said the 9-year-old. “ One time, my brother and I killed a garden snake in our yard, we didn’t know it wasn’t a bad snake. Next time I see one, I won’t kill, I’ll probably just pick it up.”
Contact Erin C. Perkins at eperkins@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.
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