"What's

disheartening is that most of the snakes killed by these people are essentially

harmless and pose no real threat to man," said John Jensen, a wildlife

biologist with the WRD. "Even the venomous snakes that are killed

are harmless if left alone to go about their business. Nearly 60 percent

of venomous snakebites are to a person's hands. This leads us to believe

that most people were handling or harassing the snake when bitten.

"Of the

7,000 snakebites reported each year in the U.S., which includes non-venomous

snakebites, 70 percent are determined to be avoidable ­ that is,

the snake was seen well before the bite and simply walking away would

have prevented the bite."

According to

Jensen, many of these bites are not even from wild snakes ­ rather,

captive snakes biting careless handlers.

The WRD works

with other state and local agencies to help dispel many myths about venomous

snakes and educate the public about their true benefits to the environment.

The most popular myths focus on the fatality rate of a venomous snakebite.

According to

the American Association of Poison Control Centers, which began maintaining

annual snakebite reports in 1983, an average of 5-6 people in the U.S.

die each year from snakebite; usually because the victim did not seek

treatment. The mortality rate of snakebite in Georgia, when treated with

antivenom, is less than 0.5 percent. Statistically speaking, Georgians

have a much higher chance of dying from a lightning strike than dying

from snakebite.

"Despite

the facts, many people still have an illogical fear of snakes," said

Jensen. "Movies, books and urban legends have depicted snakes as

evil and aggressive enemies. In reality, a snake's first response when

confronted by a human being is to flee the area or remain completely still

hoping the 'predator' won't detect it.

"Everyone

has heard about someone being chased by a snake; however, the research

of thousands of herpetologists across the US has proven this to be false.

Snakebites occur when a snake is frightened and forced to defend itself

rather than escape. If simply left alone, a snake will usually try to

leave the area."

Georgia is

home to 42 species of snakes, of which only six are venomous. Five of

these species are known as pit vipers (family Viperidae) and include the

Cottonmouth (water moccasin), Copperhead, Pigmy Rattlesnake, Timber Rattlesnake

(canebrake rattlesnake) and the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. The sixth

is the Eastern Coral Snake, a member of the cobra family (family Elapidae),

and is rarely seen in the wild due to its secretive nature.

Though there

is no single way to differentiate all venomous snakes from non-venomous

ones, there are guidelines that can be used to identify the six species

that occur in Georgia. Pit vipers have a large triangular-shaped head

with elliptical pupils, whereas all non-venomous snakes (and coral snakes)

have round pupils. Coral snakes can be identified by a distinctive color

pattern of red, yellow and black rings encircling the body. The narrow

yellow rings touch the red rings, a pattern distinguishing this species

from the scarlet kingsnake and the scarlet snake ­ non-venomous snakes

with similar color patterns but which always have black rings touching

red rings.

The best advice

is to learn how to identify the few venomous snakes that occur in your

area. This way you can be sure that any other snake not fitting their

descriptions is a harmless species. Keep in mind that any snake that cannot

be positively identified as harmless should not be picked up. Also, young,

immature snakes are sometimes difficult to identify and their small size

can give the false impression that they are harmless.

Of the 36 non-venomous

species found in Georgia, one, the Eastern Indigo Snake, is federally

protected by the Endangered Species Act as a threatened species. However,

all non-venomous snakes found in Georgia are locally protected from taking

harming, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing

or collecting of a species.

In the rare

event that a snake should bite you, your first action should be to try

and determine if the snake was venomous or non-venomous. If it can be

positively identified as a non-venomous snake, simply wash the area with

soap and water and treat the area as you would a cut or scrape. However,

if you cannot be sure if the snake was harmless or have identified it

as venomous, seek treatment immediately. The following is a list of what

to do and not to do if bitten by a venomous snake:

Get to the

nearest hospital or emergency medical facility immediately.

Try to stay

calm.

Try to identify

the snake if you can do so easily without putting yourself at risk or

wasting valuable time.

Remove any

constricting accessories, such as rings, watches, and bracelets from the

affected limb.

Do not

eat or drink anything, including alcoholic beverages or medicine.

Do not

run or engage in strenuous physical activity.

Do not

cut into or incise bite marks with a blade.

Do not

apply a constrictive tourniquet

Do not

use a stun gun or other electrical shock

Do not

freeze or apply extreme cold to the area of the bite.

According to

WRD, good judgment is the best action in preventing snakebite. Though

70 percent of all occurrences are determined to be avoidable, there are

occasions when a snake is not seen before snakebite occurs.

In order to

decrease this risk, WRD encourages Georgians to use caution around fallen

logs, vegetation, rocks and piles of debris, which provide shelter for

snakes and the foods they eat. Use caution when moving such materials

and avoid placing your hands and feet into areas where a snake could be

hiding. Should you encounter a venomous snake in the wild, simply move

away from the snake and select a course that bypasses the area. If necessary,

leave the area and come back later. Never try to handle a venomous snake.

Following these

guidelines will help you to enjoy the outdoors without becoming a snakebite

victim.

For more information

on venomous and non-venomous snakes in Georgia, as well as Georgia's other

nongame wildlife, contact the Nongame-Endangered Wildlife Program at 116

Rum Creek Drive, Forsyth, GA 31029.

Georgians can

support the conservation and management of snakes and other nongame wildlife

to the "Give Wildlife a Chance" State Income Tax Checkoff. Since

1997, more than 900,000 wildlife license plates have been sold in Georgia,

raising over $12 million for wildlife conservation, recreation and education

projects. The primary source of funding for the Nongame Wildlife and Natural

Heritage Section, the 1997 plate depicts a Northern bobwhite (quail) in

flight through longleaf pine habitat ­ one of Georgia's most at-risk

ecosystems.

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