If you encounter a snake and aren’t fans of them it can be a very unpleasant experience. I’ve known a few grown men who would literally faint at the site of the tiniest snake. That’s an extreme example, but if you’re afraid of snakes it might not seem like such a stretch of the imagination. But what should a person who is afraid of snakes do when they come across one?

Remain rational

If you have a run in with a snake and you aren’t fond of them the best thing you can do is to remember a few things.

• You’re likely 10 to 50 times larger than the snake. As scared as you might be it is about 1,000 times more scared
• If you kick at the snake or try to stomp it expect that it will hiss and bite
• One or two steps away from the snake will easily put you out of it’s striking range in almost all cases. Most snakes have a maximum strike range of 1/3 to 1/2 their body length.

Don’t panic

When you see a snake don’t panic. If you’re not sure what kind it is or are scared by it there’s only one thing you need to do to ensure your safety. Take one to two steps back from it. One step will put you out of striking range and the second will allow the snake some room so it isn’t feeling cornered.

Many people will start dancing around and kicking at the snake. Then they wonder why the snake starts hissing and striking at them. Well, if you had a creature about 50x your size trying to trample and kick you there’s a pretty good chance you’d hiss and bite too.

Leave it alone

The best thing you can do is to leave the snake alone. Back away and leave. It will go about its business and you can go about yours. No snake has ever hunted anyone down so leaving it in peace isn’t going to result in you being stalked by a crazy reptile.

You might be thinking to yourself that all of this is easier said than done, but consider this man from south Africa, Gordon Parratt, who on a a recent road trip had an unwanted guest. It seems Mr. Parrat and his wife were joined for the journey by a spitting cobra. Had either of them paniced the outcome could have been tragic, but they were rational, didn’t panic, and left the snake alone until they could actually do something about it. The next time you encounter a snake remember Mr. Parrat and his wife.

Related posts:

1. The media is your snake’s worst enemy

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