St. Patrick’s Day has changed substantially over the years since its founding in the 1600s. Stemming from traditions heavily rooted in religion, St. Patrick’s Day originated on March 17th to celebrate St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland and Engineers, who was renowned for spreading Christianity throughout Ireland and whose legend has become deeply intertwined with Irish culture over time.
Today, St. Patrick’s Day is recognized worldwide and considered to be as much of a cultural celebration as a religious feast, with music, green attire, and parades as core elements of celebrations. According to historical records, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was celebrated in what is now St. Augustine, Florida, on March 17, 1601, predating the founding of the United States.
St. Patrick Drove Snakes Out of Ireland: Truth or Myth?
Irish folklore recounts the myth of St. Patrick ridding Ireland of snakes. Legend has it that he stood atop an Irish hillside and banished snakes from Ireland, forcing all snakes to slither away into the sea. Research suggests, however, that snakes never occupied the Emerald Isle in the first place; no signs of snakes appear in the country’s fossil records. Further, water has surrounded Ireland since the last glacial period. Before that, the region was covered in ice and would have been too cold for the reptiles to survive. Even when snakes were brought via ships to Ireland in the eighth century, they could not survive the cold and damp weather. Today, there are still no snakes native to Ireland living there in the wild.
The snake eradication part of St. Patrick’s Day folklore fed off existing religious connotations and symbolism around snakes, including the biblical story of Adam and Eve and the “evil” serpent. Snakes have largely been villainized since some of the earliest folklore through the popular portrayal of them as evil creatures that symbolize deception, temptation, and sin. While the human fear of snakes and other venomous, potentially dangerous wild animals is an innate, instinctual feeling for many people based on survival and the logical avoidance of potential threats, the frequent depiction of them as animals with conscious, evil tendencies paints them in an inaccurate, unfair, and unrealistically dark manner.
No Animal Is Innately “Evil”
Similar to how many stories also villainize wolves, coyotes, spiders, rats, and cats as nefarious characters, the “evil” depiction of snakes has led to an increased level of resentment towards these animals and an enhanced desire to eradicate them from all aspects of life (even from their rightful, natural habitats), despite them rarely being aggressive towards humans in the wild. This trend has shifted the mentality of peaceful coexistence with these animals to more active “population management” strategies, where snakes and other animals are often killed as part of lethal “pest” control in instances of spatial overlap between humans and snakes.
Prevailing negative beliefs around wolves have led to them being portrayed as villains in popular culture, including in stories like ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf,’ ‘Little Red Riding Hood,’ and ‘The Three Little Pigs,’ contributing to the negative perception of them and their near complete eradication from the country based on widespread, manufactured fear in the early 1900s. Similarly, global data indicates that several species of snakes are experiencing rapid population decline around the world from persecution as “pests” in addition to other major factors like habitat loss and climate change. Among these declining species are timber rattlesnakes; venomous pit vipers that are native to eastern North America. Timber rattlesnakes are classified as Endangered in seven U.S. states and Threatened in five.
Events like the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, the world’s largest “rattlesnake roundup” killing contest, directly contribute to rattlesnake population declines. As part of this four-day event, thousands of animals are tortured and killed in front of paying audiences. Dozens of similar thrill kill-style competitions take place each year across the U.S. with the goal of killing as many animal “pests” as possible, making monitoring the continued decline of these species almost impossible. The long-term effects on ecosystems without the presence of these important animals remains mostly unknown.
Peacefully Coexisting with Snakes Is Possible
When we label an animal as a “pest,” “nuisance,” or even “evil,” we simultaneously declare that they have no value not only to us but to the world. If we continue to think of humans as dominating the environment, we will always find “pests,” animals that “intrude,” and that we must eliminate.
Join us in accepting that humans’ control over ecosystems should not be absolute, and that we must accept and make space for the animals that were here long before us. It is not the animals themselves, but rather the conflicts that arise from our overlap of resources and land that cause humans to have issues with and thus perceive them as “pests.”
With 150 species of snakes in the U.S. and 30 of them being venomous, coexisting peacefully with snakes can seem daunting. Lucky for you, Born Free USA’s snake coexistence guide has many conflict-prevention tips, information about how to stay safe when hiking, and what to do if you encounter a snake in the wild. Click here to learn more.
And, please sign our petition to urge Junior Chamber International Leadership to end the cruel Rattlesnake Roundup.
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Devan
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