Viewer Discretion Strongly Advised...

There it was, a 3½ foot Gray Rat Snake eating a large Black Rat, in the middle of the day on a well-manicured lawn. And I thought this was a nice neighborhood. Oh well, snake happens.

Don't say I didn't warn you. Disgusting but kind of cool, right?

Now put down that shovel (which I believe is the snake killing weapon of choice), compose yourself, and think about this in a calm and logical manner. Is the snake eating you? No. Will the snake ever come after you? No, you are far too big to eat - no offense intended. Besides, you are the most dangerous animal on the planet. The snake wants nothing to do with you so why would you want to kill the snake?
 
Take a really good look at what the snake is eating. The Black Rat and other rodent species are abundant in most suburban areas, even in very nice neighborhoods. Kill the snake, a harmless, rodent killing machine, and you are left with, well, a lot more rats and mice. Then you have to put out poison to control the rodents. The poison-infused rodents are then eaten by your hawks and owls and now you have eliminated another group of rodent predators. Your rodent population grows even larger. You get the picture.

I may not have convinced all of you to love and appreciate snakes, but hopefully many of you will think more logically and not kill them. If you can’t bring yourself to hug a snake at least leave them alone to do their job. Nature has a way of balancing itself out if we just let it happen.