Sydney Sylvain Dubey

In Australia, venomous snakes are everywhere and killing them is quite common. One professor is attempting to change that mentality explaining how they can actually benefit the farmers who kill them.

New research by myself and colleagues estimated the magnitude of that benefit. We found adult eastern brown snakes can collectively remove thousands of mice per square kilometre of farmland each year, which substantially increases farm productivity.
Our study suggests the benefits of snake populations on agricultural land far outweigh the potential costs, and farmers should tolerate rather than kill them.
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Agricultural productivity gains are not the only benefits of tolerating brown snakes on farmland.

It would also allow a reduction in the use of chemical methods for rodent control, which can be expensive and ineffective. The chemicals can also threaten the health of humans, livestock, scavenging wildlife and pets.

Tolerating brown snakes might also reduce the incidence of snake bite. Most snake bites are inflicted when people are trying to catch or kill the reptile.

Its a pretty refreshing article that attempts to change the minds of people on venomous animals. Here's to hoping he changes a mind or two. To read the full article and attached study, click here.