Snakes are very useful creatures most of the time. IIRC, Florida is having some problems with some non-indigenous snakes that were apparently released there. That is not a good thing.
I’m always happy to see our garter/indigenous snakes here, because they eat slugs, leeches, lizards, ants, and rodents. They’re also the state snake of Massachusetts.
The FL issue is greatly exaggerated.
The cold winters have killed or sickened the majority of the snakes that actually were there.
Loss of habitat, toxins from farm runoff and drained wetlands providing water for massive overdevelopment is what is really killing off the indigenous wildlife but nobody is gonna stop building the swamp McMansions so something has to shoulder the blame.
What better than evil, loathsome snakes?
Even the Everglades park rangers have tried to tell people the “python threat” is not what we’re told.
Follow the agenda.
The greater problem is the monitors, iguanas and non-native birds that actually *are* taking over FL.
But they’re cute so nobody cares much.
We don’t have a state snake.
Just a “state reptile”, the Diamondback Terrapin.
What a gyp.
:-|