Handling Hot Snakes

This is a topic that generally produces some intense debate among herpers.  Before you read on, click on that word that just made you think, "WHAT???"  These are people that are passionate about reptiles and some of the nicest folks you'll come across.  Venomous snakes tend to be some of the more esteemed finds for us and some of us like to handle them and others are totally against it.  There are basically two sides.  One side says why take the unnecessary risk and the other says it's a lot of fun and not that hard to get away with. 

For me personally, I don't really think it's fair to catch a venomous snake just for the rush and it is quite a rush!  I'm not really into bothering critters when it's not necessary.  On the other hand if a hot snake is sitting in the road and won't budge when I try to chase it away I may do some quick handling.  Also, when I'm filming I might come across a venomous snake that won't sit still so showing the world this snake and promoting its well being to the world I would consider justifiable handling.  However, I would never want to encourage anyone else to do the same and this is where I find myself in a gray area, where I'm unsure of the ethics.  Actions speak louder than words and no matter how loud I say, "Don't do this!" It will look fun to someone and they'll want to try it. 

So ideally when I highlight a venomous species I will try my best to find it in a place where it is still and I can get in the frame with it and tell you about what a cool snake it is and that we shouldn't kill it.  We are responsible for how we treat and manage our earth so I want to be a good example of that.

This is the first venomous snake I ever caught - Nose Horned Viper (Vipera ammodytes)
For the record it was released back into the wild after photos were taken