Quote:
Originally Posted by Ub3rD4n
Well, seems to me this occurence was sad, cause the cop was just trying to help those people and ended up shooting them (poor decision making, even if the snake was venemous, which he beleived it to be). Now, I may be from a country devoid of snakes, but it seems to me to be an easy mistake to make, not knowing that venomous snakes aren't tree climbers, but the guy should have been more careful. Snakes often don't attack until something moves, so he could have gotten closer or circled around for a better shot......
So, yeah, I don't think the guy was dumb, just a little too trigger-happy, especially for being the bad shot he was. I don't think it had much to do with irrational fear, though a deep-seated fear of snakes is ingrained into humanity from since before it existed, the guy just shot too soon and too poorly.
|
Humans have been scientifically proven NOT to have a "deep-seated" or instinctual fear of snakes. That fear is entirely learned behavior. The cop had not been called by the grandfather of the dead child, but apparently by someone else who had spotted the snake in the tree. Venomous or not, it's not going to hurt anyone unless they climb the freakin' tree! Snakes do not "attack" people; their biting is defensive behavior that is only used when someone is directly making contact with the snake. A snake is not going to come down from the perceived safety of a tree if there are large, dangerous animals-or humans-on the ground below. It's not going to go after anyone. I realize that a lot of people don't know that, but whose fault is that? It surely isn't due to lack of education, whether on tv or the internet or books. People who live where they are likely to encounter wild animals should be under obligation to learn about those animals, how they act, what their "triggers" are, and how to identify venomous from non-venomous when it comes to snakes. It's ironic that while I am typing this, "Inside Edition" just ran a story of a cop who pulled a young woman over, when her father was having a heart attack. The cop actually pulled his gun on her, yanked her from the car, and cuffed her, while she pleaded with him to let her get to the hospital where her father was being taken. The cop was threatening to shoot her, even though she was not armed, or threatening him in any way. We're supposed to trust and count on these people, but it seems that more and more nut-cases are slipping through the cracks and winding up on police forces.
pitbulllady