Save the Snakes: One Man's Mission (Via Herp Digest)

Save the Snakes: One Man's Mission
Editor - Scoop just posted it on the net where I found it.
By Grace Smith, 9/24/11 The Scoop, Celebrates rural life in Stone Mills, Ontario and beyond...


Snakes have been around for over 100 million years, but today, they are threatened by none other than human beings. We have come to fear our slithering friends, lashing out at what is unknown, and our actions may completely stamp out their entire existence.

But not if Matt Ellerbeck has anything to say about it.

Ellerbeck, or the Snake Man as he is known, is a snake advocate and conservationist. His mission is "to help contribute to the recovery of threatened and endangered snake species and declining snake populations. And to help bring an end to immense cruelty and abuse that snakes often face."

Ellerbeck, who is a native of the area, grew up around snakes. He was never taught to fear or hate them like many people have and that has made all the difference.
As a child, he spent all of his summers at his grandparents' cottage, prowling around marshes, ponds, swamps and forests. This is where he first became acquainted with his favourite reptile: snakes, and his interest grew.

Over the years, he has encountered and observed thousands of snakes but he soon discovered that people did not share his interest: "I learned quickly that many people harbour a fear and hatred of these animals and this concerned me. When I heard people say negative things about snakes, I would defend them."

Ellerbeck's interest in snakes only grew as the years passed. "As I got older, my passion and concern for snakes never waned and in 2004, I approached the local conservation authority about developing a snake conservation outreach program." The objective of this program was to educate people about the true nature of snakes as an effort to help alleviate the hatred and persecution that snakes often receive: "So many myths and misconceptions surround snakes and this misinformation certainly contributes to people's ill feelings towards them."

Plainly, people need to be taught.

Ellerbeck does this by providing people with much needed information about snakes. To get his point across, he uses the media, social networking sites, fact sheets and educational presentations.

I was given the opportunity to attend one of Ellerbeck's presentations at Desert Lake Family Resort-where he has been giving presentations regularly since September 2005-and I wasn't disappointed. Ellerbeck's presentation was quite informative, entertaining and enlightening. He spoke passionately, acting as a voice for his silent friends. He touched on many topics during his presentation: myths and misconceptions concerning snakes, how the media has misconstrued the way we view snakes, how humans are endangering the lives of snakes everywhere and what we can do to save them. And not only did Ellerbeck use facts to support his words, he showed us. He used live snakes in his presentation as a way of proving that snakes are gentle, docile creatures that have been given an undeserved, bad reputation. He even encouraged us to pet the snakes.

Ellerbeck does not promote keeping snakes as pets; however the snakes in his presentations have all been rescued from homes where they were neglected or even abused. Though he is breaking his own rule, Ellerbeck uses these snakes for the greater good of all snakes, and it worked. I came into the presentation slightly fearful and very weary, but walked away, after even petting some of the snakes-something I thought I'd never do-very informed and not afraid.

But I shouldn't have been surprised. He has given hundreds of educational presentations on snakes to thousands of people over the years at many different locations, including: St. Lawrence Islands National Park, the Green Up Environmental Festivals, King's Town Private School, Ernestown Secondary School, St. Lawrence College, Queen's University, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Desert Lake Family Resort.

After all, Ellerbeck's work has earned him several honours: he was presented with a special honorarium from the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority to recognize his dedication to snake conservation, he was nominated for a Green Globe Award from the Commerce and Engineering Environment Conference, he was named a Visionary by Within Kingston Magazine and he has been described as "so full of enthusiasm, he looks like he will burst at any moment" by the South Frontenac Natural Environment Committee.

Ellerbeck has appeared in media in Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Montreal and Manitoba. This includes television, radio, newspapers and magazines. He has also been featured in American media in many different states and internationally in the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Ellerbeck runs numerous online campaigns about snakes to raise awareness. He has also taken in many snakes from neglectful homes and cared for them. These include: anacondas, a Burmese python, a reticulated python, boa constrictors, Amazon tree boas, rear fanged colubrids, several cobras and many more.

And all of this is done in the name of snakes. But you might ask: why should we save the snakes? The answer is simply - snakes are beneficial animals to have around.

Many snakes' diets consist of insects and rodents. When snake populations decline, the populations of these prey increase, often causing problems for humans, such as: rodent and insect infestations, destroyed crops and spread of unwanted diseases. Snakes keep the number of insects and rodents in check and they do it naturally-without the use of harsh chemicals or pesticides. Also, snakes help save millions of lives every year. Snake venoms are used to treat many serious health problems like cancers, heart and stroke disease, Parkinson's and many more.

Snakes are our friends, but they are disappearing fast and it is our fault. All of Ontario's 16 snake species are in decline and over half are federally listed as a Species At Risk by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).

Snakes are dying off as a direct result of human beings. Threats such as habitat destruction and road mortality contribute to the loss of snakes, but the largest threat is the deliberate and malicious killings done by fearful people. Unfortunately this fear is undeserved. Many people believe that snakes are aggressive and poisonous. However, this is not true. Snakes are shy and timid and will try to avoid conflict at all costs. They will not make unprovoked attacks on people.

If humans come into contact with a snake, the snake's first instinct is to flee to shelter. If it can't do this, it may stay perfectly still to try to blend into its surroundings. And even if it is captured, it still may not resort to biting. It may hiss, make mock strikes with a closed mouth or flail around to try and escape. Snake bites on humans usually only happen when someone is deliberately provoking or harming a snake and they bite in self-defence, and even then they don't usually inject venom. This is no different than any other animal, including cats and dogs.

So how can you save the snakes?


If you see a snake on the road, help it across. Walking towards it will likely cause it to slither away.
Do not buy snake products of any kind.
Do not use rat poison.
Do not use erosion netting or any similar netting and traps.
Do not catch snakes from the wild for pets.
Do not release captive or exotic snakes into the wild.
Do not support snake charmers or "side show" snake handlers
When out in natural areas that snakes frequent, be respectful.
Properly dispose of garbage and recycle.
Do not pick up, handle or capture snakes in the wild, observe only.
Send out positive messages about snakes to people. Keep others informed.

Do what you can to save the snakes. People everywhere are ignorant to the truth about them, but you can help Matt Ellerbeck on his quest to change all of that; "My mission is to educate and inspire people to want to protect snakes and become their stewards."

If we all follow in his example, the world will be a better place in which snakes
everywhere will not have to fear for their lives and we will know better than to fear them.

If you would like to contact Matt Ellerbeck, you may email him at mattellerbeck@live.com or visit his website, www.the-snake-man.com.
By Grace Smith, 9/24/11 The Scoop, Celebrates rural life in Stone Mills, Ontario and beyond...


Snakes have been around for over 100 million years, but today, they are threatened by none other than human beings. We have come to fear our slithering friends, lashing out at what is unknown, and our actions may completely stamp out their entire existence.

But not if Matt Ellerbeck has anything to say about it.

Ellerbeck, or the Snake Man as he is known, is a snake advocate and conservationist. His mission is "to help contribute to the recovery of threatened and endangered snake species and declining snake populations. And to help bring an end to immense cruelty and abuse that snakes often face."

Ellerbeck, who is a native of the area, grew up around snakes. He was never taught to fear or hate them like many people have and that has made all the difference.
As a child, he spent all of his summers at his grandparents' cottage, prowling around marshes, ponds, swamps and forests. This is where he first became acquainted with his favourite reptile: snakes, and his interest grew.

Over the years, he has encountered and observed thousands of snakes but he soon discovered that people did not share his interest: "I learned quickly that many people harbour a fear and hatred of these animals and this concerned me. When I heard people say negative things about snakes, I would defend them."

Ellerbeck's interest in snakes only grew as the years passed. "As I got older, my passion and concern for snakes never waned and in 2004, I approached the local conservation authority about developing a snake conservation outreach program." The objective of this program was to educate people about the true nature of snakes as an effort to help alleviate the hatred and persecution that snakes often receive: "So many myths and misconceptions surround snakes and this misinformation certainly contributes to people's ill feelings towards them."

Plainly, people need to be taught.

Ellerbeck does this by providing people with much needed information about snakes. To get his point across, he uses the media, social networking sites, fact sheets and educational presentations.

I was given the opportunity to attend one of Ellerbeck's presentations at Desert Lake Family Resort-where he has been giving presentations regularly since September 2005-and I wasn't disappointed. Ellerbeck's presentation was quite informative, entertaining and enlightening. He spoke passionately, acting as a voice for his silent friends. He touched on many topics during his presentation: myths and misconceptions concerning snakes, how the media has misconstrued the way we view snakes, how humans are endangering the lives of snakes everywhere and what we can do to save them. And not only did Ellerbeck use facts to support his words, he showed us. He used live snakes in his presentation as a way of proving that snakes are gentle, docile creatures that have been given an undeserved, bad reputation. He even encouraged us to pet the snakes.

Ellerbeck does not promote keeping snakes as pets; however the snakes in his presentations have all been rescued from homes where they were neglected or even abused. Though he is breaking his own rule, Ellerbeck uses these snakes for the greater good of all snakes, and it worked. I came into the presentation slightly fearful and very weary, but walked away, after even petting some of the snakes-something I thought I'd never do-very informed and not afraid.

But I shouldn't have been surprised. He has given hundreds of educational presentations on snakes to thousands of people over the years at many different locations, including: St. Lawrence Islands National Park, the Green Up Environmental Festivals, King's Town Private School, Ernestown Secondary School, St. Lawrence College, Queen's University, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Desert Lake Family Resort.

After all, Ellerbeck's work has earned him several honours: he was presented with a special honorarium from the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority to recognize his dedication to snake conservation, he was nominated for a Green Globe Award from the Commerce and Engineering Environment Conference, he was named a Visionary by Within Kingston Magazine and he has been described as "so full of enthusiasm, he looks like he will burst at any moment" by the South Frontenac Natural Environment Committee.

Ellerbeck has appeared in media in Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Montreal and Manitoba. This includes television, radio, newspapers and magazines. He has also been featured in American media in many different states and internationally in the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, Australia and New Zealand.

Ellerbeck runs numerous online campaigns about snakes to raise awareness. He has also taken in many snakes from neglectful homes and cared for them. These include: anacondas, a Burmese python, a reticulated python, boa constrictors, Amazon tree boas, rear fanged colubrids, several cobras and many more.

And all of this is done in the name of snakes. But you might ask: why should we save the snakes? The answer is simply - snakes are beneficial animals to have around.

Many snakes' diets consist of insects and rodents. When snake populations decline, the populations of these prey increase, often causing problems for humans, such as: rodent and insect infestations, destroyed crops and spread of unwanted diseases. Snakes keep the number of insects and rodents in check and they do it naturally-without the use of harsh chemicals or pesticides. Also, snakes help save millions of lives every year. Snake venoms are used to treat many serious health problems like cancers, heart and stroke disease, Parkinson's and many more.

Snakes are our friends, but they are disappearing fast and it is our fault. All of Ontario's 16 snake species are in decline and over half are federally listed as a Species At Risk by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).

Snakes are dying off as a direct result of human beings. Threats such as habitat destruction and road mortality contribute to the loss of snakes, but the largest threat is the deliberate and malicious killings done by fearful people. Unfortunately this fear is undeserved. Many people believe that snakes are aggressive and poisonous. However, this is not true. Snakes are shy and timid and will try to avoid conflict at all costs. They will not make unprovoked attacks on people.

If humans come into contact with a snake, the snake's first instinct is to flee to shelter. If it can't do this, it may stay perfectly still to try to blend into its surroundings. And even if it is captured, it still may not resort to biting. It may hiss, make mock strikes with a closed mouth or flail around to try and escape. Snake bites on humans usually only happen when someone is deliberately provoking or harming a snake and they bite in self-defence, and even then they don't usually inject venom. This is no different than any other animal, including cats and dogs.

So how can you save the snakes?


If you see a snake on the road, help it across. Walking towards it will likely cause it to slither away.
Do not buy snake products of any kind.
Do not use rat poison.
Do not use erosion netting or any similar netting and traps.
Do not catch snakes from the wild for pets.
Do not release captive or exotic snakes into the wild.
Do not support snake charmers or "side show" snake handlers
When out in natural areas that snakes frequent, be respectful.
Properly dispose of garbage and recycle.
Do not pick up, handle or capture snakes in the wild, observe only.
Send out positive messages about snakes to people. Keep others informed.

Do what you can to save the snakes. People everywhere are ignorant to the truth about them, but you can help Matt Ellerbeck on his quest to change all of that; "My mission is to educate and inspire people to want to protect snakes and become their stewards."

If we all follow in his example, the world will be a better place in which snakes
everywhere will not have to fear for their lives and we will know better than to fear them.

If you would like to contact Matt Ellerbeck, you may email him at mattellerbeck@live.com
or visit his website, www.the-snake-man.com.