<
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-facebook-is-saving-snakes/>
"When Allison Baker moved to what she calls “snake heaven,” a home on 2.5 acres
just outside of Dallas–Fort Worth, Tex., her greatest fear was a dangerous
encounter between her young children and one of heaven's residents. Baker's
anxiety was understandable. After all, Texas is one of the snakiest states in
the nation, with more than 80 species, 11 of them venomous. And the previous
homeowners had found venomous snakes on the property, including a cottonmouth
coiled by the pool. It wasn't long before she had her own run-ins with the
slithering creatures—including a bite she received from a copperhead while
doing yardwork.
Yet despite her initial trepidation, Baker, 44, has undergone an attitude
change since moving into the new place. “I knew better than to dig in a pile of
leaves,” she says of her brush with the copperhead. “I didn't blame the snake
for it and got a shovel and flipped the snake out of there,” relocating the
animal rather than dispatching it. Although most people would probably have
gone to the emergency room, Baker's bite happened mid-pandemic. So after a
telehealth consult, she took some antihistamine and rode out the fairly mild
symptoms she experienced. “It's okay,” she says casually. “I have a scar.”
What force could drive such a dramatic shift in perspective? Baker credits, of
all things, a Facebook group, one whose mission it is to educate members about
snakes. Although the social media giant has a bad reputation for doing
everything wrong in public health and politics, it turns out to be a powerful
tool for saving snake lives. It's not just Facebook. Wildlife enthusiasts are
co-opting various social media platforms to build communities that promote
accurate snake information and slay viral myths. Through these efforts they are
converting even the most committed snake haters into ardent snake appreciators
whose newfound regard for these misunderstood creatures often spreads to
family, friends and neighbors. One by one, the snakes are living to slither
another day."
Via Wayne Radinsky, who wrote "So, to summarize what we just read, unknown +
threatening == nightmares. And apparently, even if you don’t change the
“threatening” part of the equation, changing the “unknown” part of the equation
can get nightmares to go away."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
