Re: tripreport greece
Posted: Sun May 20, 2018 10:54 pm
Ruggero, I understand what you are saying and I was indeed talking generally without having much information about the area but for me personally the line between "natural" predation and "human" predation is blurred, to say the least. In any case you can't ignore the fact that the numerous "natural" predators actively seek and hunt snakes, while shepherds, tourists or any kind of people can (or maybe not) kill a snake only if they accidentally stumble upon it, they don't systematically look for them in order to kill them. I may not have experience in this particular area but I have had contact and experiences with shepherds and other "ophidio-phobic" people from areas in Bulgaria which are no less productive in terms of snakes and I can guarantee you they don't encounter snakes every day, and especially not in a situation they could have the chance to kill them (they don't get the opportunity to kill each one they see). So I would still put my money on the effect these people have on the environment rather than direct killing. I'm not saying it's not a factor at all but it's a minimal one, if at all.