Massasauga Rattlesnake
Endangered Reptile
About the Massasauga Rattler
The Massasauga Rattlesnake lives typically in wetlands or small damp areas. They eat small mammals, rodents, and insects. They are hunted by large birds such as the eagle, heron, and other larger mammals. These snakes can be found in every state in the Midwest region but they are endangered in many of the states such as: Wisconsin and Illinois. Right now only a couple of small organizations are fighting to help the Massasauga survive and grow the population.
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 made it so animals and plants that are either "endangered" or "threatened" species are conserved and the habitats that they live in are also better conserved to help survival of said species. Any breaking of this act can result in a maximum $50,000 fine with up to two years of imprisonment, adding $25,000 to each offense.
Problem with the Massasauga Rattlesnake
Many people fear poisonous snakes, and often will attempt to kill them if they see them. Also they depend on living in wetlands, but with wetlands slowly depleting due to wetlands being drained for farming and just plain destruction of the wetlands, these snakes have a very low population now.
Helping the Massasauga Rattlesnake
Many conservationists have started keeping some in captivity and are growing the population while also building some of the wild habitat that they live in, which is very fertile farmland. Another way to help the Massasauga Rattlesnake is to simply avoid it, do not harm it in anyway. Doing so will just hurt the population that much more. I know that people these days hate snakes, but if you can just avoid it, that would be the best thing for the ecosystem.
Ethics
Humans influence everything around use, and we will continue to do so until the end of our days. No matter what we do we are influencing other organisms. No matter if its building a parking lot somewhere, or simply putting up a tree stand. We should care about how we influence all other organisms. Because they all play an important role in their ecosystem. One of them goes extinct or leaves and the whole entire ecosystem is affected, and normally it is a negative impact instead of a positive one. Even if we do not think that they have an effect on us as humans, everything around us does. If we want to continue the existence of this earth and all of the beauty that it holds then we need to start caring about what we are doing to negatively affect the species around us.