In a village, a campaign against snakes was launched in which about all the
snakes were killed. The farms of that region were troubled by rats that year.
Why?
Answers
Explanation:
Snakes are carnivores, and depending on the species, rodents such as rats and mice can constitute a majority of their diet. They naturally manage the numbers of rodents, so by exterminating them you are inadvertently creating a rat/mouse population increase - likely a significant increase. A rational policy would be to allow the snakes to live - in fact encourage them. Snakes are not inherently malignent or aggressive. Like all living things, they have a natural instinct to survive and when they feel their survival is threatened, will strike out. However, they simply “desire” to be left alone to live out their lives and fill the niche that they are designed to fill. When we decide a particular organism needs to be gotten rid of, we are upsetting a natural balance that has been in place for a very long time, and taking the risk of creating some very negative consequences. The snakes need to eat. Rats are their natural prey. I suggest that they are left alone. If they are invading homes or presenting a danger to residents, there are ways to repel or control them. But killing them is a very bad idea, which will inevitably bring unwanted results. When the snakes were exterminated, the rats natural predators were removed, thus an increase in the rat population was a predictable result.
We must learn to co-exist with nature, including snakes, eealing they have an essential role to play. All of us should think of them as our allies in controlling the rodent population. However much we might be repelled by them, they do not transmit diseases that are communicable to humans, and do not eat or contaminate our food. In fact, just the opposite - they consume animals that can transmit disease and consume our food. Perhaps it's time that we re-evaluate the villagers re-evaluate their view of snakes and other predators, lest they and “we” continue to repeat past mistakes.