They’ve been slithering out from under rocks and other hiding places since early spring, and now is the time of year when snakes, humans and their pets can have dangerous encounters in the great outdoors.
The best defense? Watch where you step, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency spokeswoman Mime Barnes said.
“It’s a nationwide campaign, ‘Look before you step,'” Barnes said. “Snakes don’t want to bite us. But they carry those wives’ tales that circulate around them and they give people the willies.
“People are fearful of them, but they really do a tremendous service for us,” she said. “Venomous and nonvenomous snakes just play an incredible role in the environment.”
Authorities said they’ve seen a large number of snake bites in Georgia this year.