Rattlesnakes Everywhere! Vaccine Me, Please!

...yet another example of two of my primary postulates which I'll state here for clarity:

1. Americans basically live in a "culture of fear"

2. Americans are out of touch with their natural environment

This shiny sign posted by doctors of veterinary science (I presume) intends to scare drivers passing by into spending money for a vaccine to keep themselves or their pets from DYING in case they get bit by a rattlesnake.

...a few personal observations if I may.

I used to be an amateur herpetologist that bred, raised, handled, studied, bought and sold at least hundreds, if not thousands of snakes, lizards and reptiles in general.

I live in an area that is some of the most heavily populated by wildlife land probably in Texas and possibly even in the lower 48 states (Texas Hill Country). I see some kind of wildlife everyday and have done a few roadkill surveys on this blog listing the animals alive and dead spotted.

I'm also an Environmental Science major that knows wild animals somewhat and watches for them continually.

I have YET to see a venomous snake alive or dead in the the 3 years I've lived here - either in nature or on the road.

I'm beginning to wonder if the rattlesnake roundups and general snake ignorance of the masses hasn't killed most of them off. For the first two years I hadn't seen a single snake of any kind anywhere while here in the Texas hill country. (I'm sure some are there, I just haven't seen any.)

So back to the point. This sign is warning everyone of the dangers of getting bitten by a rattlesnake. It is instead:
Postulate 1 - fear inducing
Postulate 2 - ignorance inducing

Don't be afraid. Don't be ignorant.

Whiteboy sitting in the American Kitchen sez:
"In case you didn't notice people, there's not that much wildlife left - let alone reason to worry about dying from it!"