Read this before you decide to kill that snake in your yard!

We've all been there. You finally get around to tackling the yardwork only to be rudely interrupted by an unwelcome reptilian intruder. Your first instinct may be to reach for the shovel and quickly dispatch it, but did you know that you could be committing a crime by doing so?

That's right. Killing non-venomous snakes in the state of Georgia is illegal, and odds are the snake you have encountered could very well be non-venomous. In fact, 35 of the 41 snakes native to Georgia are non-venomous and considered harmless to humans. Even if you are certain a snake is venomous, it's usually best to leave them alone. Trying to kill a snake increases your chances of being bitten by more than 400%. Snakes are not inherently aggressive towards humans and are more than likely as afraid of us as we are of them.

Here are some things to consider:

• Rather than try to kill it, use your garden hose (from a safe distance) to give it a gentle squirt. Snakes are cold-blooded and being hit by cold water isn't pleasant for them. They will likely get the message and leave in a hurry.

• Just leave them alone - there's a very good chance that they are passing through and will be gone in a few minutes if you leave them alone and let them be.

• If you want to know how to make your yard unattractive to snakes, check out this article for some very good advice: https://wsed.org/coexisting-with-wild-snakes-revised-version/

If you encounter a snake in your yard in Northeast Atlanta and would like help identifying or relocating it, please give me a call at 770-330-8372 and I'll be happy to help out free of charge if I can.

If you aren't local to Northeast Atlanta, feel free to reach out and I'll try to put you in touch with someone knowledgeable in your area, or refer to the interactive map to find someone near you.

That's me, and that is a very large cottonmouth (AKA water moccasin) near Jacksonville, FL. No - it didn't chase me.