Wildlife Welfare

Snakebite and Venomous Animal Handling Welfare

Snakebite causes significant human and livestock suffering globally, and snake conservation is complicated by fear-based killing. Coexistence education and antivenoms address both human welfare and snake conservation.

Key Facts

Snakebite kills an estimated 80,000 to 138,000 people annually globally
Antivenom supply is inadequate in many high-burden regions of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia
Most snakebite victims are agricultural workers in rural areas without healthcare access
Fear-based killing of snakes reduces populations of ecologically valuable predators
Non-lethal snake deterrents and relocation by trained handlers prevent most conflict encounters

Welfare Considerations

Snakes killed out of fear rather than genuine threat represent unnecessary welfare harm to a misunderstood group. Most snake species are non-venomous and provide important rodent control services. Education about snake identification and behavior reduces fear-based killing. For venomous species, non-lethal relocation is safer for both humans and snakes than killing. Supporting antivenom access addresses human suffering without requiring snake killing.

What You Can Do

Learn to identify the common snake species in your region and distinguish venomous from non-venomous
Never kill snakes on sight — contact local wildlife relocators for venomous species
Support antivenom access programs in high-burden low-income countries
Educate children about snakes positively to reduce fear-based killing in future generations