Handle Snakes Humanely

Bob Sipchen’s article (“In the Realm of the Rattlesnake,” May 7) sickened me. He described scooping a rattlesnake onto a shovel and giving it a hard fling to the extent that the snake was visible against the blue sky--and in his twisted mind, this was protecting the creatures?! To be flung that high means that when the snake lands, it will be killed or badly injured. Or it might crawl away only to bleed to death from internal injuries, suffering slowly. Snakes, like all animals, feel fear and pain.

It’s not that hard to safely relocate a rattlesnake. I urge readers to contact the nearest zoo or herpetological society to learn the proper humane methods.

Caro Lynn Anderson

Joshua Tree