Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 7 · column 3 of 4 · from the scan, no model involved
While reading the June 20 issue of the
Rappahannock News, I noticed the photo on page A-2 of a local citizen proudly displaying a recently killed rattlesnake. The caption below urged readers to be cautious “now that the season (for snakes) is upon us.” I was saddened to learn that a creature with such noted features was killed, most likely without having harmed anyone, and deeply disappointed that my local newspaper reported on this pervasive, but outdated, practice of killing snakes.
Is it necessary to glorify snake killing, or to send alarm among readers about the natural emergence of snakes during the warm months? Do we need to perpetuate the fear of snakes? According to the publication, A Guide To The Snakes of Virginia, from the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries, Wildlife Diversity Division, most snakes “are harmless, and even dangerous ones would rather flee that fight.” Thus, it is rarely necessary to destroy a snake; we can overcome that age-old human drive to kill what we fear and
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