snake skin
A few weeks ago Toby walked outside and was greeted by a small piece of God’s glory. He asked me to come out to share in God’s glory. After looking, I decided to take a picture to share with others and find out exactly what kind of glory we were looking at. After Toby finished watering the plants on the deck, he came back through the house to take care of the flower beds in the front yard. I heard him open the front door and shut it very quickly.
large black snake
Immediately I heard him hollering at me to get the camera. Jumping up from my desk, I grabbed the camera and ran to the front door, not knowing what to expect. I gasped as I saw a much larger piece of God’s glory in the flower bed and on the sidewalk.
large black king snake
I started snapping photos and told Toby to hang on while I checked to see if God’s glory was poisonous. By the time I found out it probably wasn’t poisonous, Toby was already trying to chop off the head with the shovel. The head would not separate and I was asked to get something else.
large black snake in garden and on sidewalk
I ran through the house and out the back door, grabbed a bigger shovel. Handing the shovel over, Toby started chopping, chopping, chopping and still chopping gaining nothing. He threw the shovel down and went into the house; he left me standing there still holding the shovel without saying a word before running off. A few minutes later he returned with a large hunting knife, this time he was able to cut through the body and sever the head.
dead snake
Unfortunately, we killed a potentially harmless and helpful bit of God’s glory. The rationing was along the lines of although it wasn’t poisonous; one of us would probably have died or broken something trying to get away. Based on a Google search this appears to be a large black King snake. The dead body measured a little over 4′ long and the snake was so thick we couldn’t chop it’s head off easily.
I think that Toby should of left the snake alone.The snake wasn’t showing any treat toward Toby or anything else. You should of talk to Toby that the snake was one of God creatures and that he shouldn’t kill it. Also, it was a Black King snake that eats lizards, rodents , and other snakes around the house. Another thing is you should of tried to research what type of snake it was before you killed it.
Wow , I’m scared of snakes as well. You guys are brave I don’t think I could have gotten close enough to kill it. I would have been screaming and jumping until someone came and killed it. WHat a calm personality you both have. Luckily it wasn’t venomous, could’ve been bad . Great story, pictures made me feel like I was there when it took place.
Oh my Lord! When I started to read this, I thought it will be a story about nature, ecosystem, and/or animal habitats. But as I was reading all the way through this, I pictured it on my mind as a scary movie. I bet Toby was just a kid because an adolescent or an adult knows that this kind of snake is an unoffensive animal and often feed on small animals such as frogs, lizards, birds and bird eggs, and also can eat other snakes that can be venomous. I might be scared too if I see a snake in my patio but my reaction of course will be just run away from it, not kill it. Thank God that snake was not venomous!
Snakes are a big no for me. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t have done the same thing these two did. I do agree with both sides though, yes the snake was probably harmless at the moment and was just making his way through, but the people’s fear of the creature drove them to a defensive reaction and acted upon their feelings. The snake probably would have left, but we won’t know now.
I think the fear of the snake overcame Toby and had to be reckon with. Most snakes we come into contact with will do no harm if not provoked. On the flip side God’s gift will be going to animal heaven to live out the rest of its life. Tell Toby the warrior to keep a machete handy next time. Also get some lime to put around the edges of your property to keep down the appearances of God’s glory.