Understanding the Role of the Snake in the Ecosystem
This provided the opportunity for ecologists and wildlife experts to inform the public of the function of such large snakes in the ecology. Such predators control the numbers of smaller animals, thereby preventing overcrowding and maintaining an appropriate balance between competing interests. Without such predators as those huge snakes, there would be habitat disturbances from uncontrolled prey populations in many habitats.
Large snakes target animals that, because of overpopulation, are often many rodents, birds, and small mammals-thus preventing such populations from overwhelming their environments. That way, snakes help to keep their habitats healthy, ensuring that resources remain balanced for all creatures. The workers too began to look at the snake in a different perspective, identifying it with a new favorable role within the ecosystem and away from simple predation.
This view shifted the workers’ perception of their encounter since they realized the snake played a much larger role in its life than just the killing of their prey. It was silent in the face of environmental biodiversity-keeping balance. The workers considered themselves privileged to have seen such a creature play this big role in nature.
