I live in a bush property (in Ozzie slang 'in the sticks') with lot of wildlife -- including 4-5 kinds of snakes. I have a 4-fold manta for dealing with snakes and other wildlife: 0) go with a dog -- a dog can see and hear things a lot better than we can; a dog is an early warning system 1) wear boots where I go in the thickets -- better safe than sorry 2) make everyone (including wildlife) know where I am -- to avoid surprising snakes and be surprised by snakes 3) leave them alone -- let them go their way before I go my way; snakes take seconds to get away ;-)

So far (20 years now), we share our living space with more than 100 other species without a major conflict. But a time may come when I or a snake lose our awareness ('sati') temporarily and our instinct take over...