Herping ethics

Field herpers have the potential to do a lot of good for the species we care about, and also a lot of harm to these species or others we are less aware of, often unintentionally. As such, I think it is of the utmost importance to consider and commit to, in advance, a set of principles that guide the actions we take in the field, in the community, and online. I have written this document primarily for myself as my own personal ethical handbook. It's been a really helpful exercise to write it all down, and I think every herper could benefit from taking a few minutes to write down some thoughts on their own personal herping ethics. I publish mine here to keep me accountable to the community to follow these principles and in the hope that maybe it will motivate others to do the same. I also hope that if anyone finds anything in here that should be adjusted that they won't keep that to themselves - feedback welcome!

While some principles in here should be widely applicable, I don't think they're necessarily universal, and I accept and expect that other herpers may draw different lines for themselves and others with regard to their own behaviors, though I hope they share the same goal. I respect and have learned from the many thoughtful herpers who have shared their thoughts with me and on the web. I doubt there is any truly original thinking here - but that's not the point. Whatever your herping goals may be, principle number 1 is to carefully consider what you can do to minimize negative impact and maximize your positive impact.

In my own herping ethical rulebook, I've tried to take a balanced approach. Some would never lift a rock or log, or handle an animal, and I respect those who choose to draw that line. I think that's really admirable and I can see where they're coming from. These are some of the highest-impact actions herpers take in terms of habitat alteration and potential to harm a species, especially if done wantonly or without care. However, I do think that a certain degree of joy, interest, or scientific benefit can come from engaging in these activities, and that the impacts can be minimized enough to make these activities acceptable.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I want to start somewhere where most ethical guides do not - with the positives rather than the negatives, the do's rather than the don'ts.

Maximize positive influence

I believe that herpers are in a unique position to positively influence the welfare not just of the herpetofauna we so admire, but also adjacent species. In no particular order, here are some of the things I will try to do consistently to maximize my positive influence:

  1. Contribute observations to community science projects. My platform of choice is HerpMapper; I think they take the most rational and thoughtful approach to herp data. When you contribute to HerpMapper, you can be confident that precise locations will be kept private and shared only with partner organizations, each of which is vetted carefully. Other popular community platforms are either a little too lax with locations (iNat) or a little too reluctant to share with others.
  2. Directly give back to the animals and herping and scientific community by contributing cold hard cash to conservation efforts, scientific progress, and the broader community. Here are some of the organizations that I've personally donated to.
  3. Talk about herps productively - one study found that making rattlesnakes relatable helped bolster their image the most. For instance, people who self-identified as women responded best to stories about rattlesnakes caring for their children and being good mothers. Field herpers do something really interesting and unique! And people are intrigued by it. I find that when people realize I like snakes, they start to ask about them and many learn useful tidbits in the process.

I believe it is very possible to be a net force for good for these animals, otherwise they are out of sight and out of mind. People are only motivated to protect what they understand and care about. Let's help establish that motivation by putting these creatures - and the plights that they face - in the public eye.

Minimize negative impact

  1. Don't collect individuals from the wild to keep or sell as pets. Taking an animal home is the ecological equivalent of killing it. If you must keep a pet, get a pet from a trustworthy and reputable dealer. Do your research and choose a species that can be kept
  2. Wash and thoroughly disinfect gear between sites to avoid spreading disease. Chytrid fungus is a pathogen that infects amphibians and it has been known to have been spread by people visiting sites and spreading the fungus on their gear. Snake Fungal Disease (SFD) can also be spread between snakes by individuals interacting with multiple snakes.
  3. Don't disturb animals that are in a precarious position. For instance, if snakes are eating, mating, fighting, digesting a recent meal, or generally doing something that makes them particularly vulnerable to harm (e.g., a missed opportunity to eat or reproduce), then leave them ALONE. Snakes can regurgitate recent meals in an attempt to get away. Lizards can drop their tails in an attempt to get away, and while they can grow them back, doing so is very costly in terms of energy that could be spent on other more essential activities. Be aware of the potential negative impact of these defense mechanisms.
  4. Respect the habitat, including the micro-habitat. The nature of what we do carries with it risks and costs for the animals we seek. We can easily destroy the micro-habitat a creature relies upon to weather the harsher seasons in an instant of carelessness. Even worse, we can systematically alter the exact habitats we know that some creature is likely to use - consider the impact of lifting and replacing every rock on a hillside. I bet the creatures relying on those rocks notice. Put turned rocks and logs back EXACTLY how they were. This takes time and effort. Invest it.
  5. Spread out. The world is a big place. Reduce the impact at any particular location by finding your own spots rather than reusing the same ones - it's more rewarding that way too! Concentrated herping of any single particular particular site can lead to habitat degradation.
  6. Be cautious about trampling sensitive habitat. Avoid going off trail where prohibited or where doing so would damage sensitive habitat.

Be safe

Why does a safety checklist have a place on an ethics page? I believe that safety while herping is important in preserving the life and well-being of the people you herp with, in preserving the reputation of the pursuit, and in protecting the animals themselves from unnecessary stress or persecution.

  1. Know which species are venomous and if you aren't 1000% sure what species you're looking at and its potential to harm you, don't handle it.
  2. Don't free-handle rattlesnakes and other venomous snakes. This greatly increase the risk of an illegitimate snake bite. Do us all a favor and don't risk it. And if you must be so inclined, don't post your free-handling on social media. A rattlesnake bite can (usually) be treated, but if you get bitten, it's a life-threatening risk, a huge hassle, and expense for you and anyone you're herping with, or who may have to accommodate your care. It also is likely to be detrimental to public opinion or the opinion of the already skeptical non-herpers you associate with.
  3. Be prepared. Legitimate bites are always possible. Know what to do in the event of a venomous snake bite. Know where the closest emergency rooms are, be prepared to contact emergency services, take off your rings, etc.
  4. Don't put your hands or feet where you can't see them. If you're going to be walking through long grass, throw on a pair of good snake boots or snake gaitors. If they're 30 bucks on Amazon, they're not good snake gaitors.
  5. Tell someone where you're going. Exercise basic outdoor preparedness. I have a couple trusted people that I share my phone location with, so that's a backup for me.
  6. Bring extra water. Deserts are hot and water can evaporate shockingly quickly - if you're used to sweat as the indicator of dehydration, you may be watching the wrong signal.
  7. Check for ticks. Their activity peaks the same time snake activity does, and Lyme disease and other tick-borne illness can be devastating.


Follow local laws and regulations

States and countries usually have laws about wildlife and how to interact with it (or avoid it). These vary by place, so know your local regulations, and the regulations in the places you visit.

  1. Don't break the law. Enough said.
  2. Herp legally. In California, that requires a fishing license. Renew every year and carry it with you.
  3. Don't go onto private land without permission.
  4. Admire protected animals from a distance. Know which animals are protected. Don't touch, disturb, or collect protected species.

Have a positive digital footprint

In this web-connected world, the impact of our online actions is multiplied by the number of people who come into contact with the things we do online.

  1. Don't post pictures of yourself free-handling venomous reptiles, handling endangered creatures, or otherwise engaging in risky or illegal behavior. And don't do that stuff in the first place. But posting pictures or videos of it is worse than simply doing it in the first place because it can normalize the behavior and thus multiply the negative impacts of your own bad behavior by encouraging others to do it to.
  2. Don't share locations on the web, for the protection of the habitat and the animals. The web and social media that have a multiplicative influence and viral potential that can bring many herpers to the same spot in the same time period and overwhelm sensitive habitat and scare off animals. This includes sharing obvious (road signs) and non-obvious landmarks (like the peaks of prominent mountains) from the locations you're herping in, which I guarantee you will be picked apart and reversed engineered by herpers.
  3. Don't encourage other people to share locations. Good herpers will deflect these questions, but not everyone's a good herper and spots could leak to or through the uninitiated public.
  4. Don't make your board lines too obvious. Google maps will reveal them to the world and that could bring many uninvited herpers to those locations. I personally don't mind if others use my board lines, but if too many people find them, that's not great for the habitat or the animals.
  5. Encourage best-practices in herping ethics in all of your actions online.

This list is by no means exhaustive. I'll add to it over time as I remember or learn new principles!