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16 July: what is celebrated today
There are creatures that carry centuries of other people’s symbols: fear, betrayal, danger. 16 July suggests pausing and looking again. Looking without myths, without inherited shocks, to understand what place snakes occupy in life’s delicate machinery. This date does not seek to tame fear, but to transform it into knowledge.
World Snake Day
World Snake Day, celebrated every 16 July, emerged as a call for environmental awareness. It has no fixed institutional origin, but it has gained momentum thanks to biologists, science communicators and conservationists seeking to correct one of the animal kingdom’s most unfair reputations. Snakes are neither villains nor constant threats: they are an essential part of biodiversity.
From tropical rainforests to deserts, these reptiles play a quiet but decisive role. They control populations of rodents and other small species, helping to prevent pests and disease, while also forming part of the food chain for birds of prey and large predators. Where snakes disappear, the balance suffers.
Despite this, they continue to be persecuted out of fear or ignorance. The destruction of their habitat, illegal trade and indiscriminate hunting endanger numerous species, many of which are non-venomous and reluctant to come into contact with humans. Most incidents occur when they are handled or their territory is invaded, not because of innate aggressiveness.
This day also invites us to dismantle deep-rooted beliefs. Snakes do not attack for pleasure, they do not “sting” with their tongues, not all lay eggs and not all are venomous. Some have even contributed indirectly to saving human lives: studying certain venoms has made it possible to develop key medical treatments.
Celebrating World Snake Day is, at heart, an exercise in humility. It means recognising that fear is not always a reliable compass and that protecting a misunderstood species is also a way of protecting ourselves. Because caring for nature means learning to live alongside even what we do not fully understand.