February 13, 2025lifestyle

Year Of The Snake: Why These Maligned Creatures Are Actually Magical

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, 2025 is the Year of the Snake. Beginning on the new moon falling between 21 January and 20 February, the Chinese New Year is dedicated to one of 12 animals, each with their own mythical significance. The legend says that the system was created by the Jade Emperor, who held a race to determine which animals would have years named after them.

The Year of the Snake, which began on 29 January, is said to be categorised by intuition, wisdom, and adaptability – all traits that these magnificent animals possess. Nevertheless, they are commonly maligned and horrifically mistreated by humans in a variety of trades.

By Sascha Camilli

Research has shown that snakes are intelligent, can learn things, and recognise their family members, preferring them to other snakes. Despite being interesting and fascinating animals, snakes suffer at the hands of humans in a variety of industries, including being used as pets. The reptile trade is largely under-regulated and threatens many species of exotic animals. Aside from introducing animals who might be disruptive to the native ecosystem if they manage to escape, the trade also confines reptiles to a life in captivity. Snakes are often targeted by criminals as they survive for long stretches of time in extreme conditions - often they are transported in small plastic tubes, which are in no way suitable to their bodies.

On arrival, snakes are sold and kept in cages for the rest of their lives. While we often believe that countries such as the UK have a high animal welfare standard, conditions for "pet" snakes here involve regulations that allow shops to keep them in spaces so small that they cannot even fully uncoil. PETA's campaign calling on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to increase the minimum size requirement would affect over 400,000 captive snakes in the UK. “Keeping snakes in cramped enclosures where they can’t even stretch out their bodies is physically and psychologically damaging, just as it would be for any other animal,” said PETA Senior Campaigns Manager Kate Werner, “which is why we are calling on DEFRA to listen to the scientific evidence, not the pet trade, and require that snakes be kept in enclosures at least as long as their bodies.”

The fashion industry is another source of suffering for snakes. These skins of these magnificent animals are highly sought-after in the accessory trade, being used for belts, bags, shoes, and more. The backstory of these expensive, coveted items is rife with extreme cruelty: undercover investigations have shown the animals inflated with air, impaled, and bashed with hammers for luxury fashion brands.

While the industry defends itself by claiming that local communities are depending on the snake trade, experts debunk this. Brave GentleMan founder and ethical fashion expert Joshua Katcher wrote in Business of Fashion: “The marginalised and indigenous communities who often supply reptile skins can often be harmed by dependency upon the whims of fickle fashion industry trends, but they’re also invoked to justify practices unrelated to them”, for example, the cruel treatment of snakes killed for a Western desire. It’s telling to see that 96 percent of the value of exotic skins is captured by the European fashion industry, with hunters and local communities sometimes making just 0.5 percent of the final value of a high-end handbag."

Native to every continent except Antarctica, snakes are present throughout natural habitats throughout the world, making it their home as much as it is ours. Like all other animals, snakes play a crucial role in keeping ecosystems healthy by controlling the populations of other animals. They are also prey to mammals and birds, which contributes to maintaining biodiversity. Some snakes help reduce ticks, which minimises the risk of tick-borne illness in humans and companion animals. These interesting animals – who are just as sentient as dogs, cats, cows, and pigs – are an important part of our ecology and deserve respect, not abuse. And maybe the Year of the Snake is the perfect time for us to realise that.

By Sascha Camilli

For the beauty of animal prints and textures without the cruelty, check out our Go Wild edit.

About Sascha

Sascha Camilli is a vegan writer, speaker and activist. Her book Vegan Style is out now on Murdoch Books. For more about Sascha, you can read our interview with her or sign up to her newsletter Kind of Wild.

Cover image and second image by David Clode. Final image by Nivedh P. All via Unsplash.

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