Anisomorpha - Wiems

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anisomorpha

1 year ago

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anisomorpha

4 months ago

^ for the unaware

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anisomorpha

5 months ago

[A Tweet on X from Emily Taylor @snakeymama. Text reads “I am horrified by @FedEx’s commercial portraying a driver who killed a rattlesnake while delivering a package as a hero. I have written a letter to FedEx marketing officials and hope that you will do so as well, and will share this post to get more people involved. 1 / 4.” A screenshot below this text shows Emily’s letter (text will be shown and transcribed fully in the next image)

A screenshot of Emily’s letter, which reads:

9 December 2024
Brie Carere, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer
Ryan Kelly, Vice President of Marketing
FedEx Marketing and Advertising Team:
I am writing to protest the commercial currently airing on television that portrays a FedEx delivery worker who killed a rattlesnake while delivering a package as a hero. When FedEx delivery man Matt Govier killed a prairie rattlesnake with a shovel in August 2023, various media groups called him a hero that saved the resident from an evil invader. In reality, the driver needlessly killed innocent wildlife, which should not be tolerated let alone celebrated by FedEx. If the delivery driver had killed any other type of animal, the response would have been the opposite: universal condemnation. Rattlesnakes do not want to bite people, and the proper response to a rattlesnake entering someone’s yard is to call a wildlife professional to relocate it into nearby open space. I was disappointed that FedEx appears either to not have or to selectively enforce a policy against their delivery drivers purposefully killing animals while working. Govier likely did not know that what he did was wrong. However, the fact that you (FedEx’s marketing and advertising team) created a commercial showing the driver that killed the rattlesnake taping up a snake and celebrating him as a hero shows that you knowingly made a decision to celebrate and profit form the torture and killing of native wildlife. That is truly despicable. I request that you immediately stop airing the commercial and issue a public statement clarifying FedEx’s policy on their drivers purposefully killing wildlife. I also suggest that you make a donation to the Midwest chapter of Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (mwparc.org) to acknowledge your mistake and demonstrate your commitment to protecting wildlife. Sincerely, Emily Taylor, PhD, Professor of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University

A tweet by Emily Taylor @snakeymama that shows a screenshot of a cartoon rattlesnake in the foreground looking at a crouching FedEx driver in front of his truck in the background. The accompanying text says “You can see the commercial “Porch Protector” here [partial URL follows] 2/ 4

A second tweet by Emily below that reads “You can help by reposting this or by emailing to express your concern about the commercial: MediaRelations@fedex.com and to the CEO at FWSmith@fedex.com 3/4”

A tweet by Emily Taylor @snakeymama that says “Or send letters to: 4 / 4
Fred Smith, CEO
Brie Carere, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer
Ryan Kelly, Vice President of Marketing
FedEx Corporation
942 South shady Grove Road
Memphis, TN 38120
USA”

A screenshot of another letter to FedEx from Rebecca Lexa @rebeccathenaturalist. The text reads: “Good afternoon,

I am writing to protest the absolutely appalling commercial FedEx has released, "Porch Protector". In it you have glorified the killing of a rattlesnake that would have simply gone on its way and was no threat to your carrier or anyone else, and perpetuated the myth that the only good snake is a dead snake. Had the carrier shot a dog or cat, or really any other animal, the act would have been deeply censured. Instead, because it was a rattlesnake, you decided that it was a "heroic" deed.

The carrier had numerous other options, including:

--Walking around the snake at a distance that would have allowed it to feel unthreatened
--Contacted a humane snake relocation company
--Contacted the state fish and wildlife or municipal animal control for humane relocation of the snake

Rattlesnakes, like all other native snakes, are integral parts of their ecosystems, and when they are unnecessarily killed this causes imbalances that can include increased rodent populations (and the destruction and disease they can cause.) While it is inevitable that we will come into contact with snakes when we continue to destroy their habitats, there are ways to easily coexist with them without anyone being harmed, humans, pets, and snakes alike. There are also options for removing snakes without harming them and relocating them to more suitable habitat.

Praising a driver who not only unnecessarily killing a snake that wasn't an immediate threat but also showing it off like a trophy is incredibly ignorant, and both the driver and whoever greenlit this commercial are engaging in backward, science-deficient behavior that is just going to get more people injured. Most venomous snake bites come when people try to harass or kill the snake, and by promoting this as the best way to deal with a rattlesnake simply existing, you are making it more likely people will be bitten.

Please take down the commercial and issue a retraction with information given to you by actual wildlife biologists and other experts, not marketing staff who perpetuate myths and unnecessary biases against native wildlife. Dr. Emily Taylor, who has previously contacted you about this matter, would be an excellent person to consult.”

So--long story short, a FedEx driver killed a rattlesnake that happened to be on someone's porch, not causing any immediate problems. This is an all too common practice here in the United States, where a significant portion of the population has the backwards idea that "the only good snake is a dead snake" and that the only way to deal with a venomous snake in the proximity of a house, or people in general, is to kill it. Never mind that snakes tend to move on if left alone, and that there are numerous entities that can be contacted to move the snake safely to another place if so desired, and that most bites occur when someone is harassing, handling, or trying to kill the snake.

Dr. Emily Taylor of California Polytechnic State University (@snakeymama on Twitter) has requested that people contact FedEx about their recent commercial glorifying the killing of the snake, which you can view here. I've included both her and my letters to the appropriate folks at FedEx. There are options for both email and snail mail correspondence, and the more people FedEx hears from about this appalling matter, the better.

It's 2024, almost 2025. We have tons of information on rattlesnake behavior and best practices in coexisting with them (to include training your dogs in snake avoidance). We know plenty about the importance they have in local ecosystems, and the devastation that has been done through people slaughtering them, sometimes in the thousands (I wrote about the ongoing problem of rattlesnake roundups and their inherent cruelty here.) There are multiple rattlesnake species that are endangered or otherwise threatened with extinction.

The vast majority of encounters with venomous snakes are benign, and the vast majority of bites come from someone (person, dog, etc.) confronting the snake that was just trying to defend itself. We've spent a lot of time in this country defaulting to killing anything that inconveniences us, but there are better ways to live safely in proximity to wildlife that don't involve violence. It just takes a little more effort and awareness, and most importantly a significant attitude change that no longer vilifies native wildlife simply trying to live their lives.

As Dr. Taylor mentioned, if you want to contact FedEx, here are your options:

"You can help by reposting this or by emailing to express your concern about the commercial: mediarelations@fedex.com and to the CEO at FWSmith@fedex.com. Or send letters to: Fred Smith, CEO Brie Carere, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Ryan Kelly, Vice President of Marketing FedEx Corporation 942 South Shady Grove Road Memphis, TN 38120 USA"

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anisomorpha

1 month ago

what im thinking about at any given moment