Advocating for the reintroduction of large carnivores into human communities in pursuit of indigenous grizzly bear social justice is apparently not enough to mark you as a righteously woke environmentalist. The misunderstood rattlesnake is the latest poster child for restorative rights of systemically oppressed animals.

Nevermind that 7,000 – 8,000 Americans a year are bitten by venomous snakes. MIT visiting scholar Professor Whitney Barlow Robles assures us that just like adorable grizzly bears, the real problem is that humans don’t show proper respect for rattlesnakes. As the self-proclaimed apex species, the prejudice that we can wantonly eradicate innocent creatures just because they have a propensity to kill us must be overcome.

With rattlesnakes stepping up to lead the animal rights anti-discrimination parade, can oppressed rats and persecuted mosquitoes be far behind? Their valorization is an exemplary cause waiting for a virtue signaling animal intersectionality advocate to make his/her/xems own.

Reversing the human despoilation of nature begins with acknowledging that there are far too many of us, presenting an existential threat to the planet. While being eaten by grizzly bears or killed by rattlesnakes may not be as effective at reducing the excess human population as destroying our energy infrastructure, introducing man-made pandemics, halting the manufacturing of fertilizer, or shutting down farms, all can play an important role in restoring the proper balance of nature.