Okay, I'm gonna share my two cents here... Fear of snakes is not a natural instinctual fear. It's instilled in people... I've done educational shows for kids and more times than not, the younger ones are filled with joy and wonderment biting at the bit to get a chance to pet it, like they would if you showed them a puppy or a kitten. However...I'm not saying just tell them to run up on any snake and try to pet it, no. Though I'll say they should be taught to respect and be appreciative of such marvels of nature. And I'm sorry but to think any average person can just look at a snake and tell if it's venomous or not is a fallacy. It takes years of experience and research to be certain, and even then mistakes have been known to be made. These fears are instilled by those who don't know any better or by overly religious people who dismiss any and all scientific fact or any of reason or common sense for that matter!