“This beautiful Emerald Boa was caught in the deep jungle, by Shaman Don Guiellermo. He actually went out and caught it, which is incredible because everything in the Amazon is green and to find a green snake in a green jungle (at night!) takes amazing talent.

Holding the snake was electrifying. It was smooth like human skin, which surprised me because I was expecting it to feel scaly. The snake was also heavier than I thought it would be. I could really feel the strength in its body while it was trying to move around my neck. I've held snakes before but none that that powerful.

The experience of having that wild constrictor wrapped around my neck really made me think of how wildlife is far too often taken for granted. Between more and more rainforest being destroyed in the Amazon, and the horrifying illegal animal trade, ecosystems and wildlife all over the world is being seriously threatened.

I think we all get so caught up in the daily hustle and bustle of our own lives that we forget to stop and appreciate the beauty of all the nature around us. I think the biggest impact the Amazon had on me was to make me take time and slow down. In the morning I would listen to the birds and insects, notice plants and wildflowers all around me. If we don’t take time to appreciate nature, how do we know to save it?”

- Emily Howard, The Shaman's Pharmacy 2010, Student, Major: Plant, Soil, and Insect Science