Wow some pretty strong criticisms were posted. Now deleted . Example,



" And as Terry said, this guy is NO FELLOW HOT KEEPER - not even remotely close. He's a road side b-grade animal act that has no place in this hobby or profession. I'm biting my lip and gonna shut up. " Rob Carmichael



Does this guy even know or anything about him Dave ?



Didn't Terry get hit by a rattlesnake not to long ago ?



Looks like the old self righteous double standard .



Dave literally grew up working with animals and doing shows. This is not something he got into yesterday the guys been doing it his whole life. For his age or any age he has an incredible background working with all types of wildlife.



What Dave does when it comes to his snake shows is no different then what any other stunt man does. It doesn't matter if you race cars, walk tight ropes or kiss king cobras at some point something is going to happen. It's a profession that comes with risk but it's a calculated risk.They do the best they can to keep the odds in their favor. When working with live animals as opposed to jumping a motorcycle over 20 cars there's always an added degree of unpredictability that adds to the element of risk.



The bottom line . If you ask the guy who jumps motorcycles or the guy who kisses cobras they will both tell you the same thing . Don't ever try it. These guys aren't out there advocating that anyone attempt to emulate them. Some people may not find it entertaining but a lot do and how these individuals make a living is their choice and they except the risk.



Personally I don't like the animal show thing at all. To me it's boring and silly. I've always had a major dislike for it and have told Dave what I think about it many times. I'm the complete opposite. Believe me I'm no fan of the guy or what he does to say the least. That being said when you objectively compare the number of animals, number of years to how few notable injuries he's had his track record is pretty amazing. It's not just luck. He paid his dues putting in the time with the animals. I'm not going to take that away from him. In the past I've worked with Dave under a wide range of circumstances dealing with all types of reptiles, big cats, elephants you name it.



It's easy as it is to take pot shots and a guy with Dave's attitude makes it even easier. It doesn't matter who you are accidents happen. Animal dealers , Trainers and Phd scientist have all been injured / Killed . No one is immune.



Ernie Eison

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