the snakes should have been sitting calm in a container, not freehandled in public where the average ophidiophobe could be startled as you described.
you need to exercise responsibility, we are a maligned group as it already is. shock responses should have been anticipated, and therefore should have not been given an opportunity to occur.
there are definitely opportunities to educate and turn people on, but ultimately those chances pop up after the fear has been eradicated. this weekend we had someone at our house who literally freaked at photos of snakes when she got here, actually walk out four hours later having handled three of our snakes. that didn't happen because i walked out of the snake room waving pythons around when she got here.
think about the chance that someone may have gone into cardiac arrest at the sight of your little beloveds.
don't think it's never happened.
before my kids ever got to have their first pythons this was something that they were taught and understood.
be responsible herpers, nothing less is acceptable.
good luck, ck

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