Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I wonder if they actually think when they write some of these articles! Before you ask, yes I know what they meant, but it just sounds wrong!!!:

Snakebite statistics:

# Of the 45,000 snakebites reported annually in the United States, 7,000 to 8,000 are venomous.

# 15 fatalities result, placing the chance of survival at roughly 499 out of 500.

# About 3,000 are classed as "illegitimate," meaning these bites occurred while the victim handled or molested the snake.

# 85 percent of natural bites are below the knee.

# 50 percent are dry. Strikes against humans are generally defensive actions. It is estimated that no venom is purposely injected about half the time.

From

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/060409/bites.shtml

-----
Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-0-1 Rescued Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-2-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet, Isis
0-0-1 Rescued Fit and Trim Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

Depends on what kind of research the reporter did in working on the article. As a reporter myself (who also happens to be from Georgia) who is also a snake enthusiast, some of the statistics out there are ridiculous. It helps if you know something about snakes, about how bites happen, and more importantly, how snakes react to humans. I've written some articles about snakes over the years, and I've been able to wade through some of the crap that's out there and be a little more selective about the material I used.

But most reporters just rehash what's out there, and what's out there is, in many cases, bad information (and that's putting it nicely). You can't blame the guy for being underhanded without knowing whether or not he is intentionally trying to spread false information. At the same time, though, it doesn't help us as snake keepers when misinformation is put out for public consumption.

For the record, I've seen the same information in research I've done, and I try to stay away from it. But I'm also privy to better information because of my interest and experience with snakes.

RP

I think you missed the italics in his post. He was wondering if people would misuderstand what it means to "molest" a snake.

While I appreciate the humor and hadn't thought of it that way before, the way the reporter actually meant it is a fairly common usage of the word, especially in wildlife related law, so I think the criticism (if it was serious) is unwarranted...

Yes I agree, Larry. And at least some of the numbers (total envenomations, mortalities), are within familiar ranges, I think. Of those bites deemed "illegitimate", resulting from "molesting",I suspect they occour mostly on hands and fingers and often the "victim" had been drinking (HBD).

Yeah, you're right. Sorry.

Don't feel bad, Robert. I was wondering what the problem with the stuff was myself, although I do wonder why 45k less 7k-8k non-venomous snakebites are reported..and to whom.

~~Greg~~

I know this is probably the wrong forum, but the subject of reporters makes it fit. I posted it in the iguana forum but I bet a lot more will see it here. It is an interesting story about the feral iguanas in Florida and the recent press. I take it as a positive reptile story- there aren’t too many of them, check it out. Basically, the author supposes all the iguana news being covered by CNN, Associated Press and all might have a negative effect on tourism, the primary industry of Gasparilla, but is having exactly the opposite effect! It is reported that the Boca Beacon's Boca Grande Visitors Guide for Gasparilla has been clicked and downloaded 16,284 times since the major news stories began! I say lets all book a vacation and watch the about-face on the iguana “problem”.

Link- http://www.bocabeacon.com/story.htbml?number=1161

Hey Robert,

shoot me an email, I also work for a newspaper in Georgia but not as a reporter.

I have a couple of funny snake articles from georgia papers you'd love to see.

Chad Minter
http://www.envenomated.com
swampy -at- bellsouth d0t net
http://www.envenomated.com