Reptile & Amphibian Forums

There is a show on right now. I tuned in figuring it would be an interesting documentary on large constrictors, but instead it talks about how dangerous boas and pythons are in captivity. It mentions how Burmese are responsible for the deaths of the most pet owners each year! It also states that Green Anacondas have a determination to eat humans and they judge the size differance between men and women (Yeah, a determined snake with judgemental capability). I am not even done watching the show and I am allready furious.

I allready live in a city with strict exotic animal laws, and this type of show is what makes other citys do the same. These shows are based on opinions rather then facts becasue that will draw in higher ratings.

I just want to rant a little. I pretty much own at least one of each species listed on this show and I know many others that do also. This is the type of misinformation that causes the responsible keepers to get into trouble, and somehow it has to end. I wish I knew how we could make that happen.
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Billy
Reptile World
http://www.reptile-world.net

Yup I watched that show last night and it was the worst show i had ever seen about snakes. It was just a really bad light to show snakes in, even the guy holding the red tail boa was warning about the "dangers" of having a constrictor. It said NOTHING about venomous snakes or about the THOUSANDS of people who go through there daily lifes without haveing any problem with there large constrictors. Although I don't ever plan on keeping a large constrictor i do know that those snakes command and demand respect and anyone who has watched a snake feed knows that these animals demand respect. I hope these people realize that they have hurt the reptile lovers just a little bit more and push the fact that snakes are nothing more than "Man Killers" and should all be feared and killed if they get near you.. I was just as frustrated by this program as the prior writter was. I hope they dont make another show like this.

Sincerely,
Rose and Steve

I know what you're saying. The name is a dead give-away that they're trying to attract an audience that wants to see monsters. They polish it up with all that crap, just to get people to watch it. I've owned some large ones before, and although I don't fully agree with the way they've sensationalized things or with everything said in that show, I do think it's somewhat informative, and in a way, a good thing for the herp community.

How is it a good thing? Those kinds of animals don't belong in the hands of John Q. Public, and hopefully that will scare them off from buying one the next time they get bored and wonder into a pet store at the mall.

Just think, that show might disuade some moron from taking home a baby Burm, that would have (some day) ended up killing him...and instead, take home a Ball or Cornsnake (or in a perfect world, a Carpet Python. lol) In my opinion, that really is a good thing for our hobby, at least in the long run. Less morons with Burms = Less morons killed by Burms.

Love that show or hate it, the general public needs to be educated about large constrictors and the dangers they can present...sure, it would be nice if they could do it in a less sensationalistic manner, but that won't get them the ratings.

As for one of us (with sense enough to read up before buying a new animal), I think large constrictors can be very rewarding animals to keep and breed, but for the general pet-store wondering public, large constrictors do not make good "pets."

As a side thought/rant: In reality, the impulse pet-store purchase need to be slowed down and in my opinion, so does the breeding of normal Burmese Pythons. Sure, there's plenty of demand for morphs, but my God do we really need that many normal Burmese Pythons?

Just my .03

-Anthony

>>There is a show on right now. I tuned in figuring it would be an interesting documentary on large constrictors, but instead it talks about how dangerous boas and pythons are in captivity. It mentions how Burmese are responsible for the deaths of the most pet owners each year! It also states that Green Anacondas have a determination to eat humans and they judge the size differance between men and women (Yeah, a determined snake with judgemental capability). I am not even done watching the show and I am allready furious.
>>
>>I allready live in a city with strict exotic animal laws, and this type of show is what makes other citys do the same. These shows are based on opinions rather then facts becasue that will draw in higher ratings.
>>
>>I just want to rant a little. I pretty much own at least one of each species listed on this show and I know many others that do also. This is the type of misinformation that causes the responsible keepers to get into trouble, and somehow it has to end. I wish I knew how we could make that happen.
>>-----
>>Billy
>>Reptile World
>>http://www.reptile-world.net

I posted this thread on a couple of the other forums also. I dont think that this show would deter immature/inexperianced keepers from obtaining a large constrictor. I beleive that it would actually do the oposite. The people who get hurt and that are responsible for negative media like this are almost always the people that keep the snakes in order to show off.

Now, if they wanted a large constrictor to show off how cool they were before they saw this show, then after they watch it they have something more to brag about. They now can say they have a large deadly snake, and will most likely want one even more.

The people who are really going to be affected are us. The serious herpetoculturist who allready have to deal with assanine laws and restrictions in most parts of the country. Say our neighbors see this show and decide to call and report us for some reason in order to get the snakes out. I dont doubt that a situation like that can happen, and when that situation happens multiple times in the same area, that is when restrictions start being written up.

I live in a city that has such restrictions. It all started when a young boy got bit by a ferret about 2 years ago. People saw the report on the news and went crazy. The D.O.H. made a list pretty much banning all kinds of exotic animals without doing any reserch into how dangerous they really are. According to my local D.O.H. childrens pythons, western hognose snakes, sand and rosy boas, collard lizards, dwarf monitors and countless others are all restricted because they are dangerous animals and potentially lethal in the eyes of the DOH. And we have Negative Media Attention to thank for it.
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Billy
Reptile World
http://www.reptile-world.net

...is that they refuse to even remotely point a finger at the owners. I could even deal with it if they said "these owners were obviously not capable, and maybe your not. So think twice"
But no.
Generally, people are ignorant about reptiles. Im sorry thats just the way it is. So when you say "10 foot red tail" someone might jump. When they see a show like this, they create even more ignorant thoughts. Its not Animal planets job to look after people, but it isn't there job to make snakes look completely "wild".
I don't fully believe that guy in the hospital's story either. Reached in to change the water bowl? Got nailed? I think he might have held a rat prior. Unless of course the owner was starving the snake.
And they didnt even show any interesting snakes. Just the typical Burm Retic Boa stuff -damn.
Actually there was one cool scrub and a couple carpets.

Totally agree with you, Last time i saw a baby burm it was in the arms of a 15 year old child and he was purchasing it from a pet store who was having NO PROBLEM selling it to this minor who had never owned a snake before. I ask the kid if he had an idea of what it would need, he said oh i have a light bulb to put on the top of my old Chameleon cage i just about lost it, but i turned and grapped steve by the arm and we walked out of that store never to return. I agree these animals need the proper respect that any large animal deserves... Goood point

Rose

I agree the show and other shows like it are horrible for the hobby, but if it was the same show that I saw earlier this week on large constrictors, you have to admit the shows reinactment of a large retic attempting to pull a very obese (referred to in the show as "voluputuous" into the hole in an outhouse was pretty entertaining.

Just my thoughts,
Chris

p.s: sorry, but I just find some rather odd things entertaining.