Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Dear Ball-python People;
OK, it's not really an ball-python article ... but if you want to see how people get mis-perceptions of ball pythons - though granted to most a picture of a snake is a picture of a snake - check out the Copperhead-bite item at http://kyw.com/topstories/local_story_297145633.html ... and then look to the KDKA-TV banner on the right side. (Before they take it down)
respects
Wes

So they have the entire video of the victim speaking out and even show a picture of a copperhead at the zoo but they label a ball python as a copper head in a picture next to the article below the video? That really makes these people look uneducated about common identification of a snake; maybe my expectations are too high. In my eyes those who do the news should get things right and not just use any snake as a scare tactic. I would have thought it would have been another venomous snake they would have in the mirrored image making it look a mean and evil but no a simple ball python. No wonder people are so scared of snakes.
Has anyone complained about the news being wrong yet? Maybe a snake awareness show would do it some justice, by educating the public what is what...

Good thing that copperhead was small I can’t imagine what would have happened if it was an adult.

i sent them an "informative" email. i encourage everyone else to do the same.

Deal

How sad...........
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GratefulFred

I also sent them an email..i hope it helps, most people i know dont like snakes and this isnt helping anyones cause...
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0.1 normal redtail boa
1.0 true redtail boa
1.1 100% het for albino redtails
1 miami red phase cornsnake
1 baby sulcata tortoise
1 snow corn
soon to be 0.4 ball pythons.

Yesterday I too sent them an email informing them of their error.

I noticed this morning that they have removed the ball python picture and put up a copperhead picture in it's place.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

7.33.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi - yeah I know but my kids love the book)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.2 frogs rescued from pool skimmer

np
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Rescued Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
0-0-1 Rescued Aggressive Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-1-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-0-1 Rescued Dieting Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
0-1-0 Rescued Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

Someone posted the picture on this thread yesterday - but I guess it was pulled - it was just a picture of a normal ball python - but it was identified as a copperhead.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

7.33.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi - yeah I know but my kids love the book)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.2 frogs rescued from pool skimmer

np
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Rescued Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
0-0-1 Rescued Aggressive Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-1-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-0-1 Rescued Dieting Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
0-1-0 Rescued Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids

http://img.viacomlocalnetworks.com/images_1702321296/lg

And if you'll indulge me, there may be a legal reason for the picture having been pulled by kingsnake.com headqarters.

Press items can be utilised, 'in part', under the legal concept of 'fair use' ... you can quote them as long as you give proper attribution to the author, paper and press service (sort of like attributing your sources as you did with your university term papers). Quoting as I do the entire item is really pushing the envelope, but my experience since 1994 has been that papers will allow you to do this (more like 'bevevolent indifference' than actually 'allowance') if, big 'if', it's for educational purposes and not for personal/economic gain.
Photographs and art however, seem to fall under a much more restrictive 'copyright' law in the US, the UK and Germany ... sometimes even the newspapers don't own the 'rights' to the photo/art depicted. So ...

Kingsnake.com Headquarters has followed a policy of requesting that people don't post news photos (or other people's photos) ... but rather, indicate that photos are available for viewing at a certain URL.

Please note, I'm not speaking 'for' kingsnake.com headquarters, nor am I associated with them (they've tolerated my presence here for quite some time now). However, I have had some modest experience posting press (and at one time long-ago press photos) on these forums over the past few years and have a collection of over 11,000 herp-related press items ... so I think that I'm managing to steer us along the correct path.

respects
Wes.

np
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Bryan, Atlanta GA

1-0-0 Rescued Ball Python - Apep
0-1-0 Rescued Mountain Horned Dragon - Ki
0-0-1 Rescued Aggressive Bearded Dragon - Zeus
0-0-1 Rescued Non-Alpha Green Iguana - Bud
1-1-0 Rescued Rats... no wait... ROTTEN Little Cats - Ra, Bastet
0-0-1 Rescued Dieting Panda Hamster - Mr. Fluffy
0-1-0 Rescued Little Angelic Kitten - Isis
1-0-0 Horse... whoops... BIG Golden Retriever - Jake
0-1-0 Wife
2-0-0 Kids