Questionable behavoir by a birder
- Thread starter Arey
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Yeah same guy as with the rattlesnake. He seems to catch crap from every group but not really care. The hobby seems to be about him, he is a showman, typical dipshit from my generation who tries to be an internet superstar.
Usually I won't report someone just for picking up a snake, I mean many of us have done it. But his picture with the rattlesnake (which he took down) was ridiculous.
Usually I won't report someone just for picking up a snake, I mean many of us have done it. But his picture with the rattlesnake (which he took down) was ridiculous.
Well showing off with rattlers can be bad for your health.I know a fellow who free handles rattlers.I"ve seen him do it.I was born with two arms and ten digits,I hopefully intend to die that way.
I remember as a kid on a family vacation to florida and stopping at one of the tourist stops, Silver Springs I think. They had a well known guy there that gave demonstrations with snakes; put one around my sister and my neck for pictures. He also milked quite a few in a pit filled with poisonous snakes and surrounded by tourists. Milked a couple of cobras freehand. He had been bitten quite a few times as I recall, but continued doing this to provide for anti-venom. He's probably dead by now, of old age or something else, can't remember his name, but he sure left an impression on me.
Found it; Ross Allen and the Silver Springs Reptile Institute.
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Yeah Al, this photo he had was pure stupidity. Apparently he is a nice guys just a dumb ass attention type. I actually emailed him via flickr expressing my issues, he seem niave and somewhat of a clown. Hopefully he learned his lesson. I'll try to post the picture if I remember, I screenshot it for fish and game so i have a record. I really don't think he is a bad guy, like I said just a dumb ass. I've encountered far more disruptive people to the pine barrens ecosystem over the years.
A snake lovin clown? Sounds like a potentially cool guy.Clownin with rattlers is definitely not cool though.When wildlife educators go to schools with live critters to educate kids they usually let them handle critters like harmless variety type snakes and birds and maybe a tame ferret or some such animal.I think handling like that can breed a respect and a love for the critter your not going to get watching a documentary.It stops the cycle of fear and hence killing for no reason.A kid that learns to like snakes will not teach his kids to hate them.Teach them how to handle and when to handle not that all handling is bad.If your going to handle frogs and salamanders do it with clean hands and don't dry them out.Get em back in the wet quickly.Your going to handle snakes don't smash their heads,don't drape em around your neck if you don't like being bit in the face.teach em what snakes can hurt em,which can kill em and that snakes don't love you back and that any animal can and will bite when it feels it needs to defend itself.I get a kick out of people asking will such and such animal bite them.I tell them your pet dog will bite you if you hurt them bad enough.
Coulda been the guy they made the movie SSSS! after.Hollywoods stoked it up quite a bit.It was about a scientist from Florida who was doing experiments on himself by injecting venom into his bloodstream trying to build immunities.Instead he gradually turned into a cobra himself.I think it was based on a scientist in Florida who actually was doing this only he didn't turn into a cobra.
Agreed, especially regarding the education piece. Both of my sons have handled snakes in the wild (gently and with clean hands). I only let them handle the snakes if they are docile, so it's basically been a few garter snakes, brown snakes and one or two docile juvenile water snakes. A few months ago one of the juvenile water snakes nipped my older son. My son looked at me, puzzled, and I explained that the snake wasn't trying to hurt him, it was afraid of him. Recently a young garter did the same thing to me in front of my sons, and my older son verbally empathized that the snake was afraid. It's nice to see it start young, it really does foster a healthy respect for the animals and if it's done right the kids don't assign anthropomorphic qualities to them, they simply respect and admire them for their beauty and uniqueness.
From a snakes point of view anything that grabs it is trying to eat it,at least when first caught.They will accept handling when they realize they are not about to become a meal,excepting certain species like black racers and northern water snakes which I believe actually enjoy biting anyone and every one they can
I have four daughter and none of them are afraid of snakes.One loves snakes another one thinks their cool and the other two are indifferent to them but will handle them to show their not afraid of them.When I met my wife (mother of my three step daughters) she already had a large male iguana so I saw the family had potential.My wife soon became the iguana rescue lady and we wound up with more iguanas then we could handle,some of them large nasty males.Well her nephew wanted a large nasty male but he didn't want his ball python so we swapped him and thats how the kids became snake friendly.Hercules was a family member for many years.Good riddance to nasty male iguanas
I have four daughter and none of them are afraid of snakes.One loves snakes another one thinks their cool and the other two are indifferent to them but will handle them to show their not afraid of them.When I met my wife (mother of my three step daughters) she already had a large male iguana so I saw the family had potential.My wife soon became the iguana rescue lady and we wound up with more iguanas then we could handle,some of them large nasty males.Well her nephew wanted a large nasty male but he didn't want his ball python so we swapped him and thats how the kids became snake friendly.Hercules was a family member for many years.Good riddance to nasty male iguanas