# Site General > General Herp > Herp Broadcast >  Monsterquest show tonight

## jsschrei

I caught the last 25 minutes or so. Quite one-sided. That's unfortunate. The History channel used to give both sides of the story and have some objectiveness. This show (what I saw of it) was really bad publicity hype. Lost a little respect for this channel tonight. :Mad:

----------


## PyroPython

I guarantee the lack of support for our side on that show was due to a fat check from HSUS.

----------


## Foschi Exotic Serpents

ITS AWFUL!!!!!!!!

Dont watch it without a drink in your hand and a buddy there to catch the brunt of your anger    :Soapbox2:   :Frustrated:   :Angered:

----------


## Foschi Exotic Serpents

OMFG!!!!! Did you see the map of proposed migration???? They are talking about hybrids too. As far north as Washington DC?????

Come on people!

This is un :cens0r: real. 

I tell you what. I am never getting rid of my beautiful BCC Boa's or my SD Retic's or my Borneos or any other big snakes I may aquire. I dont care what they say. Come take my kids from me I dare ya. Even the mean as hell burmese who has turned into quite the biter. She is in my care at the moment and therefor she is mine. 

I totally want to quote an old metallica song... Im sure Id get a warning for it if I did though..  But you get my drift.

----------


## PyroPython

Lolol.  "oh yea. Im sure this is not someones pet. Its very aggressive.". What a load of BS.

----------


## Foschi Exotic Serpents

Whats up with the blood python they were interigating on the golf course??  While explaining hybrids between af rocks and burmese/retics.. ITS A BLOOD PYTHON!!!!

That poor snake. If they actually got someone out there who knows these snakes they wouldnt have such a problem with them. They are treating these animals like they are vipers or something. And all the misidentification. The ignorance is enough to make my head explode. 
You cant handle a snake like that and not expect it to get very agitated. Im going outside for a cigarette... OI!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And that sweet little baby burm they "found" is being so incredibly calm and tame in that guys hands.. Doesnt look like a wild hatched baby to me.. He seems quite content just laying there along the guys arm..


Sorry bpnet mods for venting.. But these animals are our passion, our pets, our hobby, our babies, our lives for some... This just angers me and makes me sad all at the same time.

----------

_771subliminal_ (01-28-2010),jacob985 (02-01-2010),_monk90222_ (01-28-2010),_Teresa_ (01-29-2010)

----------


## saber2th

Years ago it was alligators in the New York sewers and now they are saying it's going to be big snakes in the winter! Come on people!! And that baby Burm., I'm sure was a plant!

----------


## gp_dragsandballs

I saw it too. The one guy on there who was saying that snakes aren't mean and that the invasion up north is bs was the only one who knew anything. 

According to the idiots with all the gadgets giant pythons prefer to hide out in rusty old buildings  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## Foschi Exotic Serpents

> I saw it too. The one guy on there who was saying that snakes aren't mean and that the invasion up north is bs was the only one who knew anything. 
> 
> According to the idiots with all the gadgets giant pythons prefer to hide out in rusty old buildings


Yes but that was at the very end of the show. The entire rest of the show filled peoples minds with horrific images that would easily have blocked out anything intelligent and factual that may have been said.. Thats the power of the media right there.  :Mad:

----------


## fishmommy

I record any show with the word 'snake' in the title or description.
I saw this one recording last night, but I deleted it without watching it.
I knew it would just make me mad if I watched it, so I didn't.

I pointed it out to my husband and proclaimed "Propaganda!" and he rolled his eyes at me  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## FatBoy

A total bag of BS!!!  If you were unhappy with the information shared go to http://www.history.com/global/feedba...m&NetwCode=THC and leave a comment!!  I DID!!!!!  :Mad:  :Rage:

----------


## mfkelly

I agree, that that baby burm was a plant, and that the show was terribly one sided. The part that pisses me off though is that PEOPLE didn't keep them correctly and either let them go on purpose, or didn't have them caged correctly and then hurricane Andrew came and set them free. And that is the unfortunate part, because now many might pay the price for the actions of a few stupid people. I love how they down played the venomous problem, especially when talking about the cobras that are loose. Well, they are more likely to eat the pythons then kill a person. As snake/reptile keepers I think we have to start policing our own!

----------


## ER12

Did anyone catch Monster Quest on the History Chennel last night about "invasive pythons?"  I watched it last night. It was probably one of the largest loads of crap I have ever watched. They talked about the possibility of different species hybridizing to produce "super snakes" and even suggested that pythons and cobras could hybridize!!! They mentioned that there are King Cobras in South Florida as well, even though their was only one instance of an escaped King being found in S. Florida. They of course showed the USGS map and even stated that "killer pythons" would be able to migrate and thrive all of the way up to New York City's Central Park and that the sewers and subways are ideal environments for them. There was of course alot of hype about pythons being a danger to the public, pets, wildlife, etc and what python propaganda piece would be complete without bringing up the Sumpet Co. girl's death by the "deadly rampaging python"?

Pretty much the only good parts of the show were toward the end when the one guy said that venomous and pythons could not possibly hybridize and when they mentioned Hurricane Andrew as a factor for the snake's release.

----------


## Sarin

Does anybody have a link to this video yet?

----------


## jacob985

yea  i caught that it was really bad publisity. pythons dont kill irresponable owners do.

----------


## Aeries

More about that here: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=111424

----------


## WIpythonGUY

if the name of the show doesnt say it all  "Monster Quest"  what a joke.  how about the large snake in central park, the show said that the snake was probably released, not a probable escape.   what about the mountain lions or bears, or wolfs or coyotes that kill neighborhood cats and dogs.  there is more of an instance of deaths in the united states from said mammals.  absolutly agenda driven show.  good editing. and what about the guy that that was holding the snake that had the wound in the head, what a joke.  
this doesnt have to do with the monster quest show, but did anyone read the article about the United States government using bomb swallowing snakes to bomb cuba.  wish i still had the link.

----------


## Repsrul

> A total bag of BS!!!  If you were unhappy with the information shared go to http://www.history.com/global/feedba...m&NetwCode=THC and leave a comment!!  I DID!!!!!


 I could not agree more! Thanks for the link. I just spent the last 30 minutes writing and sending my feed back.

----------


## vjb

Just like the media to never let the facts get in the way of a juicy story to get ratings.

Ratings=advertisers=$$$$$$$$$$

----------


## jsmorphs2

> A total bag of BS!!!  If you were unhappy with the information shared go to http://www.history.com/global/feedba...m&NetwCode=THC and leave a comment!!  I DID!!!!!


Thank you! I too wrote a comment that took a while to write. I wanted to make sure they were aware of what harm they have caused. :Mad:  :Mad:  :Mad: 

I feel like this  :Taz:  inside! GRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

----------


## jsschrei

http://www.history.com/global/feedba...m&NetwCode=THC

Please be polite. Maybe if some of us write about the show, and how this issue is going before Congress, they'd be interested in filming a show "from our side". Maybe have some real scientists and reps from USARK, PIJAC and such give some REAL information.

----------


## redstormlax12

left a comment for the History Channel. This is it.

The information that was on the new MonsterQuest was awful. The "experts" barely knew what they were talking about. This show only made the situation that us as reptile keepers are trying to fight, so much worse. The idea of burmese pythons, Boas, and African Rock Pythons being able to live in NY is ignorant. These species live in areas of the world where they need constant warm temperatures. They have not evolved to hibernate in sub-zero temperatures and to think they will is ignorant. The so called "science" that was on the show was humiliating. There was no reason to think that our pets could live in NYC. The tens' of thousands of us that keep reptiles are responsible owners and we are pasionate about our pets. For this show to be aired is a disgrace. It made us, as a community, look incapable of keeping our pets. We do not release our burmese pythons, african rock pythons or reticulated pythons in the wild. Irresponsible owners, and owners we do not associate with, do this. We love our pets too much to risk their health, and we respect the other keepers in America too much to risk their chance of owning reptiles. Then for the "experts" to call the burmese pythons in the everglades an "infestation" is completely wrong. After several months of searching the everglades of Florida, only around 11 burmese pythons were found. Yet these "experts" found two in one night? And the handling of the injured burmese python was deplorable. The python's tail was cut off and looked to be infected. Then the horrible gashes on its head were clearly painful. The animal was being defensive, as would just about any animal that has been injured so severly. Yet these "experts" grab it and wrestle with it. There was no need for this. The poor animal clearly needed to be seen by an experienced veternarian. I am offended by the material and "facts" that were presented by this episode. The "experts" should be ashamed as they has misrepresented us. Scientists have said that the information out there is not scientific, and the "science" in this show was far from scientific. If there is a breeding population in the everglades it is not due to us, as a reptile keeping community, but to the zoo's that keep the breeding size burmese pythons. Our animals are worth too much to us to let them suffer in the wild. What was presented on this episode was awful. The deplorable "facts" that were presented should be considered slander against our community.

----------


## WingedWolfPsion

I'm not sure what zoos have to do with it, though...I'm afraid that part may not have come across very well.  The Burms released into the Everglades probably came from a large shipment imported for the pet trade.  They were most likely in a warehouse that was blown into the swamp by a hurricane.  Zoos were never involved at any point.  Most CBB Burms in the US come from private breeders and small businesses--Burmese aren't bred by zoos.  Any responsible owner who keeps a Burmese is eventually going to have a breeding-sized Burmese.

----------


## redstormlax12

Yeah, Sorry. That didnt come off the way i wanted. I was just trying to state that its not just the pet trade and pet owners that have caused this "problem". The zoos may not breed the burmese, but they do have breeding size burms that could have gotten loose during the hurricanes.

----------


## Blightedchemist

I'm glad I forgot about this show. I knew it was going to be complete BS.
When I saw it advertised I pictured them staging a dramatization of a "50 foot python" doing things to a family and their family pet that would parallel the stuff of nightmares.

----------


## snakesRkewl

It was absolutely some of the worst television I have ever seen, and I grew up with the Brady bunch.....

I have deprogrammed A&E from my television, and the history channel goes too.

If they will put a show on with this amount of lies and bs then anything they produce is suspect in my mind  :Mad:

----------


## tRiP

Yes I've lost a lot of respect for the channel as well, and can't help but question everything else they've done shows on after all the misinformation.  I was in a pretty relaxed state of mind when watching but I couldn't even sit through all of it.  Made it approx 20 minutes in before have to turn it off.

----------


## ER12

Here is the email address I sent my email to, feedback@aetv.com

Here is what I sent.
To whom it may concern,

I recently watched a program airing on January 27, 2010 on the History Channel titled "Monster Quest: Giant Pythons in America" and "Monster Quest: Giant Killer Snakes". I must say that these two programs were likely THE WORST cases of hype, misinformation, and outright speculation I have thus seen aired on the History Channel.

Both programs referenced the recent USGS report by Rodda and Reed on the expansion of the Burmese python and other 8 species of constrictors in the United States based on climate changes. However, these reports are fundamentally flawed in that they examined ONLY climate as a factor, when in truth, there are many other factors that would significantly influence and limit the distribution of exotic species of snakes in the US. Furthermore, this USGS report has in fact been deemed "unscientific" by an independent panel of 11 herpetologists and other scientists. Please review these documents by Dave and Tracy Barker regarding Burmese pythons in South Florida:
http://usark.org/uploads/Tympanum.pdf
http://usark.org/uploads/DistributionBurmesePython.pdf
http://usark.org/uploads/Burmese&Flo...ompressed).pdf
http://usark.org/uploads/ReedRodda_R...Barker2010.pdf
http://usark.org/uploads/ComeOutOfCold_BCHS.pdf


The amount of false information, outright speculation, and scare tactics utilized in the programs was absolutely astounding and completely unacceptable to myself and many History channel viewers. For example, It is entirely ludicrous that anyone, much less Joe Wasilewski, would firmly believe that Burmese pythons, or any other exotic boa or python species, could possibly survive, thrive, and reproduce in New York City's central park or elsewhere in the US based on the flawed and unscientific USGS report. Another astounding example of blatant lies and misinformation was when the narrator stated that pythons and cobras could hybridize! It does not take an expert herpetologist to realize that this statement entirely false. While snake hybrids of similar species in a same genus have occasionally hybridized in captivity, NO evidence of such hybridization in snakes has been so far been documented in South Florida or any other location in the United States. As it stands at this point, the issue of hybridization in the Everglades is purely speculative. Even if such hybridization did occur, the offspring would likely be sterile or infertile and certainly not the "super snakes" that the programs wildly claim. The program also wildly speculates that King Cobras (Ophiophagus hannah) are thriving in South Florida based on the capture of only ONE known escaped specimen. No other king cobras have been found to my knowledge surviving and reproducing outside of captivity in Florida.

Very little factual information at all was conveyed in both of these programs, with the possible exception of mentioning Hurricane Andrew as a factor for the snake's release and Wasilewski's statement toward the end of the program that venomous snakes and pythons could not possibly hybridize. After watching these two programs, It seems to me that the primary intent behind the programs is to simply incite even more fear and misunderstanding towards snakes by the general public rather than to provide quality, educational programming. I am most disappointed to say, that if the History Channel does not provide the informative quality programming that many of its viewers expect and deserve, I WILL NO LONGER be patronizing your channel. Thank You.

----------


## deminon

I agree, i didn't like the show especially when they never stated as to which python species they were showing. simply saying all pythons are "large, deadly beasts" is an insult to snakes. i agree that the show was aired simply to instill a sense of greater fear towards snakes.

----------


## PyroPython

Is it just me or was that hook used on that blood just insanely un-neccessary? They tossed it around like they wanted to knock it onto the green over there.

----------


## Oroborous

I'm curious, does anyone have a link to the full episode online? It'll probably just enrage me if I watch it, but I want to see what they had to say about this.

----------


## N4S

there should be some tissues in this thread

----------


## RockyTop

Btw, for those that missed it, this is being rebroadcast tonight on the History Channel at 9PM EST.

----------


## dc4teg

WTF, venomous snakes breeding with pythons... I have lost any respect for any scientist.... sigh

----------


## BOWSER11788

those darn rusty buildings, lets just tear them down, i swear if i ever see those people im going to jail for abuse

----------

