# Member Forums > Herp Science News/Herp News >  Taking pet snakes to a public park?

## gsarchie

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/nat...-1226486123696

I can't help but feeling that this is incredibly irresponsible.  While many people may warm up to it there have likely been other that have been sent into a panic attack.  My mom once walked into my house through the back door whe she stopped by to say hi on her way home from work and when she walked into the living room and saw my snake she screamed and went into the kitchen and stood in a corner until I put it away.  Granted, she was bitten by a baby western DB once and nearrly died, but that was her reaction.  I know there are people out there that will completely break downa nd lose control becuase their fears have so much control over them, and doing this can bring those fears up.  Again, incredibly  irresponsible.  ALso, carpet pythons brumating (said to hibernate in the article)?  Not quite, geniuses.

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## The Serpent Merchant

I agree, people taking their reptiles to parks/stores/public in general is a recipe for disaster. I'm all for showing the public how cool these animals are, but it need to be done in a much more controlled environment.

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## Stewart_Reptiles

Sadly people like this are just craving attention and in their own mind justify their behaviour as "I do my part to educate people" which could not be further from the truth.

Education is in a set setting with people coming to you and not you going to them imposing your snake in an environment such as a park.




> "There's nothing funnier than seeing big blokes with tattoos jump backwards,'' Mr Suponin says.


That's say a lot about the owner's maturity and failure to grasp the importance of responsible ownership and positive image.

Now ask me how I really feel about it  :ROFL:

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## gsarchie

Agreed Deb, but after that I'm not sure that I want to know how you really feel!   :Smile:

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## Don

I agree that it is not the most responsible thing to do.  I remember reading a couple years ago of a gentle big albino burm that was taken to the park and kids would play with it.  Then some five or six year old decided to stomp on the burm's head or neck.  It caused severe damage.  Maybe someone else remembers the article better than I.  Even the most gentle well socialized reptile should be kept in a controlled environment.

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Vulgar (06-21-2014)

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## loonunit

Yeah, the albino burm was named Popcorn, I remember. But it actually WAS  a controlled environment: the owner was doing outreach, and had been hired/invited to the event. And some kid marched up to the snake, stomped on it and broke its neck.

- - - Updated - - -

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/archive/index.php/t-101947.html

- - - Updated - - -

This article includes more about the event he was at with the albino burmese:

http://www.eastsidevibe.com/Python.html

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## iCandiBallPythons

Bad idea in my opinion for MANY reasons

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk 2

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## Don

> Yeah, the albino burm was named Popcorn, I remember. But it actually WAS  a controlled environment: the owner was doing outreach, and had been hired/invited to the event. And some kid marched up to the snake, stomped on it and broke its neck.
> 
> - - - Updated - - -
> 
> http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/arch.../t-101947.html
> 
> - - - Updated - - -
> 
> This article includes more about the event he was at with the albino burmese:
> ...


Yup, that is the story I was talking about.  Even though it was in a controlled environment, the snake was left on the ground where the kid could walk up to it and threaten it.  By controlled, I mean that the interaction between the reptile and the public is controlled.  At the end of the day, the owner of the burm became relaxed and let his guard down.  An important lesson for all of us who do these types of exhibitions to be ever vigilant and aware of things that can happen.   I'm sure the owner of that burm was shocked by the event as we all would be.

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## Vasiliki

> Yup, that is the story I was talking about.  Even though it was in a controlled environment, the snake was left on the ground where the kid could walk up to it and threaten it.  By controlled, I mean that the interaction between the reptile and the public is controlled.  At the end of the day, the owner of the burm became relaxed and let his guard down.  An important lesson for all of us who do these types of exhibitions to be ever vigilant and aware of things that can happen.   I'm sure the owner of that burm was shocked by the event as we all would be.


This is true. I do plenty of hands-on events on behalf of our local reptile society. This ranges from school presentations to mall events where we allow hands-on public interaction. 

It is not an exaggeration to say that at least one time at every event, I have to make physical contact with a person to stop a potentially dangerous or harmful situation for my animals. One time included making a child cry violently. 

The first time, a child grabbed my corn snake by the neck. Hard. I saw it coming and grabbed his wrist as he grabbed my snake. I told him to let go and he hesitated, so I squeezed as hard as I could and he screamed and let go. When I asked why he did that, he responded: "I wanted to see what it would do!!"  Thankfully, the mother had helped during the situation and apologized profusely. She asked if the snake was okay and I said I didn't know. So she offered to pay for any vet bills, should they come up. Gave me her business card and cell phone number before dragging the kid off. 

Another time someone was holding my snake and jokingly went to throw it at their frightened friends. Again, since this was a controlled environment, I asked them and their friends to kindly leave or I would have them escourted out (we had security at this event due to it being at a mall). 

I have also had people try and get my snake to bite them. Or ask if they can hold my geckos and they just have a weird vibe that I don't trust. 

I've had people ask me after I tell them these stories: "Why do you still do this?"  Because I still believe that we educate more people than people have bad reactions to, and that's worthwhile. For every bad person, there are hundreds of other amazing people. Ones that like and understand reptiles, ones that are afraid but willing to learn, and ones that are young and get to experience these animals in a positive environment before TV pollutes their perspective of them.

But, you have to constantly be on your toes, and you can't have thin skin. Because I have told people No before, simply because I didn't trust them. And they will sometimes tell you off, or ask why everyone but them gets to hold it. Truth is, I don't need to justify why I'm saying no. It's my animal, so I can. 

It's about being aware of potential problems, and hopefully identifying them before things escalate.

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ballpythonluvr (10-02-2012),JPerkins (11-08-2012),_Valentine Pirate_ (10-02-2012)

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