Another rant, opinions?

[BCS]

Just a few minutes ago I was looking around yahoo answers. I go there from time to time and quite often I see post about people keeping "deadly" snakes. This person posted this rant about an hour ago. He/She is clearly uneducated about snakes but this always seems to get under my skin. People come to conclusions with out willing to listen to people who know all about snakes. It seems she is unaware that most snakes in captivity are non venomous. Not only that, the most deaths from domestic animals are from dogs and we can agrue that tooth and nail but these people just seem to not listen. But I wanted to hear your opinions about rants such as these and how often do you run into them. Does it bother you as much as it does me? Posted below is the whole rant.

How many children have to die before we can get these idiots to leave snakes in the wild?

Keeping these stealthy reptiles in homes, especially those with children and babies in them, is an unnecessary risk. With their sharp fangs, highly toxic venom, and powerful muscle strength, these silent predators are intended for life in the wild.
And yet, snakes are one of the most common “pet” reptiles. A 2012 report revealed that more than 1,110 snakes live in U.S. homes, which is nearly double from the 2007 record. However, forcing these creatures into captivity will not turn them into domesticated family members.
At least 20,000 deaths occur worldwide from snakebites each year, according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, the Humane Society has documented 17 people who have died in snake attacks since 1978. Seven of those fatalities were children, including four babies who were sleeping in their cribs when squeezed to death by large constrictors.
In total, 34 snake attacks involving children have been cited. The report explains, “Youngsters have been attacked while playing in their yards, compressed to the point of unconsciousness, nearly blinded when bitten in the face, and suffered numerous other painful, traumatic, and disfiguring injuries. These creatures fare much better when left in their natural environment—not cramped in a cage.
And before any idiots bring it up, there are more dogs as pets than pet snakes, hence the higher death tole, and as the number of "pet" snakes goes up, so will the number of children and people being killed.

[bcr229]

If you can post a reply, simply post links to refute her information. You likely won't change her mind but she will look nuts to anyone who is neutral on the subject.

[Daigga]

Yahoo answers is a weird place to post a rant, as this is obviously not a question. Her number also have strange leaps riddled with holes; worldwide there are supposedly 20,000 deaths per year, but only a whopping 17 from captive snakes in the last 37 years? An epidemic, surely. Her argument is full of nonsense and overly emotional.

[BCS]

Yahoo answers is a weird place to post a rant, as this is obviously not a question. Her number also have strange leaps riddled with holes; worldwide there are supposedly 20,000 deaths per year, but only a whopping 17 from captive snakes in the last 37 years? An epidemic, surely. Her argument is full of nonsense and overly emotional.

That is what i thought. In one of the answers someone posted that they had already reported it as a rant so I just left it. What I really wanted to say was that those kids who get bite by poisonous snakes usually have too much curiosity when meeting a snake in the wild. I just feel no matter what I say, she would not listen anyway. I know I should not let it bother me but as a snake lover with a bit of an addiction problem with snakes, it really gets to me.

[HVani]

Your first mistake was going to yahoo answers lol.

The world is riddled with ignorance.

[JoshSloane]

Hahaha where are these numbers coming from? Only 1,110 snakes in captivity? A few years ago I had just over 400 in my house alone.

[Sonny1318]

Yahoo, for answers? What kind of yahoo gets answers from Yahoos. Sorry had to say it.

[BCS]

Yahoo, for answers? What kind of yahoo gets answers from Yahoos. Sorry had to say it.

Actually a lot of people do. It is through yahoo that I learned about BP.net. But I usually go there to read peoples questions for entertainment.

[Sauzo]

Also remember, organizations like ASPCA and HSUS are both big organizations against the keeping of any exotic pets especially snakes. So they fill the media and air waves with their "propaganda" of how these exotic pets kill, maim, destroy and overall are dangerous to us. So it doesn't surprise me to see lots of uneducated people spewing their venom.