are bps next on the list, or is it burms??

I know given the current state of things in the reptile community, this isn't good that they are referring to it as a burmese python.

But I have to say, (and I'm sure this will make me a bit unpopular, oh well) I really bugs me when people in the reptile community start acting like elitist jerks making comments like "What an idiot, how could they not know its just a ball python!" Why exactly WOULD they know what species it is? Do we really expect that everyone should know enough about snakes to identify species? This reminds me a lot of the software industry when IT guys love to talk about how stupid the end user is, as though they should be expected to know why their kernel is crashing. How many of you before you ever got into this hobby could identify a burmese from a ball?

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Originally Posted by anthonym

How many of you before you ever got into this hobby could identify a burmese from a ball?

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I probably couldn't, but then again I wouldn't have stated that it was a Burm or Boa or any other snake species that I knew at the time. I don't have a problem with people not knowing about snakes (or any other subject for that matter), but I get annoyed when they pretend they know what they're talking about. If they were unsure, they should have just said so or something to the effect of "an unidentified snake species".

It's the responsibility of the news agencies to get their facts straight. If they don't know what type of snake it is, they shouldn't have stated definitively that it was a "Burmese Python". They also used the snake to propagate the fears of the wild Burm problem in that state, which only leads to further misguided hysteria.

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Originally Posted by xdeus

I probably couldn't, but then again I wouldn't have stated that it was a Burm or Boa or any other snake species that I knew at the time. I don't have a problem with people not knowing about snakes (or any other subject for that matter), but I get annoyed when they pretend they know what they're talking about. If they were unsure, they should have just said so or something to the effect of "an unidentified snake species".

It's the responsibility of the news agencies to get their facts straight. If they don't know what type of snake it is, they shouldn't have stated definitively that it was a "Burmese Python". They also used the snake to propagate the fears of the wild Burm problem in that state, which only leads to further misguided hysteria.

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Yeah, I agree with the news station bit. But I'm more so talking in general. I see this elitist attitude of calling people "idiots" a lot from our community for similar things.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by anthonym

I know given the current state of things in the reptile community, this isn't good that they are referring to it as a burmese python.

But I have to say, (and I'm sure this will make me a bit unpopular, oh well) I really bugs me when people in the reptile community start acting like elitist jerks making comments like "What an idiot, how could they not know its just a ball python!" Why exactly WOULD they know what species it is? Do we really expect that everyone should know enough about snakes to identify species? This reminds me a lot of the software industry when IT guys love to talk about how stupid the end user is, as though they should be expected to know why their kernel is crashing. How many of you before you ever got into this hobby could identify a burmese from a ball?

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i can give you the lady whose suv it was under not knowing, ill even give you that the media didnt know even tho they should of researched it, but when the florida fish and wildlife conservation shows up and its still being called a burm i start to get worried. seeing that they are one of the people that are saying how many burms are in the wild. if they cant tell a ball from a burm what else are they calling a burm?

Please send them feedback informing them of the mistake. The snake was misidentified and this could be detrimental to us. Here is the link. Make it short and professional. I already have.

http://www.wesh.com/station/290180/detail.html

Here i the link to contact 791pets as well. Everyone needs to ask them politely to correct this mistake.

http://www.719pets.com/contact/

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

Please send them feedback informing them of the mistake. The snake was misidentified and this could be detrimental to us. Here is the link. Make it short and professional. I already have.

http://www.wesh.com/station/290180/detail.html

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Yes, I like this approach much more :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by anthonym

I know given the current state of things in the reptile community, this isn't good that they are referring to it as a burmese python.

But I have to say, (and I'm sure this will make me a bit unpopular, oh well) I really bugs me when people in the reptile community start acting like elitist jerks making comments like "What an idiot, how could they not know its just a ball python!" Why exactly WOULD they know what species it is? Do we really expect that everyone should know enough about snakes to identify species? This reminds me a lot of the software industry when IT guys love to talk about how stupid the end user is, as though they should be expected to know why their kernel is crashing. How many of you before you ever got into this hobby could identify a burmese from a ball?

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I have beef with ppl who PUBLICLY say things that aren't true. When you put yourself in the public eye you get public harassment. If you don't know it, then just say WE DON"T KNOW!! And leave it at that, don't call it something just to make a story for your no name news team.

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Originally Posted by MitsuMike

I have beef with ppl who PUBLICLY say things that aren't true. When you put yourself in the public eye you get public harassment. If you don't know it, then just say WE DON"T KNOW!! And leave it at that, don't call it something just to make a story for your no name news team.

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This is exactly why I left very professional emails and one comment asking them to please correct their misidentification mistake. In cases like this we need to stay calm and not act like immature kids.

Here is a reply I just recieved from Elaine Sheridan from 791pets..

"Hi Monica,

Many people have emailed about the identity on the species of snake in this story. The story was shot and reported by the NBC affiliate in Orlando, FL. I called that station to see about the information in the story and they said a lot of people complained to them about the species, but that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it was a Burmese so that is what they reported. It didn't look like a 4-foot Bermese to me either, I have a boa but I am not a herpetologist, so I have no way of "officially" correcting the story. I have included the link here so you can watch the video. http://www.wesh.com/news/23501850/detail.html



For the record they thought the snake was a pet and it was tame so they took it to a pet store."

I am forwarding this to Johnathan Brady. Maybe USARK can use this info about the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission not being able to properly identify snake species..