Cops episode - killing a harmless snake

(Not sure where to put this, so feel free to move to the appropriate forum)

OMG... I'm sitting here watching an old "Cops" episode, and this one segment just made me cry! They were in the south (Florida?) and a woman calls in that a snake is on her porch. The cops show up, find a gorgeous and obviously docile black rat snake (?) above the porch. The poor snake is just slithering around, minding its own business, and would probably have moved on in a minute. So there are THREE cops standing around with their heads up their arses, trying to figure out how to handle it. One yells "Spray it with the mace!" which the female cop proceeds to do - twice. Then another cop shows up, this big hulk of a man, and he strolls right up and bashes it on the head with his club. :O:tears: The poor thing struggled for a minute, until the cop finished the job with another blow & threw it in the garbage. What the heck??!!

They said "we really didn't want it to end that way, and hoped the snake wouldn't have to be hurt" - but they never even gave the poor thing a chance to move on. It made NO attempt to strike them, and was just crawling around and flickering its little tongue... probably just looking for a good mouse/rat to dine on. These morons also referred to it as a poisonous snake, when anyone with half a brain could see it wasn't a viper, cobra or rattlesnake. Even before I had snakes and knew anything about them, I could tell the difference between a poisonous and non-poisonous snake. Maybe it was too small of a town for this, but they didn't even attempt to contact animal control or anyone with snake knowledge. This reeeaaaallllly ticked me off, and I'm thinking of sending a nasty letter to that police dept. I'll have to rewind my TiVo to see where they were...

Has anyone else seen this episode? I couldn't find any clips online, but I did find this one discussion: http://forums.g4tv.com/showthread.php?t=25778 We really need to educate the public on snakes, seeing as they share our land... or do humans want to kill off that species too?? Argh. :mad:

Shoot... I just tried to rewind, and accidentally hit record (which caused the previous episode to disappear). I think it was Gainseville, but not 100% sure. :cool:

And while I'm on the topic, here's another incredibly stupid cop/snake story (found it while looking for info on the episode): http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008...sive_pyth.html :weirdface

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

(Not sure where to put this, so feel free to move to the appropriate forum)

OMG... I'm sitting here watching an old "Cops" episode, and this one segment just made me cry! They were in the south (Florida?) and a woman calls in that a snake is on her porch. The cops show up, find a gorgeous and obviously docile black rat snake (?) above the porch. The poor snake is just slithering around, minding its own business, and would probably have moved on in a minute. So there are THREE cops standing around with their heads up their arses, trying to figure out how to handle it. One yells "Spray it with the mace!" which the female cop proceeds to do - twice. Then another cop shows up, this big hulk of a man, and he strolls right up and bashes it on the head with his club. :O:tears: The poor thing struggled for a minute, until the cop finished the job with another blow & threw it in the garbage. What the heck??!!

They said "we really didn't want it to end that way, and hoped the snake wouldn't have to be hurt" - but they never even gave the poor thing a chance to move on. It made NO attempt to strike them, and was just crawling around and flickering its little tongue... probably just looking for a good mouse/rat to dine on. These morons also referred to it as a poisonous snake, when anyone with half a brain could see it wasn't a viper, cobra or rattlesnake. Even before I had snakes and knew anything about them, I could tell the difference between a poisonous and non-poisonous snake. Maybe it was too small of a town for this, but they didn't even attempt to contact animal control or anyone with snake knowledge. This reeeaaaallllly ticked me off, and I'm thinking of sending a nasty letter to that police dept. I'll have to rewind my TiVo to see where they were...

Has anyone else seen this episode? I couldn't find any clips online, but I did find this one discussion: http://forums.g4tv.com/showthread.php?t=25778 We really need to educate the public on snakes, seeing as they share our land... or do humans want to kill off that species too?? Argh. :mad:

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Can't really "bash" the police for not knowing when you yourself don't seem to know that snakes aren't poisonous, they're venomous.

I saw this Cops episode a few months ago. Very sad! Poor snake. :(

Buttons, that's a distinction that they get wrong in documentries and journal articles, let alone the average person. Lay people hear those words used interchangably all their lives.
For the OP's benefit, the main difference inbetween venom and poison is that venom works in the bloodstream, it harmless if injested (provided you don't have ulcers or sores in your digestive tract).

But on topic, I agree with you, stories like that are always horrible. Unfortunatly it's not reversible. People just need to become more educated, because society teaches them a phobia, an irrational fear.

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Originally Posted by Aeries

Buttons, that's a distinction that they get wrong in documentries and journal articles, let alone the average person. Lay people hear those words used interchangably all their lives.
For the OP's benefit, the main difference inbetween venom and poison is that venom works in the bloodstream, it harmless if injested (provided you don't have ulcers or sores in your digestive tract).

But on topic, I agree with you, stories like that are always horrible. Unfortunatly it's not reversible. People just need to become more educated, because society teaches them a phobia, an irrational fear.

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Someone who owns snakes and makes comments like "These morons also referred to it as a poisonous snake, when anyone with half a brain could see it wasn't a viper, cobra or rattlesnake" shouldn't really be making those comments when they themselves look like the moron.

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Originally Posted by Buttons

Someone who owns snakes and makes comments like "These morons also referred to it as a poisonous snake, when anyone with half a brain could see it wasn't a viper, cobra or rattlesnake" shouldn't really be making those comments when they themselves look like the moron.

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Well, it's a non-venomous snake, and they thought it was venomous and therefore killed it...

Man, that's really sad.

I heard a story a while ago, kind of like this, but it does involve a snake getting killed:

There was a man who had this albino boa that he adopted and he was going to take it to the vet for a check up (I think?) and he stopped by a Star Bucks to get a cup of coffee. He had this snake in an army bag in his car, and when he ran inside to get the coffee he had the doors unlocked, but only in there for 2 minutes. When the man got back the bag was gone. He tried searching everywhere for it, and even put up posters. A while after, the snake was found on the ground with rocks near it. The snake was beaten with rocks that were thrown at it, and then the head was chopped right off.

It's a pretty sad story, and I think this snake also had a litter of baby boas.

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Originally Posted by omnibus2

Well, it's a non-venomous snake, and they thought it was venomous and therefore killed it...

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:confused: You really didn't get my point. Lolo called them morons for thinking it was a "poisonous" snake when she herself doesn't seem to know the difference between poisonous and venomous!

She shouldn't be calling them morons if she herself doesn't know the difference.

Now do you understand?

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Originally Posted by Buttons

Can't really "bash" the police for not knowing when you yourself don't seem to know that snakes aren't poisonous, they're venomous.

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C'mon... I know the proper terminology, I was just using the same word as the cops did. It was like 4am when I typed that, for crying out loud. :D Anyway, back to the topic at hand. :rolleyes:

Wikipedia has a good paragraph on the difference between poisonous and venomous...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venom#V..._vs._poisonous

Although I agree that it is somewhat irritating that people do use the words poisonous and venomous interchangably, I do believe we are getting off the topic of how sad of a story this is....

Maybe we should focus our thoughts on constructive efforts instead of criticizing each other... I think the fact that the original poster switched the two words just proves the point that they themselves were trying to make. We need more education. Just my :2cent:

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Originally Posted by Buttons

:confused: You really didn't get my point. Lolo called them morons for thinking it was a "poisonous" snake when she herself doesn't seem to know the difference between poisonous and venomous!

She shouldn't be calling them morons if she herself doesn't know the difference.

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For the record, I wasn't calling them morons for not identifying the snake, since I don't even know for sure what it was... hence the (?) I put after rat snake. I was calling them morons (perhaps too strong a word) for using violent/fatal methods, before even attempting to find a better solution. And when the cop said "We didn't want it to end that way" after showing NO concern for the animal's well-being, I couldn't help being angered by them.

My sister worked for the police department (as an attorney) for nearly 8 years, so I have nothing but respect for the work they do... but even she admits they aren't perfect, and I think we have the right to call them out on their mistakes. JMO, take it or leave it. :cool:

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Originally Posted by Artic_exotics

Maybe we should focus our thoughts on constructive efforts instead of criticizing each other... I think the fact that the original poster switched the two words just proves the point that they themselves were trying to make. We need more education. Just my :2cent:

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Thanks. ;) I admit to being a relative "newbie," as I've only been a reptile keeper for under a year (aside from a few childhood pets). But at least I try to educate myself on things I don't understand, and venemous, poisonous or otherwise, I'd never resort to killing an animal unless my life was clearly in danger - which was NOT the case with this snake vs cops situation. I really wish you'd seen the episode, and then you'd be as angry as I was... their callous disregard for a beautiful living creature was unnecessary, plain and simple.

Also thought I'd mention that these cops live in Florida, where you'd think they would have more experience & knowledge with snakes - venemous or not. The cop who bashed the snake even said himself "We get piles of these in our yard all the time, and either kill them or chase them away." If you had constant sightings of a particular snake at your home, wouldn't you take a minute to educate yourself on them? If nothing else, just to make sure it wasn't a threat to your family?

I live in San Francisco, where it would be highly unusual to see a wild snake wandering around... but living in a place like Florida, it would behoove them to get a bit of education on reptiles. When I lived in Lake Tahoe, we spotted a young bear in our apartment complex - that one sighting was enough to make me do a little research, and learn about the critters who shared our land (not limited to bears). Common sense, ya know? :cool:

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Originally Posted by Buttons

:confused: You really didn't get my point. Lolo called them morons for thinking it was a "poisonous" snake when she herself doesn't seem to know the difference between poisonous and venomous!

She shouldn't be calling them morons if she herself doesn't know the difference.

Now do you understand?

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We understand the difference between venomous and poisonous and if the OP did not already, which I'm pretty sure they did (they were just referring to the way the cops said it, at least, that's how I read it) then they do now. No need to harp on it.

Back on subject, it is terrible how some things that are misunderstood are treated with such disrespect and abuse. It's a shame for the animals and only puts them in a bad light surrounded by stupid people.

Unfortunately, the common mentality is "The only good snake, is a dead snake". Many people don't care what the are and they'd rather not find out, they just want it dead.

It's sad, but the best that we can do as a community is try to educate people whenever we can. We have to be responsible and show them the good sides of these animals, not the dark, vile one that the media likes to make up. :snake: We also have to show them that we as a community are not a bunch of disturbed individuals but we are just people that love our pets and hobby.

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

Also thought I'd mention that these cops live in Florida, where you'd think they would have more experience & knowledge with snakes - venemous or not. The cop who bashed the snake even said himself "We get piles of these in our yard all the time, and either kill them or chase them away." If you had constant sightings of a particular snake at your home, wouldn't you take a minute to educate yourself on them? If nothing else, just to make sure it wasn't a threat to your family?

I live in San Francisco, where it would be highly unusual to see a wild snake wandering around... but living in a place like Florida, it would behoove them to get a bit of education on reptiles. When I lived in Lake Tahoe, we spotted a young bear in our apartment complex - that one sighting was enough to make me do a little research, and learn about the critters who shared our land (not limited to bears). Common sense, ya know? :cool:

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

We understand the difference between venomous and poisonous and if the OP did not already, which I'm pretty sure they did (they were just referring to the way the cops said it, at least, that's how I read it) then they do now. No need to harp on it.

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Yes I do - and DID - in fact know the difference... it was 4am, I had just watched the episode, and simply used the wrong word (their word) in the moment. So sue me. :rolleyes: But at least the second poster had the decency to offer information, instead of resorting to name-calling and condescending tones. Totally not needed, especially when it has nothing to do with my original point. Luckily that crap doesn't bother me, and I'd just like to get back on-topic!

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Back on subject, it is terrible how some things that are misunderstood are treated with such disrespect and abuse. It's a shame for the animals and only puts them in a bad light surrounded by stupid people.

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I agree, and never realized how bad it was until I started keeping reptiles... even the most well-educated people are clueless about snakes, and respond out of fear and "bad press." Same as with Pit Bulls, who are generally fine dogs with the right owner. Rather than writing an angry letter, I may just write an informative one - not on snakes themselves, but on the need to educate their police officers & public. And I wonder, do they have any kind of wild animal control in their town, to help with these situations? Even here in the city we have something like that, and it's recommended to call them before taking action on your own. Once again, it seems like common sense to me. :cool:

It's just a snake.

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

Man, that's really sad.

I heard a story a while ago, kind of like this, but it does involve a snake getting killed:

There was a man who had this albino boa that he adopted and he was going to take it to the vet for a check up (I think?) and he stopped by a Star Bucks to get a cup of coffee. He had this snake in an army bag in his car, and when he ran inside to get the coffee he had the doors unlocked, but only in there for 2 minutes. When the man got back the bag was gone. He tried searching everywhere for it, and even put up posters. A while after, the snake was found on the ground with rocks near it. The snake was beaten with rocks that were thrown at it, and then the head was chopped right off.

It's a pretty sad story, and I think this snake also had a litter of baby boas.

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The person your thinking of is Richard Carew at sublime boas it is really sad that something like that would happen but people are ignorant.

Easy "hot" people.
Pretty much everyone calls venomous snakes poisonous. I know I do and always have.
Back to topic: I've had a police officer buddy of mine tell me stories about people calling the police about snakes in their yard. POLICE ABUSE LOL
The only one he had to respond to, was to a snake that disappeared.!

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Originally Posted by jere000

The person your thinking of is Richard Carew at sublime boas it is really sad that something like that would happen but people are ignorant.

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Yea that was sad.If anyone is interested in a long read with a horrible ending you can find it here.
http://www.redtailboa.net/forums/rep...e+stolen+texas

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

And while I'm on the topic, here's another incredibly stupid cop/snake story (found it while looking for info on the episode): http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008...sive_pyth.html :weirdface

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hmm a new burm morph:rolleyes: and snakes that big are way to hard to handle and need to be shot.

This snake eats dogs! and trucks!

what a crock of :cens0r:

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Originally Posted by djansen

hmm a new burm morph:rolleyes: and snakes that big are way to hard to handle and need to be shot.

This snake eats dogs! and trucks!

what a crock of :cens0r:

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For some reason this

""I was driving to my home on Polk Street and saw this SUV on the side of the road and I what I thought was a stick in the road," he said. "But as I got closer I said, 'That ain't no stick.' And then as I got closer I realized, 'Shoot, that's snake.' Then I got even closer and I thought 'That's a python!' Then, it started attacking the truck.""

Doesnt make me think of someone whos all that intelligent...


Re-Enactment-
"That aint no dargone stick... Shoot. thats one'a them 'Conda things aint it? ...saw a movie bout them one time.. nasty things."

:rofl:


and this...

Ahlin said he was concerned his 50-pound dog would jump out the window and suddenly "become a snack for that snake."

"I'll tell you, this snake was big enough it could have swallowed a kid," he said. "I mean the girth on that thing was huge."

The girth??? Is like 2-2.5" Yeah it could deffinatley fit a kid in there... theyre elastic dont ya know?

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Originally Posted by jere000

The person your thinking of is Richard Carew at sublime boas it is really sad that something like that would happen but people are ignorant.

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Yeah this story was on like Redtailboa.com (or is it.net?? uhh..). I'm not sure how I found it because I never even go on that site at all, but I read this story a long time ago.

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Originally Posted by djansen

hmm a new burm morph:rolleyes: and snakes that big are way to hard to handle and need to be shot.

This snake eats dogs! and trucks!

what a crock of :cens0r:

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I know... that story was even more ridiculous (than the Cops episode), to the point where I was actually laughing. Watch out, that "burmese python" is going to eat your Hummer!! Puuuuuulleeeease. :rofl:

I'm a 5'5" woman, for goodness sakes, and have more testosterone than these men... even my gay (male) roommate is more manly, LOL. :rolleyes: If that BOA really was attacking your truck, is that actually a threat? As far as I know, even the biggest reticulated python couldn't eat through metal.

Btw, I work in the educational field (high school librarian), and have been thinking about doing a reptile program... probably can't bring any live snakes, except maybe a corn, due to city restrictions on pythons/boas. But the more I hear about misinformed citizens, the more anxious I am for them to learn. :)

Kids are really receptive, especially when it comes to animals, and will hopefully pass on the information to their parents. While you won't encounter many wild snakes here, it doesn't hurt to know... plus I could inspire a future herper in the process. :gj: Maybe I'll contact East Bay Viv, since they did a great presentation at my old library - which actually led to me getting my first BP (from them). I'm sure the students would love it, especially that GIANT monitor who always steals the show.

Yeah, ignorance really gets to me, considering snakes are killed simply because people don't KNOW. Heck, most of the time they don't even want to. A couple of months ago, I didn't want to. Then, I was made to take the time to get to know a couple. Now, I happily have my first herp. It just gets to me when people kill relatively harmless creatures simply because they don't like them. I don't kill flies, or spiders, or anything, unless I see it as a threat. Snakes are now included in the harmless list, unless I know it is truly a threat. Yesterday, my sister killed a ribbon snake. Because she was afraid it would bite and kill my neice. What the heck?! It was in her kitchen, scant feet from the door, and she kills it without even blinking. I hate that. Its obvious that it was harmless. It couldn't even fit my thumb in its mouth. Did it stop her? No. The stigma the general public has attached to snakes, and reptiles (other animals too, but this is a herp site) in general is sickening and it makes me ashamed to say I felt the same way a few scant months ago. In short, the public needs to be educated, because they are destroying a wonderful thing.

I apologise for the rant. It needed to get out. :oops:

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Originally Posted by lepidunce

I don't kill flies, or spiders, or anything, unless I see it as a threat.

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I am terrified of spiders, big or small... but since I realize it's a totally irrational fear (unless we're talking brown recluse or something), I try not to hurt them. The other day I spotted one inside my car, on the windshield as I was getting out. I screamed like a little girl, and then composed myself enough to scoop it up (on a piece of paper), and toss it outside. No need to kill the creature, just because it gives me the willies - right?

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I apologise for the rant. It needed to get out. :oops:

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Ditto. ;)

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Originally Posted by I<3Dreamsicles

"I'll tell you, this snake was big enough it could have swallowed a kid," he said. "I mean the girth on that thing was huge."

The girth??? Is like 2-2.5" Yeah it could deffinatley fit a kid in there... theyre elastic dont ya know?

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LMAO... you can clearly see that's impossible by the picture, as his average-sized hands are easily gripping the snake. Unless he has the thinnest child in the world, who also happens to smell & taste like a rodent, I don't think they're in any danger.

"Get those :cens0r: snakes off this :cens0r: plane!" :rage::snake2:

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

And while I'm on the topic, here's another incredibly stupid cop/snake story (found it while looking for info on the episode): http://blog.mlive.com/chronicle/2008...sive_pyth.html :weirdface

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RE-Dic-u-LUS!:rolleyes:
Seriosly theres so many things wrong with that Stroy I can't do anything but Roll my eyes!

If something is there, and not causing any harm, why mess with it? I will never understand that. It's also the reason that 85% of humans are ignorant.