The media and Pythons.

(I hope this is the right place, I didn't think I mentioned enough politics to put it in that forum)

I go to the gym pretty frequently, and most of the time they have at least one news show/channel on one of the TVs. Well today, it was ABC news and they decided to do a segment on how FL is trying to ban all Pythons.

At first, they showed a clip of what I believe to be was a cute little BP sliding around in the grass, then it attacked the camera. It was still cute, imo. But of course, to the general public who aren't that educated about pythons are thinking "OMG IT ATTACKED THE CAMERA!!!" And that really ticked me off. People don't even realize snakes get stressed! They probly ticked the snake off and it didn't like it!

After watching the 4-5 minute segment, I was livid. Which was good, made me exercise harder! lol. They criminalize pythons, and do not represent them how they should be. Instead of saying "Ok, this is a burmese python. If it comes across your cat and decides it's hungry, it will eat your cat. (Insert educated directions here on how to not gain the pythons attention)", they say "If you should see a python in your area (insert stupid directions here on how to scream and freak out the python)" I'm just so mad at how they did that segment, and it just goes to show that the people behind S373 and HR669 have the upper hand, preying on the general public because they know no better.

Anyways, this has inspired me to get up and DO something. I plan on keeping ALL of my friends and family updated on S373, and tell them to e-mail the appropriate people when they need to. I'm also going to try and get together with a local reptile shop and see if they will help me in putting together a "S373 knowledge center" somewhere in town.

The media has officially pushed a nerve with me, and since I have no job or kids, it's time for me to push back. I hope this inspires someone else to do the same.

You talking about the same one discussed here? http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...26#post1108526

Oops, no, it was a different show.

People are always going to be afraid of what they don't understand. I'm afraid we might have a modern day witch hunt on our hands soon in florida which may spread through the states.

you know what this is? when people are not educated on a certain subject..i recently got back into herps now at the age of 21 and my girlfriends family is freaking out because they say all snakes are venemous and eat little kids lol and i realize they are just not educated

Education helps a lot, but with a lot of people, it will only help if they want to be educated. You can tell some people till you are blue in the face all the good things, but they will only see the bad.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DM1975

Education helps a lot, but with a lot of people, it will only help if they want to be educated. You can tell some people till you are blue in the face all the good things, but they will only see the bad.

---

very true

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DM1975

Education helps a lot, but with a lot of people, it will only help if they want to be educated. You can tell some people till you are blue in the face all the good things, but they will only see the bad.

---

Agreed

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DM1975

Education helps a lot, but with a lot of people, it will only help if they want to be educated. You can tell some people till you are blue in the face all the good things, but they will only see the bad.

---

Yeah, I get alot of practice with the future in laws to know this all too well.

But it's not gonna stop me. I won't let it. I'm pretty determined to get the word out there, even if I just educate one person on how awesome snakes are, my goal will have been reached.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Elise.m

Yeah, I get alot of practice with the future in laws to know this all too well.

But it's not gonna stop me. I won't let it. I'm pretty determined to get the word out there, even if I just educate one person on how awesome snakes are, my goal will have been reached.

---

And that is the correct attitude to have. You should want to educate others, just do not be suprised if they would rather shake a bag of chicken bones in front of the fire instead of listen to cold hard fact.

Unfortunately most people aren't having their minds changed about snakes with this kind of coverage. They are just having their opinions reinforced. The media isn't causing the issue, they're just showing people what they think they already know.

Shame on the people who let their ball python be used in this news clip. It's like the idiots who have to walk around trying to look all bad with their pit bull. Then they turn around and wonder why their town has suddenly banned the breed. Because the general perception was bad to begin with and the idiot owner just proved everyone right.

it wasn't a ball python, it was a big burmese python..

You can see the clip here, though it is in Norwegian. (Yep, we get the news about Floridas huge problems as well. :p)


I totally understand if they want to ban burmese and reticulated python in Florida, and similar states/countries where escaped or released reptiles can thrive and breed and survive, and do a lot of damage on the wildlife that already exists there. When people are stupid enough to release these animals into the wild where they don't belong, you can't really expect any other reaction from the government, nor the "uneducated" people who live around you.

I am pretty sure that people releasing them into the wild is just a small reason for the large population of snakes their. I believe one of those reports even said it was due to a hurricane sending an importers shipment into the glades. But even with all of the misinformation and half truths passed along even on this website full of "enthusiasts" can you blame the ignorant?

You know, I really feel deep down inside that even as smart as we think we are, we are a very simple and gullible breed. My wife and I had a new baby 13 days ago and two(2) of my college educated friends, degree possessing, know it all, smarter than life friends asked me the day of the birth how long it would take for our newborn to open her eyes.

Always remember, people are stupid.

In the clip I posted, he says that they think the pythons mainly comes from people who release the animals into the Everglades when they have gotten too big to keep in their homes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CamStatic

In the clip I posted, he says that they think the pythons mainly comes from people who release the animals into the Everglades when they have gotten too big to keep in their homes.

---

If you notice I said "one of those" reports. Wouldn't it be strange if the news reported two totally different opinions about the same thing? :weirdface ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DM1975

If you notice I said "one of those" reports. Wouldn't it be strange if the news reported two totally different opinions about the same thing? :weirdface ;)

---

I know, I was just saying.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CamStatic

I know, I was just saying.

---

I understand, I just always revert back to my rule "people are stupid"

Not you, the media. I still do not understand why the news reporters give opinions. The news is not supposed to be talk shows, they are supposed to report the news, not opine on what their massive egos think is right or wrong.

Yeah, I agree with you. An earlier news report I found also said that the snakes might have gotten loose because of a hurricane storm. And now they blame it on people who release them.

Makes it kind of hard to know what to really believe, but maybe even both are true?

Either way, you should never trust media entirely, and swallow everything they say.. Especially here in Norway, the media LOVES to scare the public about reptiles. :/
The news-link I posted, the reporter started it with saying "They are big, dangerous and multiplying!"
Burmese python can deliver a pretty nasty bite, and kill young children and babies - but I hate how they put reptiles in that light when we have so many other totally accepted pets who can do much worse damage. Cats can do much more damage when pissed off or scared, dogs can kill , and horses can easily trample or kick persons...

But I do think the government is doing the right thing in this matter, about getting rid of the pythons in Everglades. I doubt any person at this forum disagree on that? :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CamStatic

In the clip I posted, he says that they think the pythons mainly comes from people who release the animals into the Everglades when they have gotten too big to keep in their homes.

---

They aren't, though--most of the pythons are believed to have gone feral when facilities were damaged by Hurricane Andrew. I'm sure there are a few released pets in there as well, but when big reptile facilities and pet stores get torn up by hurricanes, a lot of things go missing.

actually the clip that CamStatic posted is not the video that I referred to in my original post. In the video I saw, they didn't even talk to those 3 Herpatologists. I haven't yet contacted anyone, still putting together a game plan :)

This video is just... stupid.

http://www.comcast.net/video/python-...on/1160303773/

to set an example of what I'm talking about. The news anchor says Pythons can lay up to 100 eggs per day. I'm not an expert, but is that true? I heard 50 eggs a year, 100 a day seems a far stretch.

Morons. Those are some busy snakes to be laying :O "a hundread eggs per day"