Some Snake News out of Southern California

[CrystalRose]

This article has some pictures of the survivors and a video from inside the house. I hope he gets some help and the surviving snakes find good homes. Really sad all around.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...e-horrors.html

[Bluebonnet Herp]

I'd love to adopt one, I was going to get my first snake next week but I'd rather adopt out of this bad situation. Sadly though I live in Georgia =( I doubt they would ship one to me.

Yeah, I feel the same. I really want to reach out and adopt one, but I doubt that option will be available.

He won't get jail time. Since CA prisons and jails are over crowded, people are released for all kinds of reasons. Animal abuse and neglect ate not currently considered serious enough crimes for jail. He'll likely be let off with fines.

I believe at the least, he just needs someone to help him and reach out to him. The rats and the snakes aren't the only ones who were suffering.

This is a downright tragedy. Buchman was/is suffering, the animals suffered, and I guarantee the rest of us in the herp community are now going to suffer. (If you haven't already figured out, knee-jerk reactions are always followed after something involving mental instability occurs. See: Colorado shootouts; Zanesville Animal Massacre)

[bigt0006]

Yeah, I feel the same. I really want to reach out and adopt one, but I doubt that option will be available.


I believe at the least, he just needs someone to help him and reach out to him. The rats and the snakes aren't the only ones who were suffering.

This is a downright tragedy. Buchman was/is suffering, the animals suffered, and I guarantee the rest of us in the herp community are now going to suffer. (If you haven't already figured out, knee-jerk reactions are always followed after something involving mental instability occurs. See: Colorado shootouts; Zanesville Animal Massacre)

Yup people always use tragedies to push their agendas just look at sandy hook and the draconian gun laws passed in my state (ct) fueled by emotion not logic

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[Bluebonnet Herp]

Yup people always use tragedies to push their agendas just look at sandy hook and the draconian gun laws passed in my state (ct) fueled by emotion not logic

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The only good thing I wished would happen under situations like this are the addition of reptiles under federal animal abuse laws. Of course, stupid people don't let good things happen, and they just ban stuff they are entirely ill-informed about.
Odds are, there will be strict regulations or outright bans proposed locally to SoCal and elsewhere instead.

[BrandiR]

MarkS,
You are correct: I don’t know what it would take to kill a snake from neglect. And I thank GOD for that! I do know from the reports that the neighbors have been complaining to the police for, at least, six months about the stench. So this has been going on for quite some time. There were reports of rats and mice eating each other to stay alive and bottles of human urine setting in cluttered, filthy rooms. Excuses have been made that he lost his mother and father and grandmother over the last 5 years. I’m sorry, but there are plenty of other people that have lost a lot more than that and haven’t gone over the edge like this. I’m sure there is more to this story. There always is. I don’t think anyone will disagree that this person is deeply disturbed and needs help.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Misha gave her opinion, you gave yours and I gave mine.
You are a “Super Moderator” of this forum. You of all people should know better than to attack someone personally for giving their opinion. I consider your comment:
inappropriate and out of line.

I have said what I have to say on this subject.

You said that it takes (in all caps) MONTHS AND MONTHS for this to happen. If you don't know what it takes to neglect a snake to death, you shouldn't have been so all-caps-adamant about it.

Who are you to determine how one person's loss compares to that of others? I've seen people go bat crap crazy over the death of a dog while I've seen others shrug off the death of a family member.

Some people are stronger than others and can handle a lot more than most people can. Some people are emotionally fragile and what seems small to you is insurmountable to them.

You aren't required to choose a side here, man or snakes. You can have compassion for both.

[Aztec4mia]

As I posted in another forum this is a tragedy no doubt but there is too much info that is not known and how long he had been dealing with issues. There is talk that his mother's death was the final straw that broke him. He had some crazy looking morphs too, I believe that socal herp society will only be donating the surviving snakes to educational classrooms only and not to breeders or an of us hobbyist.

[LadyOhh]

Bill was around way back in the day. This is a tragedy, and no matter what he went thru, these animals suffered horribly.

Several things to note:

If you are a breeder/hobbyist/etc... you will NOT be able to adopt these animals.
Donate to SCHA&R to help support these animals. There are 186 to take care of... This is a significant burden on the rescue.

Bill was at one time a respected member of our community. Do not make light of the tragedy, but also do not jump to judgement so quickly. It behooves us to keep supporting these animals and to maintain decorum within our industry to prevent more bad press from occurring due to this. It is already a nationwide news story.

Talk to your friends about it, and explain that this is an isolated incident. Use it as a teaching opportunity to explain the hobby to those who may not know.

We can use this as an opportunity to educate... either yourselves or those outside the hobby.

Don't let it pass you by.

[Bluebonnet Herp]

Just curious, has anyone actually seen this story on the TV? I have the news on my TV on almost 24/7 and the only other time I heard of this story was when is first released.
Also, $10 says HSUS or PETA is cooking up a press release.

[Bluebonnet Herp]

Some updates on the snakes' whereabouts: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/s...od.html?page=1

[sorraia]

Just curious, has anyone actually seen this story on the TV? I have the news on my TV on almost 24/7 and the only other time I heard of this story was when is first released.
Also, $10 says HSUS or PETA is cooking up a press release.

So far I've only heard about it from the herp community. It did appear on the 11pm local news, but I only know this from seeing the previews as I watched some recorded programs the other night. I did not actually see the report, and haven't seen or heard any other reports about it on the tv, radio, or through social networking sites (except what I've seen presented by the herp community). None of my family, friends, or coworkers have mentioned it either. One friend in another state said she hadn't heard anything about it when I brought it up.