My Rant

[angllady2]

Most everyone who loves snakes gets fed up with the media garbage we are subjected to everyday.

About "dangerous" snakes and kids I'll share this true story: Back in 1999, my family drove up to South Dakota to visit relatives. We went to Mount Rushmore and also stopped by the huge Reptile Gardens in Rapid City.

While there, we caught a reptile show. The man handled many snakes, including a few venomous types, but the star of the show was a magnificent albino python I think was a Burmese. She was I believe around 20 - 22' long, and the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. I have an entire roll of film I shot of her. After the show ended, the handler was taking the Burm around the edge of the show ring and allowing people to touch her. Wanting to see her closer, I put my then 4 year old daughter on my hip and squeezed down to the ring. I kept her on the hip furthest from the ring, as I did not want her to be frightened by the snake. When the handler brought the snake close, my daughter leaned over as far as she could and just stroked that Burm's head with both hands, she was enchanted. I too felt the privilege of her silky skin under my fingers. When the handler walked on, my daughter just stared after him, and you could hear her thinking, "I wasn't done with that!"

I was so proud of her, she was as gentle and kind as could be, and much more so than a typical 4 year old acts around animals. Now that she's a teenager, she goes in my room and gets out my snakes all the time, even the balls that are bigger than she is. If I thought for one moment that one of those snakes could seriously hurt her, do you think I am so cruel and/or stupid that I'd let her hold them? She knows what it feels like to get bitten, she's seen me get tagged and just laugh it off. She also knows to be careful about letting them get on her shoulders.

And as to being bitten, I have been trying to trap some stray kittens so they can be turned over to a local rescue group, one of them bit me right through my cotton gardening glove, and I'm here to tell you, I'd 1,000 times rather be bitten by my biggest ball than a kitten, it hurts less!!

Gale