Animal Planet sux

[mommanessy247]

i actually like the fatal attractions show...just to watch the stupid things people do & then i yell at them during the episodes...lol my bf keeps goin' "they cant hear you! why are you yelling?!?"

the animal guy that bugs the heck outta me now is that brady barr looney toon. good grief i wanna smack him some times. he's animated and inaccurate to boot.
steve irwin was super animated but fun to watch & he gave accurate info to the best of his ability.
i'll bet dollars to donuts steve-o is turning over in his grave over how bad brady barr is, lol.
"CRIKEY mate!! do your research before you open your mouth! DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!"

steve-o needs to come back & put animal planet right again!

[Highline Reptiles South]

While I agree that shows like this are National Inquirer level crap-fests, it should give you an indication of where the sensibilities of most people lie.

The general public doesn't want documentaries about black mambas, they want sensationalistic shows that haver an element of over the top danger. These shows are in the same vein as programs about the Kardashians or Ice-T and his giant-knockered barbie doll wife.

Animal Planet is doing what Animal Planet needs to in order to sell advertising space. They can air programs educating the public about the many subtle yet fascinating differences between BCI and BCC and go out of business, or sell sensationalistic shows that John Q. Public wants to watch.

We're blamed away the burmese python issue on Mother Nature - yep, the Reptile Nation had no hand in that.

What about iguanas?

What about white lipped pythons?

What about rock pythons?

What about varanids?

What about the 45 bother non-native species populating Florida?

Were those all from acts of Nature?

There would be no rock pythons to write shows about if people in THIS hobby had acted more responsibly. Why do we so blithely ignore our role in the problem yet flip out every time AP airs one of these shows? If they bother you, don't watch them.

Which was the point of my post which was apparently, missed. You are drawing an analogy which simply does not exist which I gather is due to your not actually seeing the particular program in question. I am all for safe, responsible ownership, the elimination of non-natives, and the safe control of pets which can proliferate in a new non-native habitat.

THAT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS SHOW.

The show was inaccurate sensationalist trash with a ton of misinformation. Much of it wasn't even about escaped pets or wild reptiles.

[Skiploder]

Which was the point of my post which was apparently, missed. You are drawing an analogy which simply does not exist which I gather is due to your not actually seeing the particular program in question. I am all for safe, responsible ownership, the elimination of non-natives, and the safe control of pets which can proliferate in a new non-native habitat.

THAT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS SHOW.

The show was inaccurate sensationalist trash with a ton of misinformation. Much of it wasn't even about escaped pets or wild reptiles.

Saw the show. Don't ASSume what I saw and what I didn't see. Also, no analogy was drawn. A statement was made and an opinion posted. Period.

The show could not exist if herp owners had not released their animals into the wild.

No one is arguing that the show is inaccurate and sensationalistic.

The only points to be made are:

1. The actions of herp owners created an issue.

2. AP is getting high ratings off shows that sensationalize this issue.

People consistently post more belly-aching threads about these stupid shows than they do about the problem - or worse, the downplay the problem.

Do a search on this forum on "animal planet" and see how many people have expressed the same complaint that you have.

[MikeV]

Yeah I was watching Animal Planet and lately and one thought came to mind:


We need to clone Steve Irwin BADLY

RIP Steve

[Eric Doane]

I happened to be channel surfing this morning and saw a clip of a woman holding a 3 foot albino burm. Her child was reaching up and wiggling fingers in front of the snakes face. The snake proceeded to bite the child. The father grabbed the snake with a fist, ripped it from the childs hand and threw it down. While this is happening, animal planet is describing how this snake is going to constrict in order to kill, which is why the father acted in such a manner. I proceeded to flip the channel and curse at animal planet. I am deleting this channel. No more ratings from this house. And as others have said it's a shame, I used to really enjoy this channel as a kid.
Sorry needed to vent.

[Highline Reptiles South]

Why does the fact that there are irresponsible herp owners excuse incorrect, misleading and sensationalist trash like this?

There are how many feral cats and dogs in the U.S. - would you make the argument about a misleading show about felines and canines?

I'm sorry that my stating my opinion annoyed you so...

[King-Godzilla]

I stopped watching Animal Planet about a year after Steve Irwin died. Yes the shows now tend to demonize reptiles and it's a shame too. But seriously, what good is it to just complain about it on a pro-reptile forum? I think we as responsible pet owners should at least try and educate the general public about responsible reptile keeping just like others do on responsible dog/cat ownership? How? Well I'm not sure how to do it on a big scale, but everything starts at home, right?

I mean, if all we do is sit and complain about it to others who share the exact same opinion then how can we prevent stupid animal-ban laws from being proposed and signed in government?

[Skiploder]

Why does the fact that there are irresponsible herp owners excuse incorrect, misleading and sensationalist trash like this?

There are how many feral cats and dogs in the U.S. - would you make the argument about a misleading show about felines and canines?

I'm sorry that my stating my opinion annoyed you so...

The shows exist because of the irresponsibility of people in this hobby.

Focus your energy on the idiots causing the problem, not the idiots sensationalizing it for profit.

You opinion doesn't bother me one bit. Your misuse of the term analogy was amusing and you assumption that I hadn't seen the show was silly. Neither "bothered" me. What bothers me is the same old broken record of people complaining about these shows. All the rubber-lipping in the world isn't going to make these shows go away.

No, in order for the shows to go away the problem needs to be addressed. A problem the exotic pet hobby caused.

What bothers me is that people fail to see that a problem exists and are wasting time and energy being frustrated at people who are only guilty of turning a buck on blowing up the story - it is a worthless expenditure of energy.

In the meantime, idiots are still buying giant snakes that they can't afford to keep, giant lizards that they have no idea on how to care for, and then turning them loose when the realization hits them.

Those are the people you should vent on. That's the problem you should focus on fixing. Not some mealy-mouthed television producer putting their sensationalistic spin on a problem THIS community caused.

[Highline Reptiles South]

Actually - I do educate the community. I have brought some of my collection to local schools and community centers to help educate children about our hobby , herps, and responsible keeping for the last couple years. That, however, will not keep me from speaking out when I see irresponsible and misleading shows like this that exist only to put the worst light on reptiles and reptile keepers.

I do the same when I see irresponsible owners - which I agree - I unfortunately see far too often.