Quote Originally Posted by Slitherous View Post
"Supposed" expert is correct. Most zoos and aquariums train docents in the "no-one-but-zoos-should-keep-exotics" mentality, (as espoused by the AAZPA, Humane Society, PETA, etc). Some expert, doesn't even know the difference between a Burm and an African Rock. Truth is a large python can be dangerous, but the circumstances surrounding the incident in New Brunswick doesn't add up to death by python in my opinion; something else happened in that house. In the meantime the news media will go with the sensational headline before the facts every time.
Agree with you on all points. I should mention the speaker wasn't a docent. It was a VERY small facility and the staff who care for the animals and dive in the tanks show the guests around.

I'm still a newbie, but I was also unimpressed with the husbandry. There were two crowded enclosures, both had multiple snakes in them. (Is it ok to house more than one Burmese or Retic together? Like I said, I'm pretty new.) I don't know what the temps/humidity were like, but at least one snake looked like it had had a really bad shed.

To be completely fair, the staff seemed to really care about the animals and were very protective of the ones that were brought out for interaction with the public (a Burm and a baby gator). They also mentioned that some of the large snakes had come from private owners who were no longer able to care for them, and the patchy ones MAY have arrived there that way. Or not.