This is something I think about too! I admit that I watch just about anything that shows reptiles but the sensationalism drives me nuts. Swamp wars sounded promising but the snakes were constantly being referred to as "dangerous predators" and I felt that it just served to increase fear in the public eye. What I'd really like to see is a good documentary about reptiles- something at least on par with a Nova doc as far as scientific information goes. There is so much more of interest in snake evolution than just heat pits and the jacobson's organ. If there was a series- I'd love to see one show per continent that shows off the native herps. I know boa constrictors, anacondas, retics, and burms are always in the spotlight in the existing shows and I think this also has an effect on how the general public view constrictors. So, something that shows other constrictors and also non-boids would be a step in the right direction. Lastly, I'd really appreciate a host who did not feel the need to exaggerate his or her speech and body language when field herping or handling a reptile. It was fine for Steve Irwin (it seemed to be his genuine personality) but really now it's just gotten super tacky with every discovery channel/ AP channel dude doing it.

Right now I'm in an apartment that doesn't allow reptiles of any kind. The only rationale I can see for this is ignorance- the stigma of "dangerous predators" and disease carrying pets. I wish that people were exposed to less sensationalistic media about herps so they could be more informed before making such blanket evaluations about the animals we love.