As for the Brian bashing on his monitor and gator care, I think folks need to just chill for a second - especially if the only information you have is garnered from a couple minutes of footage. In the limited glimpse from his videos I saw clear, clean water for the gators and a pissed off monitor in a screen cage. All animals looked healthy and well fed and since I don't know anything else about the situation I'm not going to pass judgement. In the latest episode of snakebytes Brian sounded perfectly sincere and I believe him to be an incredibly positive influence overall - especially since they stopped harassing snakes into biting folks in their videos. He doesn't seem the kind of guy that would ignore good advice from experienced keepers so if you have concerns, and you are experienced, maybe you should voice them to him personally.

The talk about monitor care reminds me of a visit to the Honolulu Zoo some years ago. I had just finished admiring the komodo dragons in their rather beautiful exhibit when I walked up to the crocodile monitor enclosure - a large chain link setup with a concrete floor. While I wasn't a fan of their lack of enrichment the croc monitors were active and looked extremely healthy. I can't seem to find the link but not so long ago I read an article that they produced baby crocodile monitors - a feat very few have accomplished. I don't know if they had changed their setup or if the one I saw was only temporary but they obviously were doing something right to have healthy, thriving adults producing healthy babies. The point is, I don't know what their situation was but I saw healthy, active animals and wasn't overly concerned and ready to start flinging poop.