Great Animal Escapes- get on TV!!

[Great Animal Es]

Great Animal Escapes (https://www.facebook.com/greatanimalescapes)
WE WANT YOUR ANIMAL CLIPS!!!!

For our upcoming television production we are looking for any ingenious, miraculous animal escapes... Whether its another Fenton running wild, a slippery snake or a badger with a cunning a great escape, we would like to see your videos.

Send them through the facebook page or to research@cicadabellwether.com.

A fee will be paid to any of those clips broadcast.

[infernalis]

All that matters to me, and most of the people here, is that your show is not going to shed a negative light on our hobby.

Hopefully our UK members are familiar with your production and can fill us in.

Judging by your post, I almost feel as if this may be the case.

[alessia55]

^^^^ I agree.

[SnakeyJay]

I havnt heard of this production so cant vouch for them...... i feel wary from reading it tho,...
I feel that if people watch a tv show about animals escaping, especially snakes, that it will just make people look at reptile keepers as irresponsible and careless for the escapes.. different when someones cute dog or bunny escapes though eh.

[stephanbakir]

Sounds risky for the hobbyists, we have tons of bad press as it is.
If they are ligit it sounds interesting though.

[snake man12]

This show sounds pretty cool but as everybody else said it might cause bad press on reptiles

[Gungirl]

I feel that if people watch a tv show about animals escaping, especially snakes, that it will just make people look at reptile keepers as irresponsible and careless for the escapes.. different when someones cute dog or bunny escapes though eh.


I agree with this. I am not for showing snakes and what not getting out. Things like this add up to make our hobby even more of a hated misunderstood thing.

[Lankyrob]

The fenton he is on about was about an idiot who let his dog loose to chase wild deer - the deer stampeded across a public highway, luckily without any injuries to themselves. If that is the standard that they are expecting then it is just bad news for our hobby if any reptile escapes are mentioned on the show.

I envisage "killer corn snake holds town to ransom" type headlines :no: :no: :no:

[stephanbakir]

Yeah... I've got a few cute videos of animals getting smart and getting loose but that is NOT the type of press this hobby needs, sorry.

[KORBIN5895]

Send down the banhammer on this fool.

[stephanbakir]

Send down the banhammer on this fool.
His efforts might be misdirected in our opinion, that isn't to say the he isn't a standup guy with loads to offer. I'm sure we have all done our share of jobs we weren't crazy about.

Don't you think a ban is a little overrated for this?

[infernalis]

No rules have been broken here.... so the post stays.

Sounds like they will get NO video clips from us.

You guys are on top of things.

Thanks Rob!! You da man.

[KORBIN5895]

Yes the hammer is extreme but why associate with those that are looking for us to for do or say stupid things. It seems his sole purpose of joining is to get us go send clips of out animals running amuck. Sorry but I don't trust easily and this is his only post( I am assuming he just joined today.) So I assume ( and yes I am jumping to conclusions) he has an agenda and it seems like most of is don't like what is being insinuated. That's just me and you guys already know I tend to post without thinking buthe could still read our post even if he is not a member so banning wouldn't help. Okay I just talked my self through this have a good one.

[stephanbakir]

Yes the hammer is extreme but why associate with those that are looking for us to for do or say stupid things. It seems his sole purpose of joining is to get us go send clips of out animals running amuck. Sorry but I don't trust easily and this is his only post( I am assuming he just joined today.) So I assume ( and yes I am jumping to conclusions) he has an agenda and it seems like most of is don't like what is being insinuated. That's just me and you guys already know I tend to post without thinking buthe could still read our post even if he is not a member so banning wouldn't help. Okay I just talked my self through this have a good one.
No worries, I'm sure loads of people agree with you, but if we start banning on a whim could we really keep the friendly/family atmosphere we currently strive to maintain?

[SnakeyJay]

No worries, I'm sure loads of people agree with you, but if we start banning on a whim could we really keep the friendly/family atmosphere we currently strive to maintain?

I agree, a ban isnt warrented at all. We welcome everyone unless theyre antisocial etc... its just unlikely they'll get clips from us as the subject is detrimental to our hobbie.... its a shame it cant be guarenteed that the show wouldnt twist things as everyones got to agree snake keepers have the most interesting and funny stories. :D

[infernalis]

Not the ONLY post, it's the only post I let you see.

The other is just a duplicate anyways.

All new posts have to clear me before they even show up on the boards.

I wanted some UK input here, and our man Rob nailed it for us.

[millertime89]

escapes? what do you mean escapes? My animals are all well behaved and stay in their hidey holes.

[Terranaut]

Yup. I get the feeling any footage would be edited with scary music and made to shock the non enthusiest. I would not share with theae people even with a promise not to do this.
Isn't the first post spam?
Might not be selling anything but they are attempting to sell our videos to the network as part of a show right?
Bet the OP owns 0.0 reptiles :(

[millertime89]

I would assume the the OP is from the network.

[infernalis]

I would assume the the OP is from the network.


Correct. See the facebook page in the first post.

[Lankyrob]

I think it says a lot that the OP hasnt responded in any way to our concerns.................

[infernalis]

Fishing for footage...

[Terranaut]

Fishing for footage...

Phishing is more like it ;) You moderate on other reptile sites too right? I wonder how many sites they are doing this on :(

[KORBIN5895]

I say we spam him with a bunch of ..
... I was gonna say adult entertainment videos but I aint about to search that.

[stephanbakir]

I say we spam him with a bunch of ..
... I was gonna say ******** but I aint about to search that.
Its also a family forum...

[KORBIN5895]

Ah yes but I aren't we supposed to send them to a certain link? But great point I will edit my post.

[infernalis]

Phishing is more like it ;) You moderate on other reptile sites too right? I wonder how many sites they are doing this on :(


They missed

My Pet Forums & Garter Snake Forum.

I can only handle the three, I have turned down others. Not enough time in a day.

[KORBIN5895]

Sorry about my earlier post Wayne.

[infernalis]

even I get carried away sometimes, no sweat.

[Great Animal Es]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for engaging with this thread, even if you're all understandably wary of what we're doing.

In all honesty, the show's aims are to entertain and educate. It is very light hearted, but the stars of the clips are the animals we feature, highlighting their intelligence and cunning, but also looking at the professional attitidue and approach of those responsible for catching them.

To address other points, we have joined this and other forums as part of our research, and this is not uncommon. You are, afterall, exactly the kind of people we're trying to find. In the past this has proved to be invaluable when I worked on shows such as James May's Toy Stories - it's not the easiest thing to find Lego enthusiasts to construct a 2-storey house from 3million Lego bricks, or Airfix fans to help build a full scale model of a Supermarine Spitfire.

I can't tell you this is the same kind of programme, but please understand that this is why forums such as this are valuable tools for us, and it's something you've all engaged with, even if it's to voice your concerns.

If any of you do have any footage and are curious to learn more perhaps you'd like to get in touch and maybe even talk it over with me. My email is research at cicadabellwether dot com. I'll do my best to get in touch with you as soon as I can.

I hope you appreciate now that this is not a spam message!

Many thanks,

Jules

[Lankyrob]

Jules,

The biggest problem with showing reptile escapes is that there are already many many people trying to get our hobby banned, if we then publicise that it is "easy" for them to escape it just gives more ammunition to those wanting the ban.

Also, kudos to you to come back and answer the queries and concerns raised :)

[ZARADOZIA]

Jules,

The biggest problem with showing reptile escapes is that there are already many many people trying to get our hobby banned, if we then publicise that it is "easy" for them to escape it just gives more ammunition to those wanting the ban.

Also, kudos to you to come back and answer the queries and concerns raised :)


I second this.

[millertime89]

perhaps you can give us a clip of the show to show us exactly what kind of show yours is? I hope you can understand our fears as reptile and largely snake keepers. Our hobby is already threatened due to bad press and poor keepers whose bad habits result in escapes and deaths. Especially those such as myself who keep (or in my case aspire to keep) the large ones. Can you imagine the backlash if someone submitted footage of a 15 footer getting out and cruising around the house?

[Great Animal Es]

sorry everyone, can't offer a clip before it's transmitted and, besides, what we've got so far is being edited at the moment.

don't worry if you can't help or are anxious so would rather not

[infernalis]

I have to say, as the leader of this fine group, The fact that protecting our hobby from possible bad press completely overrides the chance to jump at 5 minutes of fame is impressive to no end.

I am proud to be part of this.

Most other people would jump at the chance to have footage aired without any regard for any ramifications arising from it later on.

[KORBIN5895]

Being edited????? Hmmm. Back to my last Idea me thinks.
@Kyle
Just YouTube that dogs chasing deer clip rob told us about.

[Great Animal Es]

the dog, fenton, chasing the deer in richmond park is not actually in the show, but was an example of 'true' footage. the point of this clip is firstly (you're right) that it's humorous but, more importantly, it offers us the opportunity to explain what behavioural traits of wild deer and a domesticated dog are being displayed. the humour is a good hook to get the viewers attention, but there are some very interesting facts that the majority of viewers may not have previously known about.

like i said, if this is not for you i understand - please accept my apology for troubling you all and kicking the hornets' nest, i hadn't realised it would cause any issues.

[Lankyrob]

With most animal groups you get people that care for them and people that dont but wouldnt interfere with others owning them. Unfortunately with our hobby we have those of us who worship reptilia and would do almost anything to protect the right to keep them and those that despise reptilia and would do almost anything to ensure that NOBODY has the right to keep them.

Responsible reptile owners for this reason alone will generally not allow anything that could be perceived as negative to be shown on a TV program - the flipside to this is that most reptile keepers that ARE shown on tv tend to be a little ............ eccentric.

"The Essex Jungle" is a perfect example of this, whilst i watched it religiously cos i love any opportunity to see reptiles all bar maybe one of the owners was projected to be a nut job and the animals were not shown in their best light either, more was made of the risks than of the positives of keeping them.

[KORBIN5895]

I am sorry but I see absolutely no humor in watching dogs chase deer. That is about the same as a dog or rooster fight to me. Where I am from we shoot dogs that chase deer. Even if its the neighbor's. If a dog chases a deer why won't it chase horses or cattle? That is how we feel about it in my neck of the woods.

[Great Animal Es]

like i said korbin, the dog clip is NOT in the show. it was merely an example as it's gone viral very quickly so a lot of people would understand what we meant. it is not even close to being like a dog or rooster fight to me, and where i'm from we do not shoot dogs that chase deer. surely an opinion like that is no different to those who challenge reptile enthusiasts for a couple of unfortunate incidents or mistakes by people who are less attentive to their hobby than you are?!

[KORBIN5895]

So you are doing this for the animal planet? I think we have a thread about them.

[Jay]

Korbin we come from the same neck of the woods. When I was living with my uncle when I was young the dog got out and was shot and killed by the farmer for chasing the chickens. The farmer had the heart to bring him to my uncles door wrapped up. "your dog was loose on my property AGAIN" as a child I was mortified, my uncle was the one apologizing, I was confused he loved his dog shep. Later now I understand completely.

The sad thing is how in today's society, the farmer probably would have got in trouble, for simply defending his lively hood. My grandfather keeps birds as a Hobby an I don't think it would be appropriate to discus what he does with stray cats on his property.

[infernalis]

like i said, if this is not for you i understand - please accept my apology for troubling you all and kicking the hornets' nest, i hadn't realised it would cause any issues.


Please do not apologize, this has been a very passionate discussion, and if nothing else, it shed light on just how serious us reptile keepers are about our captive specimens.

On to your original topic, Most of us (including me) do not film escapes, the last thing on anyones mind when their prized reptile gets out is "I wish I filmed this"

All we ever want is to safely return our animal back to it's cage. ;)

I for one always welcome hearing from the media, it shows that our forum is being noticed by the world. :)

[Jay]

To the op, there was a video floating around on here from YouTube, I can't find the link. It was a green tree python who escaped and was later found in a bird cage, who had consumed a finch. I had a chucke and as long as you don't twist things it's acceptable. I may have worded my statement wrong it was not intended to you, just my view on relative media.

[KORBIN5895]

Please do not apologize, this has been a very passionate discussion, and if nothing else, it shed light on just how serious us reptile keepers are about our captive specimens.

On to your original topic, Most of us (including me) do not film escapes, the last thing on anyones mind when their prized reptile gets out is "I wish I filmed this"

All we ever want is to safely return our animal back to it's cage. ;)

I for one always welcome hearing from the media, it shows that our forum is being noticed by the world. :)

Was this directed at me?

The tree python video was in another passionate thread about feeding a BP by Jaleely.

[KORBIN5895]

Wayna were you messing with the post? I am very confused. The post I was quoting had to do with finger pointing and bashing. Was that directed at me?

[Jay]

It was for me, I made a sly remark with no intent.

[infernalis]

No, that was for our OP, we should welcome the media, even if they scare us.

Think about it, if there is EVER to be a program that will depict reptile keepers in a good light, we have to embrace the media, not shun them.

I spent almost two hours on the phone with the last TV producer who posted here, it was a brilliant conversation.

One day I would love nothing more than a program that depicts how seriously we take our "hobby" and I even hesitate to call it a hobby.

A hobby is something you can lose interest in, like collecting records, You can shelf them and forget, Can't do that with living animals now can we?

[KORBIN5895]

. surely an opinion like that is no different to those who challenge reptile enthusiasts for a couple of unfortunate incidents or mistakes by people who are less attentive to their hobby than you are?!

Actually it is quite different. Have you ever seen what a coy dog ( not a coyote because there is a difference ) can do to a horse? I have. My friends horse was attacked by a coy dog. It wasn't pretty. The horse survived but its rear leg was pretty mangled. The dog didn't survive. What if his 9 year old daughter would've been out with the horse? As far as people keeping snakes goes..... there are people who have them that do not care about their animals or others that share there "hobby". BUT there are people that really shouldn't own dogs, cats or a vehicle for that matter. So should we take these away from those who are responsible because some idiots are irresponsible? How do you feel on banning pitbulls. Is ok to kill all pitbulls because of irresponsible owners? I don't agree with that at all but if I see a pitbull or a shih tzu running loose and chasing deer I will put it down.

[millertime89]

There is nothing more that I can say, Jay and Korbin have summed up my position quite nicely.

[KORBIN5895]

^^^^^^^ Oh I am sure that you have a lot of positive and uplifting g things you could add. The more the merrier!!

[millertime89]

I could probably write a paper on the topic, but I'm almost off work and need to go home and watch some doctor who before netflix pulls it from the streaming queue.

[SpOoKy]

oooooooo ooooo oooo weeee oooo ooooooooo...

Since you can't hear the tone in my voice that is supposed to be the theme to Doctor Who lol

[Lankyrob]

like i said korbin, the dog clip is NOT in the show. it was merely an example as it's gone viral very quickly so a lot of people would understand what we meant. it is not even close to being like a dog or rooster fight to me, and where i'm from we do not shoot dogs that chase deer. surely an opinion like that is no different to those who challenge reptile enthusiasts for a couple of unfortunate incidents or mistakes by people who are less attentive to their hobby than you are?!

If those deer were on a farm and a dog chased them like that then the farmer would be wel within his rights to shoot the dog - or any animal that is terrorising their livestock. In my opinion the fact that the deer were wild and not farmed doesnt take away from the fact that the dog should be destroyed at the owners expense and the owner should be prosecuted.

[infernalis]

On my property, I reserve the right to terminate any animal, domestic or otherwise that threatens my family, my pets or my wildlife.

If a herd of deer chose to eat from my pasture, and trust me they do, I have no reservations about pulling the trigger on any dog, cat or otherwise that gets in their way.

I pride myself on my amphibian and snake sanctuaries, mess with them and see just how mean Wayne can be.

[SnakeyJay]

I pride myself on my amphibian and snake sanctuaries, mess with them and see just how mean Wayne can be.

As wayne turns green "dont make me angry, you wont like me wen im angry" Lol :D

[lady_bug87]

^^^ Wayne Smash?

[millertime89]

^^^ wayne smash?

wayne smaaaaaaaaash!

[millertime89]

http://i447.photobucket.com/albums/qq191/KKMpunkrock2011/hulkhouse.jpg

[infernalis]

Kyle, you beat me..... I must be slow.

http://www.rockyroost.us/1/hk.gif

[stephanbakir]

That's awesome Kyle.

[infernalis]

What is awesome, is at the exact moment I was putting the snake font text on my picture, Kyle was pasting house on the hulk..

How freaky is that?

[millertime89]

its just awesome. I wish I was at home, that photochop job would've looked a lot better. All I've got at work is MS Paint

[infernalis]

Haha - I used Fireworks. Na na na

[millertime89]

:P these work computers blow, no google chrome, no java, no flash, no silverlight. We've been having virus problems as of late so we're back to bare bones for the most part. Oh well, at least we have W7.

[Great Animal Es]

Have you ever seen what a coy dog ( not a coyote because there is a difference ) can do to a horse? I have. My friends horse was attacked by a coy dog. It wasn't pretty. The horse survived but its rear leg was pretty mangled. The dog didn't survive. What if his 9 year old daughter would've been out with the horse?

Surely this is simply showing a preference to certain animals over others? If a wild and poisonous snake was found on your land, terrorising your horses and possibly your family, would your first reaction be to kill the snake, or to "re-home" it? After all, your land is it's natural habitat, and the same could potentially be said about a wild coydog (assuming it was wild, as i don't know this particular story).

We're not looking to shed a bad light on reptilia and their owners/keepers, and will (as I think was clear at the top of this thread) be featuring all kinds of animals. Furthermore, I'll repeat it again, we're looking to hook with some interesting footage (which doesn't have to be the actual escape, but should include the animal "on the loose" for want of a friendlier and more accurate phrase), before educating the viewers with expert opinions and salient and possibly unknown facts.

Please feel free to ignore this thread as it seems everyone's position is quite clear now - thanks for your opinions and apologies for the bad press you've received.

[infernalis]

A coy dog is a hybrid of Coyote and Dog.

The result of bad people dumping off dogs in the country, Being a pack animal, the dog will join forces with the coyote pack and produce litters of coy-dogs.

[Lankyrob]

One thing to get right in your program when talking about snakes - they are VENOMOUS not POISONOUS - one very common mistake that people make when talking about snakes that is pretty much guaranteed to get the majority of snake owners backs up :)

[stephanbakir]

One thing to get right in your program when talking about snakes - they are VENOMOUS not POISONOUS - one very common mistake that people make when talking about snakes that is pretty much guaranteed to get the majority of snake owners backs up :)
Biggest pet peeve ever! ^

[stephanbakir]

Surely this is simply showing a preference to certain animals over others? If a wild and poisonous snake was found on your land, terrorising your horses and possibly your family, would your first reaction be to kill the snake, or to "re-home" it? After all, your land is it's natural habitat, and the same could potentially be said about a wild coydog (assuming it was wild, as i don't know this particular story).

We're not looking to shed a bad light on reptilia and their owners/keepers, and will (as I think was clear at the top of this thread) be featuring all kinds of animals. Furthermore, I'll repeat it again, we're looking to hook with some interesting footage (which doesn't have to be the actual escape, but should include the animal "on the loose" for want of a friendlier and more accurate phrase), before educating the viewers with expert opinions and salient and possibly unknown facts.

Please feel free to ignore this thread as it seems everyone's position is quite clear now - thanks for your opinions and apologies for the bad press you've received.

I've had loads of NATIVE animals find their way onto my property and the property of others, the more dangerous of these are Rattlesnakes, bobcats, lynx, coyotes, wolves and a hawk (That last one was easier to catch then you would expect rofl)

I relocated EVERY animal on that list, by means of harmless traps, and got injured on a few of them and still have no regrets.

[Great Animal Es]

that's exactly my point stefan, thanks, and that's why i don't understand why other people wouldn't choose to relocate a dog (wild or domesticated) as their first option instead of opting to shoot it first.

it's besides the point though...

[infernalis]

I may have came across wrongly, I do not shoot wildlife on my property, unless it is in the animal's best interest.

Rabid Raccoons, animals attacking my pets, sick critters that are dying anyways...

Other than that, I allow nature to be left alone.

There is a big hawk that roosts in my hedge, I have seen it eat snakes, but that is the natural food chain in motion, and regardless of my passion for snakes, the hawk is only doing what nature intended it to do, so I refuse to disrupt the hawk from having a meal.

[stephanbakir]

that's exactly my point stefan, thanks, and that's why i don't understand why other people wouldn't choose to relocate a dog (wild or domesticated) as their first option instead of opting to shoot it first.

it's besides the point though...a coydog cannot be relocated it is a hybrid and has no native environment, eliminating it will hopefully end its reign of terror.
I may have came across wrongly, I do not shoot wildlife on my property, unless it is in the animal's best interest.

Rabid Raccoons, animals attacking my pets, sick critters that are dying anyways...

Other than that, I allow nature to be left alone.

There is a big hawk that roosts in my hedge, I have seen it eat snakes, but that is the natural food chain in motion, and regardless of my passion for snakes, the hawk is only doing what nature intended it to do, so I refuse to disrupt the hawk from having a meal.
I agree, the only reason I ever relocate something is if it attacks people, or pets and proves to be a dangerous animal, the hawk for instance roosted about 200 feet from my house and decided that we needed to leave, dive bombed us every time we left the house. That I simply will not tolerate, so I moved him out of the country and into the deep bush.

[KORBIN5895]

that's exactly my point stefan, thanks, and that's why i don't understand why other people wouldn't choose to relocate a dog (wild or domesticated) as their first option instead of opting to shoot it first.

it's besides the point though...

The real problem with coys are that anything from a beagle to a bull mastiff can breed coys. Now we had a pack of coyotes that had a German Sheppard , a Siberian husky ( or a malamute) and a rottie running with it
Now just imagine those three breeds feral mixed with coyote and on your property. I would dearly love to see anyone try to trap one and then try to re-domesticate them.

Wayne is right that the chain of life is the chain of life but my pet isn't part of that chain nor is a domestic dog running wild in the woods a part of that chain. Some of the best hunting I have ever done was coyote hunting. One of the worst things I have ever hunted was a friends coin dog that got rabies and we were unable to catch. I shoot nothing for pleasure or entertainment.

As for venomous snakes on my property goes relocation is a better option. I don't know of many snakes that will attack without being provoked. That being said if it was a snake or my child the snake would be the first to die..... but then again how would you kill something that fast? I had a .22 revolver I carried back home but I am not a good enough shot to put a snake down with a .22 no matter how many shots I have. So add that with a pet or a loved one within striking distance well the whole scenario becomes moot. Better to relocate what can be relocated and eliminate what needs eliminated.

[infernalis]

don't want to give the impression that we shoot things willy nilly.. must be justified.

[KORBIN5895]

What do you mean Wayne???? I thought you just went out to the back 40 and opened up on everything that moved with your ak-47?

In all honesty the biggest disconnect is the fact that some of us have a different belief system than the op. I don't think the op is necessarily wrong about how they view the world because that is what they were taught. I was taught differently about somethings than they were. I have to disagree with some of their philosophy but I can still see it because my best friend was born and raised in Chicago and I spent my childhood in LA. I do remember what it was like when I moved to IL it was a big culture shock. Especially when a farmer I was working for started banding cattle. I found that very disturbing.