A few photographs of my critters - part 1

[BarelyBreathing]

I was (and still am) a huge fan of The Crocodile Hunter. It was his enthusiasm for reptiles that made him great. I used to bring kids to my house to watch the show, and after that they would be less afraid of snakes. I think we need somebody with his devotion to helping people overcome their prejudices towards reptiles around today, as our hobby is under more and more attack.

[crocdoc]

I do apologise, but I have to admit that I laugh when I read statements like this:

Originally Posted by BarelyBreathing

I think we need somebody with his devotion to helping people overcome their prejudices towards reptiles around today, as our hobby is under more and more attack.

It seems most people in the US aren't aware that he was against the ownership of reptiles by private keepers. It's fairly well known here.

What irked me most about crikey was his insistence on using the word 'aggressive' while holding a snake by the tail. "Look how aggressive it is! It wants to TAG me". Gave people the wrong idea about snakes, in my opinion. People watching his show that aren't snake enthusiasts walk away thinking a species is far more aggressive/dangerous than it really is, which is bad in a country like Australia. That's how I found out about his show to start with: A good mate rang me and said "I had no idea (I can't recall the species of snake) were that dangerous" and when I asked "who said they were?" he told me about the show. I watched a couple of episodes and that was enough for me.

[red ink]

Originally Posted by crocdoc

I do apologise, but I have to admit that I laugh when I read statements like this:


It seems most people in the US aren't aware that he was against the ownership of reptiles by private keepers. It's fairly well known here.

What irked me most about crikey was his insistence on using the word 'aggressive' while holding a snake by the tail. "Look how aggressive it is! It wants to TAG me". Gave people the wrong idea about snakes, in my opinion. People watching his show that aren't snake enthusiasts walk away thinking a species is far more aggressive/dangerous than it really is, which is bad in a country like Australia. That's how I found out about his show to start with: A good mate rang me and said "I had no idea (I can't recall the species of snake) were that dangerous" and when I asked "who said they were?" he told me about the show. I watched a couple of episodes and that was enough for me.

Shhh... Doc that's a dirty secret, some people also have inside knowledge of his "poaching days".

[Swany]

Originally Posted by red ink

Shhh... Doc that's a dirty secret, some people also have inside knowledge of his "poaching days".

Is this another case of poacher turned gamekeeper ?

[red ink]

Originally Posted by Swany

Is this another case of poacher turned gamekeeper ?

More or less...

[DragonsEye]

Originally Posted by crocdoc

What irked me most about crikey was his insistence on using the word 'aggressive' while holding a snake by the tail. "Look how aggressive it is! It wants to TAG me". Gave people the wrong idea about snakes, in my opinion. People watching his show that aren't snake enthusiasts walk away thinking a species is far more aggressive/dangerous than it really is, ....

Interesting that you should mention this. I've had an issue with Frank Indiviglio who often writes articles about the husbandry of various animals. I dropped him a note one day about his use of "aggressive" rather than "defensive" in an article of his (he asks for comments). My concerns were similar to yours (matter of fact I posted my opinion on the "aggressive" vs "defensive" on some thread here not long ago, as I recall). Indiviglio's response was that "as the author of 5 books" he is aware of the distinction between the words but doesn't feel it's possible to distinguish the two when looking at animal behavior. Hence his continual use of "aggressive". My response was that as "the author of 5 books" he should be well aware of the power of words and how the words one chooses to use influence's a reader's perception. He lost a great deal of my respect at that point.