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Ignorant or just Stupid?
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by ALA_snake33 on September 13, 2008
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Everyone watch this video and give your opinion.
Is this young man crazy, or just ignorant of what can happen to him?
Scares the S**t out of me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L223fEKxbIM
Be Safe Ya'll, Happy Herping : Wally
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RE: Ignorant or just Stupid?
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by LadyBloodRose on September 13, 2008
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I wont put down Brandon. I've talked to him on youtube several times, an though he is a bit stubbon at least he is knowledgeablean verry passionate about snakes. To me theres alot worse that a teen like him couldbe out doing other then what he is.
Encouragement to use proper tools shouldbe applied rather then insult etc. An he is at least making an efort to educate in his videos unlike alota people on there who come across a snake an sit there an poke it with a stick for fun.
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RE: Ignorant or just Stupid?
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by jparker1167 on September 13, 2008
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wow, i have talked to his kid before too he's actually a moderator of the venomous section on muffdaddys website the youtube herp comunnity. and hes the mod of the venomous section which should tell you something.. i was banned from the site for telling the kid that he was handling them poorly and should be doing videos like this. half the time his hand is in strike range ands he not even looking at the snake. he will take a bite very soon if he keeps this up
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RE: Ignorant or just Stupid?
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by Cro on September 13, 2008
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I watched about 10 of Brandon's Vidoes.
He is a very bright young man, he knows the Scientific Names of the animals he is working with, and he knows a lot of factual information about what the animals eat, and their habits, and the habitats they live in.
He obviouslly has a great passion for reptiles and amphibians, and probably reads a great deal.
And he is trying to make videos that are Educational. He does a good job in front of the video camera, considering he is working by himself much of the time.
He is also somewhat dangerous in the way he works with venomous snakes, and could easily get bitten doing some of the things he does. Hopefully, he will take some advise and mentoring from older herpers, and learn to be a bit more cautious before he gets bitten.
That would not only help him, but it would also make it safer for the folks who watch his videos, who might try to copy what he does. Also, it would help the whole venomous community if he does not get bitten.
I would advise Brandon to stop using sticks and get a real snake hook. That would create a safer situation right off the bat. If he makes it to the Columbia Reptile Show, I will give him a snake hook, in the interest of safety. Or, he can EMail me, and I will ship him one, without charge, if he does not allready own one, and if he will learn to use the hook to improve the safety when he works with venomous snakes.
I would also advise him to keep his hands a bit further from the snakes. Reaching down to tail a coiled Cottonmouth is just asking to get nailed. And while he was working with the Copperhead, he got within striking range of the snake on several occasions when he reached up with his other hand. He needs to remember that those snakes are pit vipers, and they can sense the heat from his hands when he gets that close to them, and can swing over and bite with amazing speed.
I would also advise him to not trust that those shoes are as snake proof as he thinks, LOL.
I also read the responses that he answered folks with on UTube. Even when folks criticized his handling, he still answered them and did not delete their comments. The biggest thing I see in his responses is that he says that he is good at what he does. Well, it is nice that he has confidence, and he does have skills. But being good at what he is doing is not going to keep him from eventually getting bitten, if he keeps placing his hands too close to venomous snakes. The large Cottonmouths he was working with have the potential to cause a huge amount of damage. I assume he will be herping for Rattlesnakes fairly soon. They are a lot more dangerous to work with, and a lot less tolerent of being handled than Copperheads or Cottonmouths are.
Brandon, I see a lot of potential. If you keep making Educational Vidoes, and move up to better camera equipment, and work on the safety in handling venomous snake issues, you just might wind up some day with a job doing reptile shows for Discovery or National Geographic.
Best Regards John Z
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RE: Ignorant or just Stupid?
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by LadyBloodRose on September 13, 2008
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some people have to learn the hard way before they learn sadly.
oddly enough even though I am friends with Mike, iaint part of Muffs forum so I actualy didn't know he was on there. He gets alota heat, but then again don't alota people in the hot community no mater who what where or when get some heat at somepoint or do something wrong or think they know it all? Mistakes are how we learn sadly for some that mistake could have a high cost.
is it just me or do i tend to be way to tolernt sometimes? lol.
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RE: Ignorant or just Stupid?
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by puffadder7 on September 13, 2008
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atleast he knows what he is talking about, all he needs is some better handling skills and a snake hook like cro said, and he could help the herp society, arin
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RE: Ignorant or just Stupid?
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by theemojohnm on September 13, 2008
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"o ok mother natures sticks look what mother natures sticks can have happen to you search snake bite in youtube and look at the national geographic thing on what happened to a guy using a stick
and if price is the problem i bet your dad has an old paint roller that hes not need, or paint rollers are like 10 bucks or so in hardware stores or other stores that sell them and a pole maybe a few bucks muff dady uses a paint roller and steve erwin has a few times too"
THIS KIDS REPLY:
"No offence I wouldent listen to muffdaddy when it comes to venomous snakes. I generally use dowel rods as a snake stick. I want the snake to be able to move freely without being stressing by somthing that can stress it out further."
He IS SOMEWHAT knowledgeable, but may be lacking some crucial experience. No way of knowing what his REAL experience has been. He IS fairly confident, but handling practices are questionable. In most cases, herpers his age (I can speak from first hand accounts of many close to my own age who message me online) who have no "fear" or "respect" for the animals they pick up.
Have they not seen enough pictures? Heard enough stories? Perhaps its the statistics of few snakebite deaths in the U.S. per year that lead them to believe they are invincible?
Lets not allow this to turn into a personal attack on this kid, or a continuance on the YOUNG vs., OLD keeper debate.
I see ALOT of POTENTIAL hazards, but nothing like muffdaday's interactions with the copperhead.
Take Care.
~John.
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Hold on to your chairs....
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by Rob_Carmichael on September 14, 2008
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I'm usually one of the more critical folks of younger people working with hots on this web site....so, most will be surprised when I say this:
I was actually really impressed with this kid. He wasn't a show boat, you could tell he has a real, genuine passion and interest in herps, a decent amount of knowledge and awareness, and my gut feeling tells me that he's the kind of kid that will be open to advice amongst the older set here. There was no heavy metal music in the background, or, ridiculous acts of utter carelessness (other than a few things that John Z mentioned....and maybe having more knowledge about the real potential for harm of things like copperheads - they are definitely not "mildly venomous"). I haven't seen the other videos but I think his heart is in the right place. Obviously, he's a Steve Irwin like protege and I don't mean that in a negative way. With a little shoring up such as using a real snake hook, maybe having a set of tongs nearby, and improving some of his handling skills just a tad, I think he's got a lot of potential. Compared to other similar things I've seen, this was actually one of the better ones - what I liked most is that when you are done watching the video, you have a much greater appreciation for the beauty of that animal - so NICE job.
Okay, enough nice things about young herpers for one day!:-)
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
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RE: Hold on to your chairs....
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by SCatheris on September 14, 2008
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I'll agree with that he knows his stuff but I saw a lot of complacency. Of course complacency and hots dont mix....
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