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Australia-'De-venomised' snakes ruled dangerous
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by tigers9 on October 14, 2008
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http://www.theage.com.au/national/devenomised-snakes-ruled-dangerous-20081015-5128.html
'De-venomised' snakes ruled dangerous
• Mex Cooper
• October 15, 2008 - 11:56AM
Raymond Hoser has lost his battle at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Photo: Andrew De La Rue
A Victorian snake-handler has lost a fight to be allowed to let audience members touch "de-venomised" snakes in his shows at schools and shopping centres.
- 'Venomoids' ruled unsafe
- Handler to fight on
- Demonstrations a 'side-show': judge
Raymond Hoser wanted people at his 'Snakebusters' demonstrations to be allowed to get close to 36 deadly snakes.
He said the snakes were "100% completely safe" after having their venom glands removed.
Mr Hoser told The Age he would continue to fight conditions imposed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment that limit the use of the snakes, which he calls 'venomoids', after losing a battle at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Mr Hoser took the State Government department to the tribunal because he wanted to:
- Hold more than one venomous snake at a time during shows
- Get closer than three metres to the public while handling deadly snakes
- Allow audience members to handle 'de-venomised' snakes; and
- Give venomous snakes to people who are training to be snake handlers.
But after a five-day hearing, tribunal deputy president Anne Coghlan found the ability of snakes to regenerate made it impossible for venomous snakes to ever be declared safe.
She said Peter Mirtschin, who runs Australia's largest venom supply business, had given evidence that he had once removed a king brown snake's infected eye.
Three years later when the snake was euthanised Mr Mirtschin discovered the eye had re-grown behind an eye socket.
"This must add doubt about using venom gland removal or venom duct severing as a method of rendering snakes 'harmless'," he told the tribunal.
Mr Hoser insisted his snakes were safe and unable to inject venom after he surgically removed their venom glands in 2004.
The practice has since been banned unless it is carried out by a registered practitioner, which Mr Hoser is not.
Mr Hoser said he and his staff had received hundreds of forced bites from once-deadly `devenomised' snakes and survived without anti-venom.
"They are so deadly if there had been a microscopic trace of venom I would have been wiped out," he said.
But Ms Coghlan found Mr Hoser had no qualifications, no training and "produced no scientific evidence" to back up his claims.
She described his demonstrations as a "side-show" with a focus on entertainment above education and refused his requests to bring snakes to the tribunal hearing.
Mr Hoser, a former taxi-driver, runs a snake-catching service as well as putting on wildlife shows.
He has written anti-corruption books, was a candidate in the 1999 Frankston by-election and was fined $3000 for contempt of court in 2001 over allegations he made against two County Court judges.
Crikey founder and shareholder activist Stephen Mayne was sued for defamation by shock-jock Steve Price after reproducing an article by Mr Hoser in 2002. Mr Hoser said he would continue to push for changes to his wildlife demonstrator licence that would benefit public safety.
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RE: Australia-'De-venomised' snakes ruled dangerou
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by Cro on October 14, 2008
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The Judge made the right ruling.
Best Regards John Z
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RE: Australia-'De-venomised' snakes ruled dangerou
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by tigers9 on October 14, 2008
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Cro, try to remove your personal feelings against removing the venom glands.
Look at if from this angle: if they are scared of snakes without venom glands, how would they react to an intact venomous snakes, mass hysteria, total hate of snakes?
Z
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RE: Australia-'De-venomised' snakes ruled dangerou
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by Cro on October 15, 2008
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Z, the hatred of snakes, both venomous and non-venomous, is as common in Australia as it is in this Country.
Having folks "pet" venomoid snakes will not change peoples fears of snakes any better than having them pet non-venomous snakes, and using non-venomous snakes is a lot, lot safer.
If you read the above post by Gary, you will see that the Kentucky Reptile Zoo has proven that some "venomoid" snakes still produce venom, and those were snakes that had a vet supposedly make them venomoid.
This hack from Australia did his own surgery on the snakes ! That is akin to using a Dremel Tool to do your own home made dentistry !
The snakes still have fangs, that can create dangerous puncture wounds and infections. And the snakes will still produce venomous offspring.
This is more akin to the folks in Australia who are making money by letting folks sit in a plexi-glass cage underwater, in a tank full of large crocodiles. It is all about the "thrill" factor. Folks will come home saying "I am cool, I touched a Taipan" instead of coming home and saying "snakes are not as bad as I thought."
The hack clown says that he and his workers have recieved hundreds of bites from the venomoid snakes. That alone shows poor handling skills, and shows the potential for folks who pay for his snake shows to get bitten.
This clown is a "showman" and is doing a "'side-show" for the sake of making money on folks fears. It is not about trying to educate folks about snakes.
Again, the Judge ruled correctly !
Best Regards John Z
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RE: Australia-'De-venomised' snakes ruled dangerou
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by SerpenXotics on October 15, 2008
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John's right even if a "showman" had a snake voided for the safety of his or her audience that would be one thing. There is still absolutely no reason to free handle the snake, or let the audience handle them that’s just crazy and unnecessary.Just my .02
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RE: Australia-'De-venomised' snakes ruled dangerou
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by LadyBloodRose on October 15, 2008
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i could understand maybe having venomoids for a reptile show purpose that way incase thesnak ejust got outa hand an got to near the audience etc. maybe things would be ok an not a severe. But this would be only for education, NOT for the purpose of handeling, not to let youy get closer to people etc. doings omething like that could encourage poeple to get voided snakes an assume they are safe when they realy aren't.
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