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RE: Vegas Viper Stunt: Don't Try This at Home
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by Cro on January 21, 2010
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I find STUNTS that involve snakes to be somewhat distasteful.
Although Donald probably thinks that he is showing folks that these snakes are not all that dangerous, at the same time Animal Planet is playing up the DANGEROUS thing for all it is worth.
The underlying goal is to supposedly raise Awareness of the Global Snake Bite Problem, and the lack of antivenin for treatment in third world countries like Sri Lanka.
If it accomplishes this, it will be a GOOD THING, as there are over one million venomous snake bites around the world every year, and those result in over 100,000 deaths.
That is a huge difference from the 7000 venomous snake bites in this country, which result in 15 deaths.
Donald will supposedly "be working with them hands-on every day, extracting venom that will be shipped around the world so research for venom variation and potential pharmaceutical use can continue. And when he's not milking venomous snakes with his bare hands, he'll be conducting cutting-edge tests to measure, for example, the potency of venom, the depth of fang penetration, and the strike range of the world's fastest snakes, through the use of high-speed cameras."
Zuzana, did you see a research lab inside of the cage ?
They claim that some of the venom milked from the snake, and some of the snakes will go to VIPER, which is the University of Arizona's Venom Immunochemistry, Pharmacology and Emergency Response Institute.
While the venom from a few milkings will make little difference, the snakes going to the program might, and Donald has told me that some of the money raised by the event will also go to VIPER. However, he did not tell me how much of the money would also go to Animal Planet, and to him.
The other thing that bothers me about this stunt, is they have hired Dr. Jeremy Sabatini, the veterinarian who owns Venomoid.inc. This would suggest that a number of the snakes being used in the stunt could be Venomoids. When I asked Donald if venomoids would be used in the cage, he did not answer my question, but instead answered that Sabatini has extensive reptile experience. He must be a Obama Democrat with a answer like that, as they love to try to avoid answering a question by changing the subject. If you read between the lines a bit, it would be fairly safe to assume that some of the snakes are venomoids. Most likely the ones that do not get milked during the show.
It is likely that Donald will milk the snakes that are added to the cage as they come in. That way, they would be rendered far less dangerous for the rest of the stunt.
They also have Dr. Sean Bush on hand, which would indicate that some of the snakes will be fully loaded and capable of delivering a fatal bite. The bite from a taipan or mamba would require immediate medical attention, if they have those snakes in the cage.
Donald is a showman, and likes doing things that draw attention to himself. He has stated "Not only do I want to raise global awareness of the urgent need for anti-venom in developing countries, I want to push myself and test the boundaries of human/serpentine co-habitation. While this might be an average person's nightmare, this is truly my dream!"
I hope he accomplishes the first part of that, as Global Awareness of snakebite is Important.
However the part about testing the boundaries of human/serpentine co-habitation will not be accomplished in a 10 day stunt.
After all Martin Smit already has the Guinness record for that, and right now, Nutty Natie is on day 122 in a cage full of venomous snakes, in a attempt to beat Martins world record.
Best Regards
John Z
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RE: Vegas Viper Stunt: Don't Try This at Home
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by tigers9 on January 21, 2010
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http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/jan/21/chatting-amid-worlds-deadliest-snakes/
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RE: Vegas Viper Stunt: Don't Try This at Home
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by Cro on January 21, 2010
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Well, we can see what kind of nit-wit they sent to report, when the first thing she says is :
"The puff adder is one of the world's deadliest snakes. It's responsible for taking more human lives than any other serpent in the world, partially because its venom will kill you in only 23 minutes."
Wow, 23 minutes ?
Then she informs us that: "two professional snake handlers are within three feet of me, watching my front and back for potentially hungry reptiles; and certain sections of the floor are more heated than others to encourage the cold-blooded creatures to stay in those areas."
Are there really snakes in the enclosure that are large enough to swallow a human ? The reporter was kind of skinny, but, I think that a 4 foot blood python would have trouble swallowing her.
Also interesting that they have certain sections of the floor heated so the snakes will be more likely to bask there.
Well, lets see, the videos show boa constrictors, corn snakes, blood pythons, a Gaboon viper, and a couple of rattlesnakes. I wonder if they will ever post a list of all of the "deadly" snakes that were used ? That corn snake sure looked dangerous to me.
Donald gets to sleep up in a bed that appears to be at least 6 feet off the ground. They said the mamba will be arriving in the last days of the show. Guess they do not want risk their star getting bitten ?
If it does arrive, and actually has venom, I bet he will milk it dry before he ever releases it in the room.
Best Regards
John Z
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RE: Vegas Viper Stunt: Don't Try This at Home
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by pictigaster1 on January 21, 2010
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sensationalism, oh what a night late december back in 63 what a lady what a night,Im sorry what were we talking about.Never mind....................
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RE: Vegas Viper Stunt: Don't Try This at Home
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by Ptk on January 22, 2010
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Didn't Animal Planet have a show on last week about how no one should own exotics because of the same pointless and irresponsible behavior??? I guess the AR angle didnt net enough ratings so this week they try shock and awe.
"Stunts" will always be performed by those seeking self-grandizing attention, nothing more nothing less. Hang whatever banner you want to over the stage it all boils down to the notoriety of the "showman".
Isn't our hobby plauged enough with these psuedo-experts. I just dont see how giving yet another one his fifteen minutes does anyone any real good.
I also cant help but wonder when hearing about "stunts" such as these; all of these snakes surely didnt come from the same source. What kind of exposure do they now have to infectious dieases and parasites being thrown all together? I can't think of any herpetologist or hobbists that cares about his snakes not quarantining for at least 60-90days.
Stupid behavior just encourages more stupid behavior!!
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RE: Vegas Viper Stunt: Don't Try This at Home
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by Cro on January 22, 2010
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Patrick, very good points.
It is likely that some of the snakes are newly imported, and probably do have infectious diseases.
Those could easily spread to the other snakes in the cage, and if I am right about the venomoids, those snakes will wind up back at venomoid.inc and be sold to unsuspecting folks at reptile shows.
As you pointed out, it is all about the "show." The folks involved really care nothing about the snakes. It is all about making money, and bringing attention to themselves. The snakes involved in this stunt will suffer in the process. To these folks, the snakes are just a "product" that they are selling.
I hope that the folks at the VIPER research center know the need to Quarantine the incoming snakes they will be receiving.
Best Regards
John Z
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