Re: Believe It Or Not� but The SnakeBabe is on Television again

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Posted by promomgr on January 29, 2003 at 13:38:10:

In Reply to: Re: Believe It Or Not� but The SnakeBabe is on Television again posted by glenn bartley on January 26, 2003 at 12:48:22:

:In my opinion, anyone logging onto the suggested site will probably only be racking up points for her, which her promoter (get that her promoter - do you think maybe they are only trying to make money at the expense of the hobby - I sure wonder about this myself although I cannot say one way of the other right now), will likely later use to show how popular she is, when in fact she may well be adding fuel to the fire of the anti-herpers. Give us a break please.

:All of my above statements were my opinion.

:Sincerely,
:Glenn Bartley
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:Well, here is my opinion on this one: Of course, as usual, another herp rescue person is willing to tell the world how we normal citizens should not keep certain animals, but on the other hand, it is ok for her to rescue them and keep them herself because she is akin to some sort of a super hero. Just listen to the wonderful, awe inspiring, epoch styled music that accompamied the original post.

:All of my above statements were my opinion.

:Sincerely,
:Glenn Bartley

Thanks for sharing your opinion, It is a common opinion and Maria has addressed these concerns before.
Steve and Maria spend hundreds of hours in the public eye with their animals and the stories of animal neglect they hear are sickening. Although you may not approve of Steve and Maria most do not disagree with their husbandry practices. Their feelings can be summed up as most (not all but most) people who get these pets are not aware of the responsibility of care for them and often ends in neglect. Steve and Maria have a large following and this gives them the ability to reach an audience that good forums like this would never reach.
Lastly, I did post my title as promotions Mgr. As I am instructed by Steve to be honest in my posts. Yes, this is for promotional efforts and yes, this is for animals too. When you have a vet and food bill in the thousands you need all the help you can get. They pay for all this out of their pockets.
I offer this excerpt from her site�

You are just using animals to make money.
I will answer this by giving you a little insight to my financial life.

I currently own two vans. Each has over 160,000 miles on the odometer. One is 12 years old and the other is 9. I keep these running at a rate of approximately 250.00 per month in repairs. This is cheaper than buying a new one. Although a new one would be nice I would rather use the money for my pets. Next is my home. I do have a large spacious home with 4 bedrooms. Three of which are used for my animals and show needs. I have a little over half an acre of land which I do not have a pool or lawn furniture as many people do since I need the excess room for animals. Barns are being built on this space with room for sun and exercise for the pets.

My tortoise alone has a 16 X 25 square foot pen just for his space and is still growing. I do not have furniture in my living room. I often sit on an air mattress to watch TV since I spent my money on a barn for the reptiles. I do have a sofa that is ten years old and has the holes in it from birds sneaking a bite when I am not looking but it works.

I do not own a sports car, as I would like. I have not had a long vacation away from home in years. I do earn enough for these luxuries as an entertainer (Magician, Model ) without using the animals, but my priority is to house my pets in a way that is comfortable for them first, my needs are second. The money I earn with the animals goes to them, every penny. I say this for you, the readers to understand that the animals do not earn enough to support themselves. My magic shows and modeling bring in the money that pays for the balance of their food, shelter, veterinary bills, and of course my personal living expenses.

I would be financially much better off to dump the snakes completely but I love my animals and will work as much as I have too to support them as I would if they were my children. This is a choice and a commitment.

One last example I would like to share is that I sometimes lose work as a result of the snakes. I get calls form all over the world and I turn them down because I do not let my animals out of my site during travel. This is not possible on an airline so I only do shows with in a driving range. This makes me more costly than most magicians and I actually lose money because of animals. This is my choice but I will not trust their care to any outside parties.

Do not get me wrong, I do treat myself to dinners out a few times a month but not when I have vet bills that need to be paid. Animals first - SnakeBabe second. I am, however, looking into creating a non-profit sanctuary as this way the critters will not have to pay taxes on their earnings.

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Re: Believe It Or Not� but The SnakeBabe is on Television again swara 01/29/03 (0)