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Posted by oldherper on April 08, 2003 at 14:06:38:
In Reply to: zoos, parents & snakes posted by theMAC on April 08, 2003 at 13:28:51:
You've really raised two separate (but related) issues. One is general ignorance pertaining to reptiles, which we will always face as long as there are people and reptiles. The other is, in my opinion, tantamount to child abuse. What these people are doing is creating children with unreasonable fears regarding snakes that will grow up into adults that will create more children just like them. The really ironic part is that, given the fact that children aren't born with a fear of snakes, the fears must have been instilled in these children by the very people who are dragging them against their will into the reptile house and re-inforcing those fears. It just infuriates me, but I don't know what the answer is. What I find most times is that people who are ignorant about things like snakes are that way by choice. How do you fight that with someone who doesn't want to be educated?
:I'm not gonna waste alot of time delving into my thoughts behind this but here's the scenario as I witnessed it last saturday at the reptile house of a major zoo here in the USA.
:I am being polite and patient, working my way to each exhibit to see some very beautiful snakes and lizards from around the country and the world. Lots of ppl come in and look at each exhibit. Naturally, the kids liked it the most.
:Any snake smaller than 2'Long and 1"diameter was "a baby"
:Any snake over 4' and 3" dia was a "man eater"
:Almost all of the snakes there are "poisonous"..you know, the rattlers, the cobras, the boas, the pythons, the green ones, the mean looking ones
:but what I really noticed was the few couples who had at least one kid who REALLY didn't want to see the snakes.
:But they brought them in and took to almost every snake exhibit with the child crying, squealling or screaming
:"I don't wanna"
:"I'm scared"
:"Nooooooooo...."
:I won't differentiate between the few trying to show their child something and teach them about it and the guy who just delighted in seeing the child squirm and then telling him to "get tough, it won't hurt you".
:I believe I read that something to the effect of 'for the same reason some ppl are terrified of snakes, some ppl are fascinated with them'
:(I won't say where I read that incase I screwed up his quote or his meaning)
:as I said, I'm not going into what I think about this
:but maybe you will
