No, it's not.
The number of times human beings interact with vending machines is far greater than the number of times humans interact with specific reptiles- so you can't compare total number of incidents, you need to compare relative frequency statistically. If you don't understand that I suggest you use some of the funds you're bragging about and take a course.
Millions of people interact with big snakes, at shows, parties, zoo ETC.
Yes, you compare those statistics, and the odds are greater to get killed by a vending machine. The % chance his higher. I know how statistics work champ.
Well "your book" was not peer reviewed and is not realy backed up by anything other than an uneducated opinion.
As is yours, except you just sound like the typical liberal idiot wanting everything you're clearly too stupid to understand controled.
Again this "my land" notion- very patriotic of you but lets dial down a notch on the whole ownership/territoriality thing?
Human beings live in societies... I know, the term might be confusing, but among other things it means that people like you are typically poor neighbors and that's not something I'd take pride in- nor would I want to live next to someone who takes joy in encouraging such a behavior from a dog.
I'm a great neighbor, I live on 40 acres, my neighbors and I get along great, their dogs are also attack dogs, if the neighbor wants to come over, he calls me, he lets me know, and it's not a big deal, the same goes for him.
Of course I'll encourage my dog to defend my land and my property, if I take my dog out to somewhere, he's great, the minute I put him in my SUV to walk in the store and grab a drink, if you reach for the car in any way, he will lunge and bark and growl. I guess offending potential criminals is a bad thing these days !
Well at least I am not too inept to understand that injury sustained from defensiveness and injury sustained from aggressiveness is still an injury(hence, same effect).
They are 2 extremely different injuries, I guess your too inept to understand how a varanid works. A very slight nip, tail whip, from a defensive injury, compared to the potential these animals could put out if they where downright aggressive, are hugely different. If one of my retics grabs me in a defensive strike, I'm going to bleed, I might even need stitches. Oh well. If my biggest female goes offense, and full on chases me down, it's going to be a different beast.
If you're afraid of injuries, you might want a padded room champ, stop being so afraid of anything that "could" hurt you, just because it "can" doesn't mean it will, and if you are afraid of injury- you have no business owning a car, dog, bike, tools, glassware...
Show me numbers, if you'll prove that the incident ratio between serious injury/fatalities to number of interactions is the same for BCI as it is for Reticulated pythons than yes, I will completely endorse some form of regulation. I promise you, you won't. Boas are a deal more common, and the number of fatalities a deal lesser- but no problem, show me numbers.
Numbers don't matter! There are millions of reticulated pythons, burmese, afrocs, green annies in America, and we had ~12 deaths in 25 years from these animals? Boas are even included in that statistic. Yes, more retics have probably killed people, but by your logic- the chance for death means we should regulate it.
The fact that you don't seem to understand the difference between regulation and ban doesn't speak very highly of serious consideration.
I do understand the difference. Both are stupid ideas. The government should have ZERO say in this regard. If I'm dumb enough to get myself killed owning a big snake, so be it, if I'm dumb enough to get myself killed being a daredevil cliff jumping. SO BE IT.
Reptiles, unlike dogs, are neither mentally developed enough, nor have been selectively bred for hundreds and thousands of years. So comparing the two, again, is not sensible... and no, not in anyone's book, it's just poor logic.
Dogs have been bred for human companionship, produced for this, yet still kill more people on average than the wild untamed snake.
Great job society, doing very well with those domesticated dogs, great track record. LOL
It's dangerous to allow people who are possibly uneducated and who live in neighborhoods to keep such animals- not because they may do damage to themselves- but the animal can escape and injure a neighbor or the child in the house.
Is this not true of dogs as well? Why shouldn't I be allowed to own a snake, that at worst could randomly get out, manage to slither over, and MAYBE attack a child. Take into account that nearly all accidents involving big snakes occur due to either wild caught aggressive animals, or feeding time... You act like they just slither to the other yard and hunt down a human being... as opposed to wild rabbit, cats, birds, small dogs... and wanting to hide in a new stressful environment.
Hell, at least my big snake would want to seek out a rabbit and somewhere to hide, a dog on the rampage isn't afraid of humans, and will go straight toward them, where is your dog regulation speech?
So... I'm completely still in the opinion that these animals should NOT be available as pets- as this goes for ANY animal that has a high fatality/serious injury for total number of interactions ratio.
I hear the HSUS is hiring, as is PETA.
Regulate it by forcing people who want to own an animal to attend a short, inexpansive course? fine by me, but to allow just about anyone to waltz up and own a large powerful wild animal? no, I disagree with this completely.
Guess we need that course for everything in our lives. LOL
Agreed. I see so many people buying Retics at Reptile Shows, I can't help but be a little judgemental, and assume that quite a few breeders of these massive animals aren't being responsible.
Or.. it's not our job to police every individual?
Unlike Corn Snakes or Ball Pythons, there are never any adult Retics for sale at Reptile Shows, to accurately show the customer what they're buying. The customer might think they know what an adult Nile or Retic looks like, but 20' pythons and 10' carnivorous lizards are monumental lifetime responsibilities. They aren't just cool dinosaurs to pull out and show off, which, unfortunately seems to be most of their appeal.
Corns and BPs are much much more common, they do come up for sale, but they usually sell very fast third party rather than making it to a show. Whenever I vend a show, or help with a retic vendor, we always have an adult animal on display.
Also- 20' retics are rare generally, and 10' is way off the mark for niloticus.
In my opinion, these animals are way too much of a responsibility for the vast majority of young people who buy them. And unlike Corns and Balls, you can't just find a 'good home' for these monster reptiles if you turn 25 or 30, after have drastic life changes. You basically need to find a specialized rescue, with lots of extra resources, just to ensure that the snake will stay alive.
Most big snake keepers will generally take in a large constrictor no questions asked if it needs a home. It doesn't need a rescue, if someone knocks on my door with a 16' male normal retic, and hands it to me, I'll take it.
If regulations were scientifically, rationally, and democratically sound, I would actually be okay with certain regulations on certain animals. Unfortunately, that is an ideal. In real life- regulations=more regulations (catch 22), and we all would suffer as reptile keepers for trying to have even the slightest regulation, even if it would otherwise benefit the animals.
We need self regulation, we need responsible breeders who accurately show the potential these animals have, I do that, every hatchling I sold last season- I allowed the buyers in my home, I gave them time handling various sizes of retics, including my 18' female, and letting them see the potential. Past that- I can't do much for you.
But, for the sake of these ginormous animals, of which many are being crammed into bins too tight to even stretch out, I think more could be done on their behalf. Whether it's regulation from the outside, or preferably, more responsible instruction and regulation from the inside-such as not recommending these animals to people with little to no experience as pets.
Generally in my experience, people who buy a retic generally take better care of it, than the ones who end up with something that lets be realistic- is fairly disposable like a corn or bp.
