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Ray Hunter aka Cobraman
- Thread starter mbdorfer
- Start date
MerlinsPop
New member
I noticed the Mangrove snake listed in his snakes for sale section... THEN I remembered seeing a mangrove snake for sale at a pet shop in Northern Virginia. Same markings. Illegal, or totally stupid on the pet store owner to take it in and sell it? No markings on the display that I recall identifying it as hot.
texastailfeathers
New member
Dale, you're such a heathen! :angry01:
I feel bad for the guy...the whole thing is very unfortunate. But, after looking at all the snake handling pics on his site, I can't say I'm surprised that it happened. Just surprised it didn't happen sooner.
My dad worked in a reptile lab when he was in college in southwest Oklahoma (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth :grin01 and he had to handle a few hots...mostly local diamondbacks. I've grown up hearing him say that, to a great extent, there is no such thing as a "skilled" handler of venomous snakes--just lucky. The more I learn about hot snakes, the more I agree with that.
I feel bad for the guy...the whole thing is very unfortunate. But, after looking at all the snake handling pics on his site, I can't say I'm surprised that it happened. Just surprised it didn't happen sooner.
My dad worked in a reptile lab when he was in college in southwest Oklahoma (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth :grin01
and he had to handle a few hots...mostly local diamondbacks. I've grown up hearing him say that, to a great extent, there is no such thing as a "skilled" handler of venomous snakes--just lucky. The more I learn about hot snakes, the more I agree with that.
jazzgeek
The Rule Of Thirds.
Oh, I won't even respond, not even in a snarky way. We've been over the spiritual life thing before.
My heart goes out to the guy, and I wish him a complete recovery - but I won't even begin to call him "brave".I feel bad for the guy...the whole thing is very unfortunate. But, after looking at all the snake handling pics on his site, I can't say I'm surprised that it happened. Just surprised it didn't happen sooner.
My dad worked in a reptile lab when he was in college in southwest Oklahoma (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth :grin01
As for hots, I'll stick with corns. I enjoy breathing too much.
regards,
jazz
MerlinsPop
New member
Amen! Glad there's people who work in the field. I think there's still a lot to learn from them. But that ain't my bag. I prefer the worst that can happen from a moment of inattentive snake handling is to get pooped on.
On the other hand, I do ride a motorcycle, so maybe its a case of "pick your pois...er...venom" I suppose.
Pruddock
Gig 'Em Ags!! Whoop!!
I agree that there is a lot to learn from hots, but the way he handles them is completely ridiculous. There are PLENTY of skilled professional herpetologists that will tell you that you can do plenty of research with hots without ever having to put a hand on them. Its an adrenaline/masculine/unnecessary risk to take imo. Thats my two cents on the deal...
And yes, I have posted pics where I've been tailing or pinning a hot, but I've learned my lesson (luckily without being envenomated) and spoken with people since then that have taught me better, safer ways to study, photograph, and deal with hots. I can safely say that I know I'LL never actually handle a hot again, and I plan on doing research on them this summer
And yes, I have posted pics where I've been tailing or pinning a hot, but I've learned my lesson (luckily without being envenomated) and spoken with people since then that have taught me better, safer ways to study, photograph, and deal with hots. I can safely say that I know I'LL never actually handle a hot again, and I plan on doing research on them this summer
texastailfeathers
New member
"Brave" is encountering a 12-ft cobra in the wild and having the presence of mind to keep from getting killed.
"Crazy" is keeping that 12-ft cobra in your basement and taking it out for play time. :smash:
MerlinsPop
New member
Just looked them up... "Mildly Venomous, rear fanged..." I wonder if that made them legal to sell in VA without being identified as hot.
Aren't corals rear-fanged, or am I confusing them with something else here in North America?
texastailfeathers
New member
If I remember correctly, corals are related to cobras, which I believe would make them fixed fanged and front grooved.
Right? :shrugs:
Right? :shrugs:
Pruddock
Gig 'Em Ags!! Whoop!!
Correct. Corals are the only elapids in NA. They are front fixed fanged. They whole "they have to chew on you" thing is bull. They chew because they have very long venom glands that extend a ways down their body, and in order to get a good venom load, they bite-hold-and inject unlike our more common pit-vipers.
MerlinsPop
New member
Thanks for the info!
My only first hand exposure to a coral happened when I was young, maybe 7 or 8. Dad (I'm not defending him, nor asking for comment) cut one in half in the yard with a spade. That was in SW Louisiana... never saw another one in the 12 years I lived there, but I remember hearing that 'rear fanged' thing even back then (I think it was the family vet who we took the halves to who said it).
Pruddock
Gig 'Em Ags!! Whoop!!
lol I don't know why but that caught me in a funny way. I just have a picture of you family taking these two pieces of snake to the vet...idk. No problem. Yeah, I've caught a few Texas Corals since I started herping here last spring. Here are some pics (not trying to hijack the thread mbdorfer I'm just sharing and I apologize if it comes off this way...)
BTW has anybody heard any new news on Hunter? I tried to find some stuff today but couldn't find anything new.
Attachments
CrazyCorn
D'oh
I know Ray Hunter personally and I feel obligated to comment here on his part. Ray is an awesome guy who is extremely experienced with many herps and is a great guy, yes he does seem overconfident in some cases and do things many would consider reckless at times but he never recommends others follow his steps and does a lot for our local community. Animal Control calls him and a few others first thing when a venomous snake needs removal or they need help. I have nothing but respect for the man even with his risky actions but those are his choices, he has done many lectures locally and even talks of his methods and why not to copy him. I hope that fills you all in a little bit better about him, I hope hes feeling better now.
tyler1310
New member
PORT ST. LUCIE — A venomous snake aficionado with the nickname "Cobraman" has been in the intensive care unit in the past after being bit by the slithery reptiles.
That's where 44-year-old Raymond Hunter is today — in critical condition in St. Lucie Medical Center — after an eastern diamondback rattlesnake chomped his right hand.
"He's got two passions in this world, Jesus Christ and venomous snakes," friend Andy James said Monday afternoon.
Hunter has a Web site that shows a variety of photos of himself holding cobras by the tail. It also states he became "a born again child of God in 1985." He had a "bit of a stumble" with the occult and became a member of the Church of Satan, though he is now a Christian.
He's known around St. Lucie County for his hobby of keeping venomous snakes. He sometimes helps animal control officers move a snake from one place to another. Sometimes he sells it; sometimes he gives it to a herpetologist; and sometimes he releases it into the wild in a non-populated area, James said.
Hunter got the eastern diamondback — the deadliest of all rattlers — following a call last week from city animal control officers. Apparently early Saturday morning, the creature bit him on the right hand, near the base of his forefinger and thumb, he told Port St. Lucie police and hospital staff.
He drove himself to St. Lucie Medical Center - and almost made it inside. About 12:30 a.m. Saturday a passerby told a police officer there that a man appeared to be unconscious in the parking lot behind the wheel of his parked vehicle, according to a police report.
"When (Hunter) got there, he already was in bad shape," Hunter's 47-year-old friend Maristela Duffield said.
As he lost consciousness, Hunter, who is licensed to possess venomous snakes, told investigators that his snakes and his residence were secure and that he lived in Midport Place, an apartment/condominium complex on Southeast Royal Green Circle.
"He was unable to provide any further details due to his rapidly declining condition," according to the report.
James said Hunter has a few snakes in his apartment, including cobras.
Al Cruz with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Venom Response Bureau said his agency delivered 30 vials of anti-venom to the hospital.
He said eastern diamondbacks are the deadliest rattlers in the nation.
"One bite (has powerful enough venom to) kill five people," he said, estimating that 250 to 300 people each year are bitten by venomous snakes in Florida.
Duffield, who also has a license to keep venomous snakes, said Monday that Hunter was having dialysis in the hospital and has a tube in his throat. She said Hunter is fascinated with cobras and they've become a part of his identity.
"I believe it was an accident that maybe he just got too confident," said Duffield, who met Hunter through his sister-in-law more than 10 years ago.
She told investigators Hunter "self-immunized himself against many different exotic, poisonous snakes and had been bitten many times in the past," the report states.
Nancy Haast, administrator at the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories where Hunter worked briefly in the 1990s, said venom from eastern diamondbacks can cause a "massive destruction of blood and tissue and vital organs."
Comments(20)
#1 Posted by Darby1 on October 29, 2007 at 12:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'll bet his neighbors are happy to hear that he has poisonous snakes in the apartment.
#2 Posted by springerag on October 29, 2007 at 1:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'd hate to be his neighbor!
#3 Posted by mlr2127 on October 29, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I understand he is licensed,...but it shouldnt be allowed in a multi-family complex like that.
A complex such as that just has too many units around in a small area. It could be dangerous if one of those snakes got loose.
If a person is going to be licensed for that, they should live in a house or duplex apartment, something that has more space between other people.
#4 Posted by allsmiles0972 on October 29, 2007 at 1:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Insurance says we can't have certain dogs otherwise we pay more but it is ok to have poisonous snakes.....go figure.
#5 Posted by Johnny_Utah on October 29, 2007 at 2 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why on Earth would someone living in FL want to keep poisonous snakes...
#6 Posted by MisElaineous on October 29, 2007 at 5:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Accidentally bit him? So the snake did not mean it?
OK.
Why is he keeping poisonous snakes in a condo complex?
#7 Posted by emo on October 29, 2007 at 7:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
*house or duplex apartment, something that has more space between other people.**
where in PSL would we find a home that isn't up the a$$ of it's neighbor????
#8 Posted by JDS87 on October 29, 2007 at 8:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Makes you wonder about your neighbors. I had some strange neighbors when I lived in PSL. But never one with a snake!
#9 Posted by Hello on October 29, 2007 at 9:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hope the man is okay....
#10 Posted by funinsunfl35f on October 30, 2007 at 6:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
GEE, I am glad he made it as far as he did before he passed out. He could have passed out with his foot on the gas and killed people. I would have just called 911. Glad nobody was killed.
#11 Posted by RainiePrichard on October 30, 2007 at 9:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I know Ray.
He's a good guy and knows more about venomous reptiles than most could ever know...
I keep several snakes. No big deal.
I don't keep venomous though... nor do I encourage it.
Ray's hospital bills and a near death experience are not worth keeping such an animal to me...
Also, to all you POISONOUS people out there... there is NO SUCH THING as a POISONOUS reptile. Poison is like hemlock or cyanide.
VENOM is a modified saliva.
They are VENOMOUS!!!
Jeez, get it right. LOL
#12 Posted by brtlkat on October 30, 2007 at 9:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
All the wonderful and perfect neighbors writing these negative comments need to know:
'Hunter got the eastern diamondback — the deadliest of all rattlers — following a call last week from city animal control officers'
'He said eastern diamondbacks are the deadliest rattlers in the nation.'
It should be known that these snakes are all over Port St. Lucie naturally, not because Ray brought them here from some strange far away place! I found one in my driveway last week & called animal control. After A/C picked it up, I thought "I should have called Ray". Guess what people. . .RAY is who animal control called after they left with it! I saw him the following day and showed him the pictures I had taken of it. It was a baby, so he said I probably have at least 4 or 5 more somewhere nearby. Ya'll lay off - to know Ray is to love his happy personality, and to know that he is in critical condition is heart-breaking! We have to keep him in our prayers to God and quit being so negative just because they did something that we perceive as wrong! Everyone who knows you Ray has you in their prayers!
Kathy
#13 Posted by reefdawg on October 30, 2007 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
For the true scumbags who have written negative comments about Ray, I say this, "you're truly the weak of the earth." Hype, the media and everything you read becomes Gospel and you really, as usual, don't have a clue about Ray, his snakes or the subject in even a general sense.
I have known Ray for over (20) years, and not once has any of his snakes been a danger to anyone to include neighbors, friends or the community. In fact, Ray has served the community and surrounding areas for most of those years helping us remove these venomous reptiles for the benefit of our community as a whole.
I am so embarrassed to be even associated with people that live on hysteria and hype. You really are the "media zombies" our mainstream media relies on.
Ray, I have said my prayers for you bro. You've been through worse bites than this, and in my heart, I know you'll make it through this one.
#14 Posted by WhatNews on October 30, 2007 at 12:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know Ray, but I've met him a couple times. I brought him a coral that my hubby rescued from his construction site, and he was happy to take him in. Ray's a good guy, and very experienced. You have to be to be issued a hot permit in FL. Get better soon Ray!
#15 Posted by angelaatloan on October 30, 2007 at 12:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree with # 13, I don't know Ray but I am sure praying for him.
#16 Posted by DaveH on October 30, 2007 at 12:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The three posts above me are 100% correct, Ray is an awesome guy. My families prayers are with him right now.
#17 Posted by gandale on October 30, 2007 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Don't know this guy, but do hope he's going to be okay. This is odd though - my son heard the other day that Jim Wilson of Wilson Plumbing was bitten on the hand by a rattlesnake and has been in ICU for over a week - seems like he was flown to Gainsville. Any word on that incident?
#18 Posted by JDS87 on October 31, 2007 at 1:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good thing he drove himself. If he called 911 in PSL he might have died before he got to the hospital.
#19 Posted by TruthPatrol on October 31, 2007 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Be glad he wasn't attending a Vero Beach/Indian River County joint commission meeting.
I'd rather take my chances with the snake!
That's where 44-year-old Raymond Hunter is today — in critical condition in St. Lucie Medical Center — after an eastern diamondback rattlesnake chomped his right hand.
"He's got two passions in this world, Jesus Christ and venomous snakes," friend Andy James said Monday afternoon.
Hunter has a Web site that shows a variety of photos of himself holding cobras by the tail. It also states he became "a born again child of God in 1985." He had a "bit of a stumble" with the occult and became a member of the Church of Satan, though he is now a Christian.
He's known around St. Lucie County for his hobby of keeping venomous snakes. He sometimes helps animal control officers move a snake from one place to another. Sometimes he sells it; sometimes he gives it to a herpetologist; and sometimes he releases it into the wild in a non-populated area, James said.
Hunter got the eastern diamondback — the deadliest of all rattlers — following a call last week from city animal control officers. Apparently early Saturday morning, the creature bit him on the right hand, near the base of his forefinger and thumb, he told Port St. Lucie police and hospital staff.
He drove himself to St. Lucie Medical Center - and almost made it inside. About 12:30 a.m. Saturday a passerby told a police officer there that a man appeared to be unconscious in the parking lot behind the wheel of his parked vehicle, according to a police report.
"When (Hunter) got there, he already was in bad shape," Hunter's 47-year-old friend Maristela Duffield said.
As he lost consciousness, Hunter, who is licensed to possess venomous snakes, told investigators that his snakes and his residence were secure and that he lived in Midport Place, an apartment/condominium complex on Southeast Royal Green Circle.
"He was unable to provide any further details due to his rapidly declining condition," according to the report.
James said Hunter has a few snakes in his apartment, including cobras.
Al Cruz with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's Venom Response Bureau said his agency delivered 30 vials of anti-venom to the hospital.
He said eastern diamondbacks are the deadliest rattlers in the nation.
"One bite (has powerful enough venom to) kill five people," he said, estimating that 250 to 300 people each year are bitten by venomous snakes in Florida.
Duffield, who also has a license to keep venomous snakes, said Monday that Hunter was having dialysis in the hospital and has a tube in his throat. She said Hunter is fascinated with cobras and they've become a part of his identity.
"I believe it was an accident that maybe he just got too confident," said Duffield, who met Hunter through his sister-in-law more than 10 years ago.
She told investigators Hunter "self-immunized himself against many different exotic, poisonous snakes and had been bitten many times in the past," the report states.
Nancy Haast, administrator at the Miami Serpentarium Laboratories where Hunter worked briefly in the 1990s, said venom from eastern diamondbacks can cause a "massive destruction of blood and tissue and vital organs."
Comments(20)
#1 Posted by Darby1 on October 29, 2007 at 12:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'll bet his neighbors are happy to hear that he has poisonous snakes in the apartment.
#2 Posted by springerag on October 29, 2007 at 1:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'd hate to be his neighbor!
#3 Posted by mlr2127 on October 29, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I understand he is licensed,...but it shouldnt be allowed in a multi-family complex like that.
A complex such as that just has too many units around in a small area. It could be dangerous if one of those snakes got loose.
If a person is going to be licensed for that, they should live in a house or duplex apartment, something that has more space between other people.
#4 Posted by allsmiles0972 on October 29, 2007 at 1:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Insurance says we can't have certain dogs otherwise we pay more but it is ok to have poisonous snakes.....go figure.
#5 Posted by Johnny_Utah on October 29, 2007 at 2 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why on Earth would someone living in FL want to keep poisonous snakes...
#6 Posted by MisElaineous on October 29, 2007 at 5:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Accidentally bit him? So the snake did not mean it?
OK.
Why is he keeping poisonous snakes in a condo complex?
#7 Posted by emo on October 29, 2007 at 7:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
*house or duplex apartment, something that has more space between other people.**
where in PSL would we find a home that isn't up the a$$ of it's neighbor????
#8 Posted by JDS87 on October 29, 2007 at 8:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Makes you wonder about your neighbors. I had some strange neighbors when I lived in PSL. But never one with a snake!
#9 Posted by Hello on October 29, 2007 at 9:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hope the man is okay....
#10 Posted by funinsunfl35f on October 30, 2007 at 6:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
GEE, I am glad he made it as far as he did before he passed out. He could have passed out with his foot on the gas and killed people. I would have just called 911. Glad nobody was killed.
#11 Posted by RainiePrichard on October 30, 2007 at 9:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I know Ray.
He's a good guy and knows more about venomous reptiles than most could ever know...
I keep several snakes. No big deal.
I don't keep venomous though... nor do I encourage it.
Ray's hospital bills and a near death experience are not worth keeping such an animal to me...
Also, to all you POISONOUS people out there... there is NO SUCH THING as a POISONOUS reptile. Poison is like hemlock or cyanide.
VENOM is a modified saliva.
They are VENOMOUS!!!
Jeez, get it right. LOL
#12 Posted by brtlkat on October 30, 2007 at 9:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
All the wonderful and perfect neighbors writing these negative comments need to know:
'Hunter got the eastern diamondback — the deadliest of all rattlers — following a call last week from city animal control officers'
'He said eastern diamondbacks are the deadliest rattlers in the nation.'
It should be known that these snakes are all over Port St. Lucie naturally, not because Ray brought them here from some strange far away place! I found one in my driveway last week & called animal control. After A/C picked it up, I thought "I should have called Ray". Guess what people. . .RAY is who animal control called after they left with it! I saw him the following day and showed him the pictures I had taken of it. It was a baby, so he said I probably have at least 4 or 5 more somewhere nearby. Ya'll lay off - to know Ray is to love his happy personality, and to know that he is in critical condition is heart-breaking! We have to keep him in our prayers to God and quit being so negative just because they did something that we perceive as wrong! Everyone who knows you Ray has you in their prayers!
Kathy
#13 Posted by reefdawg on October 30, 2007 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
For the true scumbags who have written negative comments about Ray, I say this, "you're truly the weak of the earth." Hype, the media and everything you read becomes Gospel and you really, as usual, don't have a clue about Ray, his snakes or the subject in even a general sense.
I have known Ray for over (20) years, and not once has any of his snakes been a danger to anyone to include neighbors, friends or the community. In fact, Ray has served the community and surrounding areas for most of those years helping us remove these venomous reptiles for the benefit of our community as a whole.
I am so embarrassed to be even associated with people that live on hysteria and hype. You really are the "media zombies" our mainstream media relies on.
Ray, I have said my prayers for you bro. You've been through worse bites than this, and in my heart, I know you'll make it through this one.
#14 Posted by WhatNews on October 30, 2007 at 12:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know Ray, but I've met him a couple times. I brought him a coral that my hubby rescued from his construction site, and he was happy to take him in. Ray's a good guy, and very experienced. You have to be to be issued a hot permit in FL. Get better soon Ray!
#15 Posted by angelaatloan on October 30, 2007 at 12:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree with # 13, I don't know Ray but I am sure praying for him.
#16 Posted by DaveH on October 30, 2007 at 12:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The three posts above me are 100% correct, Ray is an awesome guy. My families prayers are with him right now.
#17 Posted by gandale on October 30, 2007 at 1:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Don't know this guy, but do hope he's going to be okay. This is odd though - my son heard the other day that Jim Wilson of Wilson Plumbing was bitten on the hand by a rattlesnake and has been in ICU for over a week - seems like he was flown to Gainsville. Any word on that incident?
#18 Posted by JDS87 on October 31, 2007 at 1:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good thing he drove himself. If he called 911 in PSL he might have died before he got to the hospital.
#19 Posted by TruthPatrol on October 31, 2007 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Be glad he wasn't attending a Vero Beach/Indian River County joint commission meeting.
I'd rather take my chances with the snake!