Opinion: Florida’s Great Snake Hunt Is a Cheap Stunt

Agreed.
No one wants to find a python in their kitchen one morning while stumbling around trying to get the coffee made.
But mass hunts like this, which are actually blood lust fueled sprees to satisfy the basest traits within humanity, are not the answer.

Opinion: Florida’s Great Snake Hunt Is a Cheap Stunt: I registered as a python hunter but I did not really intend to hunt pythons. I wanted to see my first wildlife rumble, a fight between snake haters and animal rights activists, something along the lines of those protesters who dress up as wolves or polar bears, or who splash fake blood onto Canadian politicians to protest clubbing seal babies.

Instead I discovered something resembling a scene in the film Jaws—not the one where the town hires a seasoned shark expert to go out and kill the great white, but the ridiculous scene where every idiot with a pitchfork and an inner tube is paddling out to get a piece of shark meat.

I met contestants who had never seen a Burmese python before, who had never handled a snake. I overheard one man telling some greenhorns from Maine that his technique is to swing a snake by the tail and slam its head into a tree. "It stuns 'em," he said.

I was surprised by the following:

The Nature Conservancy showed up, but they're a partner in the Python Challenge, a contrast to their own python control program, and provided the training materials.

Kithra's Krystal Kave: New CFZ Mystery Cat Blog

Kithra blogs about the CFZ's new Mystery Cat blog, something I've been meaning to pass on but Kithra beat me to it. Which I'm glad of, because it's blog. Read Kithra's comments and follow the link to the new blog:Kithra's Krystal Kave: New CFZ Mystery Cat Blog

Cryptomundo:"New Species Being Raided For Private Pet Trade"

Not quite food porn, since it's not for gratuitously satisfying our gastronomical needs that's the issue here, but "pet" porn. Shameless exploitation in the pet trade. I'm glad Loren Coleman finds this pretty disgusting; he has a post about the raiding of habitat for the newly discovered horned viper in Tanzania:

Cryptomundo New Species Being Raided For Private Pet Trade: There is breaking news on December 15th of a new species of a uniquely-colored horned viper measuring over two feet long (643 millimeters) being discovered. But where exactly it lives in Tanzania is not being discussed.

But the shocking revelation that has been paired with this announcement is that past news of this kind has resulted in large scale raiding operations in the locations described. New species apparently have been targeted by pet collectors to supply a large-scale underground in exciting new animals for private collections. For example, due to this fact, the new viper’s location is “a closely-guarded secret,” say the discoverers.

I didn't know that the illegal pet trade was so lucrative. According to the Wildlife Conversation Society, which Coleman quotes, it's only "...second in the world" with illegal drug trafficking being number one.

Ohio Exotic Animal Law: Right Thing, Wrong Message

Ohio Republican Governor Kasich:Ohio governor to sign order on "dangerous animals"

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) – Ohio Governor John Kasich plans to sign an executive order on Friday covering "dangerous wild animals," days after a collector caused a panic by releasing dozens of tigers, lions, bears and other animals.

The governor's office said Kasich, a first-term Republican, planned to sign and discuss an executive order on Friday afternoon, a day after two state lawmakers said they would propose legislation to restrict private ownership of dangerous exotic animals.

Which is good, no argument. But I wonder at the perspective: "dangerous animal" is the focus, not the moral issues involved concerning keeping exotic animals as pets or small, privately owned "zoos" and so on. And it appears this "executive order" doesn't go far enough:

A spokesman for Kasich said Strickland's rule was correct in principle but not enforceable and raised doubts about whether Ohio could restrict ownership of non-native wild animals. It also made no provision for dealing with seized animals.

I don't know why they say it'd be hard to enforce: why the hell not?

Ohio is one of the seven states that don't have any exotic animal laws; here are the other states that need to change their laws:

• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Alabama
• West Virginia
• Nevada
• Wisconsin

Pictures: Lucky Few Exotic Animals Saved From Ohio Shootings

Pictures: Lucky Few Exotic Animals Saved From Ohio Shootings

Bittersweet news, for the six surviving animals are, for now, safe and alive. But "by law" as the article states, the animals technically belong to the owners; the widow of Terry W. Thompson and family members. I'm surprised authorities are even considering that technicality in the context of what's happened... let's hold good thoughts that the animals will find a responsible and caring place to live the rest of their lives.

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Visit my other blogs: Animal Forteana, Frame 352: The Stranger Side of Sasquatch, Mothman Flutterings.

Animal Sacrifice: Two Sad, Strange Events of Animal Slaughter | MonsterTracker.com since the year 2000 has been investgating cryptozoology, cryptids, and other mysterious creatures.

My new article for Monster Tracker:
Animal Sacrifice: Two Sad, Strange Events of Animal Slaughter | MonsterTracker.com since the year 2000 has been investgating cryptozoology, cryptids, and other mysterious creatures.

Two weird and very sad events, hard to read about, juxtaposed in animal news. This one in Ohio, a state that has its share of spooky, Fortean events in general: Ohio wild-animal killings renew call for ban on exotic pets - latimes.com.
The owner of Muskingum County Animal Farm in Zanesville, Ohio, apparently flung open the reserve's cages, slashed open its pens and then killed himself. Dozens of wild and dangerous animals -- including grizzly bears, lions, tigers and a baboon -- were then free to roam the area. Most of them were gunned down by public safety officers.

Exotic Animal Zanesville Carcasses Hunted by Exploiters - ABC News

The sacrifice of the animals...
Exotic Animal Zanesville Carcasses Hunted by Exploiters - ABC News

Trophy hunters sick bastards are calling Ohio authorities in order to obtain the dead bodies of the animals killed. Fortunately, the local authorities aren't having any of it:

People hoping to profit from the death of nearly 50 exotic animals that escaped from a farm in Zanesville, Ohio, after the preserve owner shot and killed himself, have been contacting the sheriff's office, interested in taking the animals to a taxidermist.
"We've gotten calls and e-mails about what [is] going to happen to the animals ... could they be obtained for these types of things," said Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz. "There's a lot of people who would pay a lot of money to get these animals."
But Lutz is cracking down.
The location of the 49 animals buried on the property has not been disclosed, Lutz said, adding, "Anybody caught on that property looking for it will be charged with criminal trespassing."
Earlier this week officers stopped a group of people from stealing the dead body of a lion.

That individual, thankfully, was right busted.

As much as I am against people keeping exotic animals, I do believe that Terry Thompson, the owner of the "sanctuary" and man who released the animals and then killed himself, meant well and cared for the animals. Clearly he was very disturbed. I feel for his wife, who is now on the property according to reports, and keeping vigil, making sure there are no thrill seekers trying to trespass. My compassion for Thompson doesn't condone what happened or the issue of keeping exotic animals, but I think we should remember that this is a tragic, tragic case all around. Hopefully some good will come of this, in terms of laws passed banning the practice of keeping exotic animals.