There are some good, solid, educational television shows out there regarding snakes. The one that always comes to the forefront of my mind is Python Hunters. These guys are awesome. Not only are they licensed by the state of Florida to study and help fight the Burmese Python infestation of the Everglades, but they educate viewers while they are doing it.
There are other shows that start off interesting but eventually disgust me. Dangerous Encounters with Brady Barr is one of them. When I saw that Mr. Barr was doing a show on large pythons, I thought "Excellent! Now is my chance to learn!" And I did learn. I learned that this show was not worth my time. I watched him force a snake out of it's cover - a little cubbyhole in the rock of a cave, and point out that it had just eaten. I've been taught that a snake's digestive system is very delicate, and this is why we leave them alone for two days or so after they eat. It gives them time to properly digest. However, he proceeded to actually force the snake to regurgitate it's meal! This astounded me. Why in the world would anyone do that just to point and chuckle at what it just ate? What educational purpose did that serve except to teach young snake lovers that making a snake regurgitate must be okay because some supposedly respected man on Animal Planet did it, and Animal Planet is a good channel!
I do not claim to be an expert. My opinions are just that - opinions. However, I strongly believe that if you want to entertain people, you can do it by educating them at the same time. This is especially true for snakes. Rather than follow this philosophy, however, shows like Dangerous Encounters and channels like Animal Planet would prefer to go with 'shock value'. The more blood, the more ratings, it seems.
I am also fed up with the television shows that tell people that a Burmese python or similar sized snake can and will eat a full grown human. Less people are killed in the United States by snakes than by dogs. Educate, don't exaggerate.
That's all for tonight, folks. I don't want to get too long winded on a post like this. Thanks for reading, please chime in!
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