Just what the hooby needs, careless idiots and more over-reactions.

This has been one of the main news stories of the day here in Ireland. Talk about fear mongering.
Apparantly tarantulas are 'poisonousness'(the exact spelling in the article). Also they fail to mention what species of funnel web spider was found.

http://metro.co.uk/2014/09/11/more-...d-hell-house-in-ireland-4864290/?ito=facebook

The media broadcasting wrong information, along with people not able to look up the truth, is one of the worst enemies of the hobby. Then there are those, that pull stunts like putting a P. metallica in their mouth to prove how "cool" they are...

I can only shake my head about the lack of common-sense in our society...

The exotic pet hobby as a whole has been under concentrated attack in the US as well. People are so quick to jump on the bandwagon without asking questions and educating themselves. That's why we as hobbyists, whether we are talking about arthropods, reptiles, amphibians, birds or some of the more exotic mammals such as ferrets, rats, sugar gliders and such need to band together, learn as much as we can about all of them so we can disseminate our knowledge to educate the masses! The only power we have in this fight is knowledge and the ability to use it!

That's just embarrassing. Wouldn't expect anything else from the metro though.
That quote about people with "poisonous..." snakes, bears and tigers is the kind of comment that leads to kneejerk legislation which only hurts responsible exotics owners.

Just look at those lack of sources they provide! All none of them!

I love the first Farcecrack comment of "poisonousness!" with 17 thumby-ups, and several facepalm comments to the Metro itself. I'd rather these comments than "my cousin knew a guy's girlfriend's half-brother that bit by a...." style of comment. At least the vocal few are also weary of the article.

Where did these experts catalogue their findings? WSC? 4chan?

Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!

That article is an embarrassment not just because of it's hilariously wrong and fear-mongering information but also...article...that's an article? Other than reporting "Omg this house has spidurrs in it! Think of all the other things people could have?! Omg!" it doesn't seem to have a real point. I read down expecting, I don't know, some more wrong information about how this affects the country or what they're planning to do with the spiders they didn't kill but nope, that's it. UGH.

I also find it hilarious that the author refers to tarantulas as "poisonous"(do journalists no longer have to do this thing called research anymore?) and then two "paragraphs" down mentions the spiders they "had" to kill because OMG THEY CAN KILL YOU and huh, those tarantulas didn't make that list. Funny that...

For once the comments make for a nice read though. :3

Things like this are a danger for the hobby! They compare our T's with tigers and bears, who are illegal to keep.

These stories are run to generate clicks and traffic on their webpages so that they can charge more to advertisers. Every time a story like this gets shared, it generates more and more clicks as new viewers visit the page and share it again. Rather than sharing they are best left to rot, less clicks means less likelihood of these outlets running a similar story next time. No amount of us in the hobby trying to inform the world with facts and scientific knowledge can compete with the widespread and sometimes willful ignorance of the world around us. Too bad we don't have an exotics version of the NRA to control the dialogue surrounding keeping exotics the way they do with firearms, firearms deaths are far more widespread, but there is no way further legislation is happening despite many instances of violence and other problems with them. A cobra got out and bit a dog, time to ban all snakes!! A guy got shot and killed because a little girl was given an Uzi...oh well, stuff happens. That power in the USA is currently in the hands of the Humane Society, who have figured out how to make a living attacking responsible pet owners because they believe that NO animals should ever be kept as pets (they view animals as pets or in service as a form of slavery). Are there enough exotics owners out there who are willing to band together and create a voice for us? We are all probably too busy cleaning, feeding, housing, breeding, and enjoying our collections, in addition to actually working for a living. Quoth Sweet Brown, "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

Personally, and I know this is unpopular, and will never gain traction, but I feel like there should be some sort of licensing procedure for keepers of exotics, with levels that require demonstration of your ability to care for and safely contain animals at each level. Too many people just walk up and buy retics and burms as babies because they are beautiful, then quickly get bored, and later realize they are not prepared to own an aggressive 15 foot snake. A quick look at your local CL will likely confirm this.

Luckily, I am pretty sure inverts rank pretty low on the radar below large mammals, venomous reptiles, and large reptiles like burms and retics and large varanids, so maybe tarantulas will be ignored for a while longer.

Monkeyock said:

Personally, and I know this is unpopular, and will never gain traction, but I feel like there should be some sort of licensing procedure for keepers of exotics, with levels that require demonstration of your ability to care for and safely contain animals at each level. Too many people just walk up and buy retics and burms as babies because they are beautiful, then quickly get bored, and later realize they are not prepared to own an aggressive 15 foot snake. A quick look at your local CL will likely confirm this.

Click to expand...

Most would fight this but personally it's something I would like to see put in place as well. And I don't want a "Stop by the county office and pay for it, voila" kind of license but something akin to what Nagakeeper had to go through when he moved to, I think?, Switzerland. Classes, tests, yearly check-ins. Not because the spiders are a danger to the humans, but because the humans are a danger to the spiders (and snakes and so on). I don't see a lot of dudebros wanting to go through all that just so they can feed their ego and insecurity with a Goliath Birdeater (using this term on purpose) or a P.metallica but I'm sure a true hobbyist who really wants them would gladly do it.

Storm76 said:

The media broadcasting wrong information, along with people not able to look up the truth, is one of the worst enemies of the hobby. Then there are those, that pull stunts like putting a P. metallica in their mouth to prove how "cool" they are...

I can only shake my head about the lack of common-sense in our society...

Click to expand...

I fear I added some pictures out there of me posing with a Poecilotheria metallica molt near my face as a joke. But it was supposed to look like it was a real animal. I have since deleted it.

I'm a music teacher and see how education changes people's lives when presented in a way that inspires them to learn. I think that there is a lack of challenges out there for people to be open minded about insects but also venomous and poisonous animals as well.

Steve Irwin's death may have been a major setback for this pop culture movement. It's crucial for endangered species that we brake that education barrier again though.




-AJ

I agree, knowledgeable and responsible hobbyists would probably be fine with passing any tests or whatever examinations were given to assess their competency and confidence with keeping their animals. At the very least when something happened, then you could say, well that person was operating without a license, or that they had chosen to ignore standard practices outlined in the licensing process as risk limiting procedures, and avoid every single instance of an idiot getting bitten, strangled, or setting loose a potentially dangerous animal into the community being ascribed to "exotic animal keepers" writ large. Licensure has its drawbacks, especially when it requires listing or registering the animals kept (part of what gun owners rail against). This can basically serve as a map to who owns what if certain species are banned in the future. It's a fine line, but as of now, things are going to happen (check that-ARE HAPPENING) with or without our participation, and it would be better if we could unite and say, "we the responsible keepers, pledge to make our community safer and more well-informed, and to keep animals out of the hands of the irresponsible and unprepared." Until we are willing to take steps on our own, we are doomed to accept the ridiculous uninformed, fear-motivated legislation like what has slipped through the Obama administration's dept of fish and wildlife regarding large constrictors. But who among us has the resources and time to be that voice? All of the people I have seen advocating for us have been a little fring-ey, a little easy for the mainstream to dismiss as a wingnut, kind of like how Ted Nuget is for gun rights. Basically they have a "no rules or regulations at all ever" approach, and unfortunately, we don't have a constitutionally guaranteed right to keep animals like there is for firearms.

goodyt said:

I fear I added some pictures out there of me posing with a Poecilotheria metallica molt near my face as a joke. But it was supposed to look like it was a real animal. I have since deleted it.

I'm a music teacher and see how education changes people's lives when presented in a way that inspires them to learn. I think that there is a lack of challenges out there for people to be open minded about insects but also venomous and poisonous animals as well.

Steve Irwin's death may have been a major setback for this pop culture movement. It's crucial for endangered species that we brake that education barrier again though.




-AJ

Click to expand...

It's sad that idiots see stuff like that and think to replicate it. I thought a picture of me with my AF G.pulchra's molt on my head would be a cute pic, particularly because the molt is so well preserved and intact...but then I thought, nope, someone will see that, think it's real and copy it. The things we have to think about.

Monkeyock said:

I agree, knowledgeable and responsible hobbyists would probably be fine with passing any tests or whatever examinations were given to assess their competency and confidence with keeping their animals. At the very least when something happened, then you could say, well that person was operating without a license, or that they had chosen to ignore standard practices outlined in the licensing process as risk limiting procedures, and avoid every single instance of an idiot getting bitten, strangled, or setting loose a potentially dangerous animal into the community being ascribed to "exotic animal keepers" writ large. Licensure has its drawbacks, especially when it requires listing or registering the animals kept (part of what gun owners rail against). This can basically serve as a map to who owns what if certain species are banned in the future. It's a fine line, but as of now, things are going to happen (check that-ARE HAPPENING) with or without our participation, and it would be better if we could unite and say, "we the responsible keepers, pledge to make our community safer and more well-informed, and to keep animals out of the hands of the irresponsible and unprepared." Until we are willing to take steps on our own, we are doomed to accept the ridiculous uninformed, fear-motivated legislation like what has slipped through the Obama administration's dept of fish and wildlife regarding large constrictors. But who among us has the resources and time to be that voice? All of the people I have seen advocating for us have been a little fring-ey, a little easy for the mainstream to dismiss as a wingnut, kind of like how Ted Nuget is for gun rights. Basically they have a "no rules or regulations at all ever" approach, and unfortunately, we don't have a constitutionally guaranteed right to keep animals like there is for firearms.

Click to expand...

compounding the problems outlined here, is the fact that media that used to be an excellent vehicle for accurate information is no longer helpful, and in fact has done more harm in the last few years of television programming then probably all the good that was done up until that point. With programs like "sharknado" and Shark week, and big foot programs, mermaid stuff, all the ridiculous fake "reality" tv shows like Gator Boys or Swamp boys or whatever, The turtle guy, don't remember his name, but you get the idea. also the overload of "cute" programming.. it's ridiculous. These "animal experts" use staged animal "encounters" that often show improper handling along with misinformation about the animals involve. THAT is the biggest detriment to the education of the public. Discovery channel, Animal Planet, Nat Geo channel.. amongst others should be ashamed to be honest.

What about a spoof video or cartoon of a debate with a hobbyist versus a person who is shouting information that is a validated in the form a wives' tales or doctor's bite diagnosis in the battle of the wits but treat it with the drama of a "tarantula versus wasp" video? The loser crumples in a ball of shame. Lol! >


-AJ

---------- Post added 09-12-2014 at 01:16 PM ----------

I'm not actually that mean or challenging as a teacher, but how to you teach people that are sure they can gain nothing from your knowledge?


-AJ

Can I just say.... I've GOT to get me one of those poisonous bears they're taking about.


Does anybody even take any of those articles seriously on any of those webpages? Filled with 100 stories a day each about 2.5 paragraphs?

gobey said:

Can I just say.... I've GOT to get me one of those poisonous bears they're taking about.


Does anybody even take any of those articles seriously on any of those webpages? Filled with 100 stories a day each about 2.5 paragraphs?

Click to expand...

Slow loris(es?) look bear-like, that should work yes?

The only remotely entertaining and informative "nature" show is Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan on BBC. He is a hobbyist, and exotics keeper, and he is clearly informed (notwithstanding an unfortunate scene where he called a burmese python a reticulated python early in the first season) and impassioned for the study and preservation of creatures of all kinds. In one episode he lovingly interacts with a black widow spider while visiting the American southwest, all the while talking about how he keeps them and is intimately familiar with their behavior, and he clearly has respect and reverence for them. Since Steve Irwin left this world, he may be our next best chance at a decent personality to represent exotics keepers in popular media.

Monkeyock said:

The only remotely entertaining and informative "nature" show is Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan on BBC. He is a hobbyist, and exotics keeper, and he is clearly informed (notwithstanding an unfortunate scene where he called a burmese python a reticulated python early in the first season) and impassioned for the study and preservation of creatures of all kinds. In one episode he lovingly interacts with a black widow spider while visiting the American southwest, all the while talking about how he keeps them and is intimately familiar with their behavior, and he clearly has respect and reverence for them. Since Steve Irwin left this world, he may be our next best chance at a decent personality to represent exotics keepers in popular media.

Click to expand...

oh IDK, I think Bindy Irwin might surprise us and follow in her fathers footsteps yet.

ratluvr76 said:

oh IDK, I think Bindy Irwin might surprise us and follow in her fathers footsteps yet.

Click to expand...

I would be totally happy if so. My fiancé and I have a blue tongue skink named Bindy in her honor.

Monkeyock said:

I would be totally happy if so. My fiancé and I have a blue tongue skink named Bindy in her honor.

Click to expand...

My cousin has a bearded dragon Bindy, and one of my spideys is as of yesterday.