Fatal Attractions

[ArachnidSentinl]

I currently work in Hennepin, IL, where an episode of Fatal Attractions was filmed (the one concerning tigers and other big cats). Hennepin is a small farm town of about 700, so you can imagine that information travels quickly. Surprisingly, no one in town knew that they had filmed there nine months before the show aired. There was more to the story that they missed, simply because AP only took a few sound bites from a few deputies.

There's an inside joke in town now about the Fatal Attractions series. In the episode, the narrator refers to how there were "rumors of creatures lurking in the woods." This was never the case -- just AP's ridiculous fear mongering. At any rate, whenever someone goes outside now we tell them to "beware the creatures," hehe.

 

[Dessicaria]

This show makes me angry, as well. They change the facts and make all keepers seem like maniacs, social outcasts, and wierdos...:evil: It just bothers me.

I don't mind being a social outcast and weirdo. "Maniac" doesn't quite suit me, though.

On-topic, however: those of us with exotics who could potentially kill us, make that choice very consciously and in complete awareness. Just like someone with a passion for, say, mountain climbing, goes into it knowing they could die pursuing their passion. You take every precaution and make every preparation, but still it *could* happen. I'm willing to take that chance, because the alternative, a life without animals, would be too horrible to contemplate.

 

[pitbulllady]

I don't mind being a social outcast and weirdo. "Maniac" doesn't quite suit me, though.

On-topic, however: those of us with exotics who could potentially kill us, make that choice very consciously and in complete awareness. Just like someone with a passion for, say, mountain climbing, goes into it knowing they could die pursuing their passion. You take every precaution and make every preparation, but still it *could* happen. I'm willing to take that chance, because the alternative, a life without animals, would be too horrible to contemplate.

That is exactly how *I* feel. My sister agrees-she has horses, and has been hospitalized no less than three times because of them. That potential of being killed by one, or worse-winding up like Christopher Reeve-is very, very real, yet I have to wonder how many people give a thought to horses when they think of "inherently dangerous animals"? People who work with dangerous animals, be they venomous snakes, dogs, horses, cattle or venomous inverts, know the risks, for the most part, and weigh those against the benefits of keeping said animals. For me, the latter outweigh the former, by a long shot.

pitbulllady

 

[Ashphetamine]

People who work with dangerous animals, be they venomous snakes, dogs, horses, cattle or venomous inverts, know the risks, for the most part, and weigh those against the benefits of keeping said animals.
pitbulllady

Admittedly, I would have to slightly disagree, but only in a hypothetical sense. Consider the people who euthanize animals [cat/dog specifically] because the animal bit a small child. Granted- the lawsuit would probably enrage me too, but Im pretty sure the small child was probably poking the animal and laughing leading up to the bite.

Point being- people sluff off the responsibility of knowing about the animals they handle- whether they truthfully know the risks or really are just that naive, its still a cruel sin of humanity and their "high horse" egos. Most people would rather blame the animal and kill it out of spite than actually face the honest fact that they screwed up and STUPID HURTS.

My mom always raised me on "Stupid hurts or costs money".

I've been around horses, dogs, cattle, and other misc animals my entire life. I barrel race and team pen [cattle cutting from a herd] on the horses. I've been injured multiple times, some severely, by these large animals. It doesnt mean it was the horses fault she spooked when some jerk kid in the audience was shaking a plastic bag at the cows. It doesnt mean I put the horse down because she fractured my ankle and broke my ribbs when she flipped over on me.

I guess Im moving into blatantly hazardous pets because I enjoy the risks that come along with them. I believe learning your animal keeps your mind open- I have a lot of theories on why Animals are significantly more intelligent than we give them credit for, and how much we can learn from them.

Its a shame that there are public television shows that encourage people to fear animals instead of learning the truth.

 

[DireWolf0384]

My parents may have raised me old fashioned but they taught me that more than likely if a Dog was mad enough to bite me, I probably deserved it. I hate to say this, but I think AP has turned into a publicity loving, HSUS/PETA supporting propaganda station. Fatal Attractions exists simply to strike fear in the minds of the people that watch the show. I actually watch it just to make fun of it. They actually(IMO) want the show to be like watching a horror film, and the exotic pet owners and their pets are the killers and society as a whole is the victim.

 

[pitbulllady]

My parents may have raised me old fashioned but they taught me that more than likely if a Dog was mad enough to bite me, I probably deserved it. I hate to say this, but I think AP has turned into a publicity loving, HSUS/PETA supporting propaganda station. Fatal Attractions exists simply to strike fear in the minds of the people that watch the show. I actually watch it just to make fun of it. They actually(IMO) want the show to be like watching a horror film, and the exotic pet owners and their pets are the killers and society as a whole is the victim.

To some extent, I have to blame the AR movement for the mindset that animals are responsible for their actions, thus removing any guilt on the part of the human who gets bitten, scratched, kicked, etc. The whole concept of having rights is dependent on also having the ability to distinguish right from wrong, and make moral choices, and being held accountable when the wrong choice(according to society's laws)are not made. "Back in the day", if you got bitten by a dog or scratched by a cat or kicked by a horse, the general consensus was that it was because of something YOU did wrong. The animal was just reacting to a stimulus, and was not held to blame. Today, if the animal hurts someone, it's 100% the ANIMAL'S fault, and the human is just a blameless, helpless victim. But then, if you have "rights", you have to have responsibility and accountability, don't you? People tend to think of animals as oddly-shaped humans and have unrealistic expectations of how animals are supposed to behave. Their concepts are based on fictional movies and tv, as more and more people drift further and further from agricultural/rural roots, making it easier for the AR mentality to take hold.

pitbulllady

 

[Toirtis]

OK, I watched the most recent episode....the basic facts involving the case were correct, but how they portrayed it was pretty dramatic, and all the suggestions that people keeping such animals are 'lonely', 'marginalized' and 'danger junkies' was uncalled for (and inaccurate) and the suggestion that these people define themselves on the pets that they keep was perhaps true for 20% of exotic animal keepers.

 

[ArachnidSentinl]

...perhaps true for 20% of exotic animal keepers.

The sad thing is that that's all it takes. As they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

 

[Dessicaria]

Point being- people sluff off the responsibility of knowing about the animals they handle- whether they truthfully know the risks or really are just that naive, its still a cruel sin of humanity and their "high horse" egos. Most people would rather blame the animal and kill it out of spite than actually face the honest fact that they screwed up and STUPID HURTS.

I've been nailed a couple of times by my sweetest, gentlest Burmese pythons. Not their fault, but mine; it was feeding time, and they smelled rodents, and they saw my hand move. Once they realized it didn't taste like rat, they let go, but by then I had a nice set of bleeding bite marks. These are called Stupid Feeding Accidents. It's been many years since I had one, so I did learn from my mistakes - and I certainly never thought less of my Burms over it, nor trusted them less in any other circumstance.

 

[Ashphetamine]

I've been nailed a couple of times by my sweetest, gentlest Burmese pythons. Not their fault, but mine; it was feeding time, and they smelled rodents, and they saw my hand move. Once they realized it didn't taste like rat, they let go, but by then I had a nice set of bleeding bite marks. These are called Stupid Feeding Accidents. It's been many years since I had one, so I did learn from my mistakes - and I certainly never thought less of my Burms over it, nor trusted them less in any other circumstance.

Exactly. I have to say, its refreshing to hear that other people out there can relate to this. I myself have had many injuries from my various pets- including some life threatening broken ribs- but I I got back on the horse, and kept her for another 5 or 6 years before she went lame and was put down out of sympathy for suffering.

I have to say I respect my animals more when they hurt me. Obviously, I did something that wasnt kosher- whether i was presenting myself as food or I was standing in a stupid place to get kicked-- The animals have stronger natural instincts than humans. I believe as people, we've lost our natural survival processes because we're overly comfortable as the "DOMINANT SPECIES" or whatever.


Lol. Thats a relatively vague way for me to put it, but i think I kinda made some sense.

 

[pouchedrat]

My father has the mentality that "if it bites, it dies"... he always says he'll drag his dog out back and shoot her if she ever bit someone. I have the belief that if you get bit, there's a reason for it. I've kept all kinds of weird exotics, and have been bitten by all kinds of animals for various reasons, but I certainly don't automatically blame the animal. I look at WHY it happened and how it can be prevented.

I've always told my kid if he got bit, it's his fault for poking it. He never runs up to others' dogs or pets to pet them, he knows not to and he's only just turned 5. Perhaps it's growing up with weird small exotics like an african pouched rat, or banner tailed kangaroo rats, chipmunks, short tailed opossums, etc. If a small child with a learning disability and ADHD can understand that doing something stupid will result in being hurt by an animal, you'd think adults would figure that out as well. he's been bitten ONCE, and by a rat, and it wasn't bad, and happened a couple years ago.

 

[Ookamii]

OK i agree with what alot of yall are saying, i personally have been bitten by Variouse pet snakes, lizards, cats, dogs, rats, and even almost got stung by my scorpion. all my pet snakes where non-venomous, same with my lizards, but my scorpion was a stripped bark scorpion from AZ. and in all cases it was my fault, either i smelt like food, or i picked up one of the reptiles while it was shedding, or in the scorpions case i handled it to long. I learned quickly, and have the scars to prove my stupidity, but i have not been bit by a animal snce i was 14 years old. It just takes some common sense and we should not be blaimed if some one else lacks said common sense and "pokes the animal in the nose" and gets hurt from it. and people should not be blaiming our pets if we get bit because its not there fault.

 

[K-TRAIN]

gotta love how a few idiots out there can make a good pet "evil" or how a person who has so many pets a hoarder.


i was raised knowing its not if you get bitten, its when.

when your working with animals your eventually gonna slip up or do something and accidently get bit.


the way animal planets going, pretty soon were gonna see a special on how hamsters can kill you

 

[dtknow]

pouchedrat: You kept krats as pets before? I've heard they tame in the wild well but do poorly in captivity.

 

[ZergFront]

I noticed something else on AP recently. I just saw a tryveg (try vegan) ad. I can believe HSUS is now with AP or something.

 

[jere000]

I noticed something else on AP recently. I just saw a tryveg (try vegan) ad. I can believe HSUS is now with AP or something.[/QUOTEThis does not surprise me in the least.

 

[pitbulllady]

I noticed something else on AP recently. I just saw a tryveg (try vegan) ad. I can believe HSUS is now with AP or something.

HSUS OWNS a large chunk of shares in AP, so they control the programming and use AP as a sounding board for their views. Animal Planet is now basically just the HSUS/PETA Channel.

pitbulllady

 

[kevin91172]

Yes, "Fatal Attractions" is a <edit> show, full of lies. Pretty much anything on Animal Planet these days is pure AR propoganda, the sole purpose of which is to make exotic keepers(as in US) look like a bunch a irresponsible idiots who keep poor wild animals in cages to stoke our massive egos, and have no regards for anyone's safety, and to make animal breeders of ANY species out to be a bunch of money-grubbing psychopaths who hoard animals in horrific conditions in order to make a buck or two. Animal Planet relies on sensationalistic programming that plays on that fear and ignorance the general public has of animals and animal husbandry. HSUS is a major controlling influence/stock holder and is widely portrayed in many programs as the cavalry charging to the rescue of innocent, helpless animal victims.

pitbulllady

"DITTO" they all can kiss my a@@!!!