Americans Like To Live Dangerously
Two stories from the United States on the BBC’s web site have caught my eye.
The first concerns the upcoming python hunt in the Everglades in Florida. Apparently most of the snakes are the offspring of Burmese pythons released into the sensitive wildlife area. How stupid to do that in the first place, as after all there are so many examples around the world from the damage done by introduced species from over a hundred years ago, like rabbits and camels in Australia and grey squirrels in the UK.
The second isn’t possibly so dangerous and concerns porn actors being made to wear condoms in Los Angeles. I can’t possibly comment as I don’t watch those sort of tacky films and I haven’t tried to use a condom for many decades.
A Man Who Got More Than He Wanted at Wal-Mart
This story about a man, who got bitten by a snake in Wal-Mart, looks like a beanfeast for American lawyers. Incidentally, in all of my travels, I can’t remember seeing a snake in the wild. I did have a taste of rattlesnake once in Texas. The old joke is it is like chicken with bite.
C also was very brave when it came to handling snakes and there are several pictures of her with them round her neck. The only animals she had a phobia of was chickens, turkeys and large ducks.
Adding Up The Years
I was watching Springwatch on BBC 2 this evening and someone said that an adder was about thirty-two years old.
I had no idea that snakes could leave that long!
The Anonymous Widower 