Tuesday, January 23, 2007

From Ben Trumble #1


A couple of pictures of me and my first wife Sharee working our rattlesnake pit show at some carnival in the 80's Posted by Picasa

Posted by Buckles at 1/23/2007 05:52:00 AM

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ben looks pretty young here! Maybe 20-21??

23 January, 2007 08:06
Anonymous said...

Probably more like 31. I stopped letting rattlesnakes sit on my lap sometime around 35

23 January, 2007 13:15
Anonymous said...

Me too Ben.

23 January, 2007 14:01
Anonymous said...

Florida fish and wildlife had a meeting last night in Kissimmee to review new proposed rule changes. This phase is mostly involing reptiles. If thses proposals past by January 1st 2008 all large pythons over 2 inches in diameter will have to be microchiped and Bi-annual paperwork on all reptiles sent to state. This will be a new permit for Reptiles of Concern, costing $100.00 per year. This will effect anyone with large constrictors. No person under 18 years will be licensed. The only circus people at this meeting where the Rosaire family along with Jimmy Cole. This will make it harder to move in and out of the state if you carry large constrictors for exhibit.

24 January, 2007 06:39
Anonymous said...

Darryl, With all the snake dumping going on in Florida I can see some point to this Microchipping. But the kind of people doing the dumping are the kind to not have it done in the first place. Responciable snake people pay the price as usual. I see this as another way to control the public and add to the government bank account. Just like the honest pet owner who pays the price for those who do not spay/neuter their pets. Those in rescue [honest rescue] pay the price. They do not go after the culprit, but the ones who are trying to help with making them pay finds. etc. Nickle and dimeing them to death.

24 January, 2007 08:57
Anonymous said...

When Florida proposed licensing venomous snake collections 25 years ago it scared the hell out of collectors. Turned out to be a pretty good system. the only complaint that I had, back in the '80's was that once in a "database" I was constantly getting phonecalls from strangers trying to sell me illagal animals as part of the latest "sting" operation, whether State or Federal. I remember once going to look at some animals and noting that every single thing in the house from elephant foot wastebaskets to exotics birds was illegal. Went home and called Federal Fish and Wildlife, and was immediately called back by the State of Florida and told to keep my mouth shut and not to mention what I'd seen to several specific friends, including the then general curator at local zoo. Microchipping large constrictors shouldn't be too burdensome, so long as animals under a certain size (juveniles) are exempt. This is really all about feral Burmese Python populations in South Florida. Theoretically if you have your large constrictors listed on your monthly interstate health transport permits along with the chipping details it's a workable system. It will however be a very expensive bit of regulation for animal dealers. When it comes to reptiles, the Florida standards usually become the defacto gold standards elsewhere. For example, because USDA/APHIS doesn't cover reptiles, an exhibitor's license isn't really a way around various State restrictions on dangerous snakes in some midwestern locales. Howver, if you have an exhibitor's license for your other animals, and you can show that you've held a Florida Venomous liecnse at one time or another local inspectors are virtually always satisfied that you are "exempt" from prohibitions. Helps a lot too coming out here to California.

24 January, 2007 10:19
Anonymous said...

Then too there's the legit arguement that with tens of thousands of unregistered large constrictors already kept in FL, almost any effort to regulate them is doomed. You can't close the barn door after the horse is gone.

24 January, 2007 10:25
Anonymous said...

Right you are Ben. The government is always a day late when it comes to animals. After they screw everything up, the animal trainers, etc have to clean up the mess. PS I fired a yard worker for killing one of my garden snakes. He thought he was doing something macho. Little snake was just doing his bug cleaning job. I cried for days.

24 January, 2007 11:17
Anonymous said...

This is a case of the Fish and Wildlife wanting us to clean up their mess at our expense not theirs.

24 January, 2007 20:14

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