Another example of sensationalism in the media

I first saw this story yesterday. I didn't post it because it wasn't all that interesting. The headline bugged me though. By today I've found the same story in at least four publications all with a variation of the same headline. This is something the tabloids would pull and has no place in serious journalism. The more I read it the more it aggravates me.
The phrase "child-eating snake" was used in every article, despite the fact the burmese was only 6 feet long. Of course they clarify after the initial headline that is could be a child eater once it gets full grown. So I suppose that makes it ok right.

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Giant child-eating snake seized

March 31, 2006

A GIANT python capable of eating a small child when it grows to full size has been seized by Victorian authorities.

The Burmese python, now just over 2m long, was among one of the largest stashes of illegal exotic snakes surrendered to the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE).

The snakes, including two adult and nine juvenile boa constrictors, were handed in last night by a Geelong-based reptile keeper – who was acting on behalf of the owners.

They will probably be destroyed.

The reptiles have a reputation for spreading disease and eating family pets and the DSE is keen to banish them from Victorian households.

"There's a long list of exotic reptiles we don't want to see here in Australia, and these snakes would be near the top of the list," DSE senior investigator Keith Larner said.

"These things have run amok in the United States, killing people's pets, getting in the waterways and eating alligators in Florida's Everglades National Park.

"People find out how big they grow, and how much they eat, and then dump them. This would be catastrophic here in Australia, as it is proving elsewhere."

Burmese pythons are native to Burma, Vietnam and Thailand and can grow up to 6m long and weigh 90kg.

Boa constrictors are native to South America and are the most commonly kept exotic snake in Australia.

Four have been found roaming free in Melbourne and the DSE fears it is only a matter of time before they run wild.

Snake owners risk fines of up to $110,000 or two years jail for harbouring illegal species.

While there was no official amnesty period on exotic reptiles, Ms Larner said people who voluntarily surrendered their snakes would not be prosecuted.

The DSE is urging anyone who has exotic reptiles to contact its customer service centre anonymously on 136 186 to arrange for the animals to be collected through a third party.

http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,18664490-5001028,00.html

I also like the way the headline reads says seized, but every other comment in the article states that the animals were turned in/handed over

That's !! How can they call it a "child-eating snake?" There's no reference to the animals even being near children. And how do they figure that it was "seized" if it

was among one of the largest stashes of illegal exotic snakes surrendered to the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE).

The snakes, including two adult and nine juvenile boa constrictors, were handed in last night by a Geelong-based reptile keeper – who was acting on behalf of the owners.

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Sensationalism is putting it mildly...

hhmoore said:

I also like the way the headline reads says seized, but every other comment in the article states that the animals were turned in/handed over

Click to expand...

ha, you beat me Harald!

Well, despite the annoying dramatization, I think the authorities in Australia have a valid cause for concern. Can you just imagine how much damage boids would cause to Australia if they established themselves in the wild? With no natural predators around, no competition, and plenty of food around, what would stop them from taking over? This is what introduced species often do to native fauna because people aren't careful. For example, the brown snake in Guam, the African snail in Florida, green crabs in New England, wild boars, etc.

Well i agree there are alot of animals that have been released into the wild from uncaring or unknowing people.

But for them to destroy the snakes is wrong.
Give them to a zoo or Aquarium in Australia to educate the general population on the size and what kind of harm that they could do to the native species.

But keep in mind that not all released animals destroy the native animals food.
Camels in Australia do nothing to hurt the native animals in fack they actually keep the foliage down that other animals can not eat.

But yes they where turned in not seized.thats funny and sad at the same time

Australia does have a concern - nobody can dispute that...It's just typical media dramatization that is being highlighted. Australia does have a variety of boids, just nothing with the sheer bulk of the the big 3. (even a large amethystine does not attain the girth). There are also plenty of predators...to a point - it takes something special to take on a 15ft burm (can't ya just see that episode of The Crocodile Hunter: "We've been working on a way to combine our Nuisance Croc Program with this new problem of released/escaped foreign pythons. What we do is capture these guys, radio tag 'em, then transport 'em to where these big snakes have been seen. The idea is that nothing short of a 16+ ft salty can take on a snake like that...sure, we could go out and catch the snakes & just bring 'em to our farm...dump 'em right in with the crocs...but where's the sport in that. Oh, there he is now. Crikey, he's a monster......)