Working with (& catching!) King Cobras

My close call with an escaped King #Cobra http://bitly.com/JueBLx

Awesome story! I once interviewed for a job in upstate New York working with timber rattlesnakes, which would have been awesome. During the interview I was asked if I had any experience handling venomous snakes. I actually chuckled and told them I had no reason to mess with them before, so why point a loaded gun at my head? Would I be confident handling them? Sure. Careful as all get out, of course! Do I know how to safely handle them? Yep. But I thought that was a pretty silly question considering they had my CV and venomous reptile was nowhere on it.

Originally Posted by snowgyre

Awesome story! I once interviewed for a job in upstate New York working with timber rattlesnakes, which would have been awesome. During the interview I was asked if I had any experience handling venomous snakes. I actually chuckled and told them I had no reason to mess with them before, so why point a loaded gun at my head? Would I be confident handling them? Sure. Careful as all get out, of course! Do I know how to safely handle them? Yep. But I thought that was a pretty silly question considering they had my CV and venomous reptile was nowhere on it.

Thanks for the kind words and interesting story. Not sure if this applied in your situation, but in the zoo field, we sometimes ask applicants about venomous experience to weed out people who are "too" fixated on them, or who might be prone to engaging in illegal activities and bringing bad publicity to the zoo (i.e. they are illegal to keep in NYC). Most serious herpers are interested in venomous snakes as part of the overall field, but unfortunately there's a small percentage who create dangers for others by taking chances, not having access to antivenin, etc. Not saying this applies to everyone, of course, but just a tip to keep in mind if you apply for a herp job in the future. Enjoy, best, Frank

Why do you have a picture of Naja annulifera for an article on king cobras?

Originally Posted by DeWittReptiles

Why do you have a picture of Naja annulifera for an article on king cobras?

Thanks for your interest; An editor posted the photo for me..I'll check the article and look into whether it needs to be changed.

Over the course of a lifetime as a herpetologist, field biologist and author, I have of course made mistakes, and uncovered those of others. There are polite ways of bringing such to a writer's attention. You may wish to devise more appropriate ways of doing so. Best, Frank

You are absolutely right. I typed that realy quick and didnt think to read it and how it would come accross before I posted it. I didnt mean any offence when I wrote it. Thank you for courteous reply despite my question not being worded very politley.

Originally Posted by DeWittReptiles

You are absolutely right. I typed that realy quick and didnt think to read it and how it would come accross before I posted it. I didnt mean any offence when I wrote it. Thank you for courteous reply despite my question not being worded very politley.

Thanks so much for your kind response...being old, I've become cynical - you restored my faith! thanks! Blog editors are out of touch for awhile, but I'll get back to them when possible, best, Frank