The Party and the Tough Snake

Piggy was invited to his first party today, I got excited for him.  He knew more people at the party than I did and I expect there will be many more in the forthcoming years.

The parent organisers were great.  They had filled a room full of toys and stuff to keep the kids entertained, had organised a huge buffet, bought presents for all the kids and provided entertainment in the shape of Ranger Rob.

Ranger Rob was a pleasant chap who had brought along a whole host of animals for the kids to ‘pet’.  There was Bob the Boa, Mikey the Tortoise, a lizard from Argentina, some cockroaches and a Tarantula.  The first act on the bill was the Argentinean lizard.  If none of the other parents asked any questions I was ready with my, “Is it still bitter about the Falklands?” question, but some of the parents did ask questions.  “Does it like being touched?”, someone asked.  “Yes, it loves it”, Ranger Rob answered.  I was sceptical about this answer and wondered if Ranger Rob was simply giving an answer which he presumed all the parents wanted to hear, and I was secretly hoping that he would jokingly reply “No, he fucking hates it.  He’s already bit 3 kids this morning”.  I did do a little research though, and the Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences department at Texas University do suggest that some lizards do display emotions of pleasure when being stroked.

And then when he let the kids hold the Tarantula he was telling them about the largest species of spider found, the Goliath Bird Eating Spider, and he made the statement that it’s the only spider you can hear coming towards you.  And again I was sceptical but there is an element of truth in this story.   Piotr Naskrecki recently told a story in his blog about how he heard rustling when he was in the Amazonian jungle, and when he turned round expecting to see a small rodent he was actually confronted by a foot long spider.

So once again my scepticism was evaporated.  However, to demonstrate how strong the Boa was he wrapped the snake under the arms of a volunteer child and lifted the kid off the floor.  I wasn't convinced that this was the best way to demonstrate how tough a snake is.  Aren't snakes tough by default?  Particularly constrictors!  No one looks at a Boa-constrictor and thinks “That’s a bit of a pansy” do they?  And then why not throw it at a wall or kick it in the face to demonstrate how tough it is?

All that aside, the kids loved it and I’m sure that it was very educational for them, and Ranger Rob seemed like a very nice chap (I think it costs about £120 for the hour!).  I do have a problem with anyone using any animals as entertainment, particularly when they are kept out of their natural environment, it feels wrong.

Tomorrow I’m visiting a working farm, I’ll have to think about that blog entry.

"Child not being strangled by a snake"

"Tarantula"

"The Party"