Micro, I LIKE SNAKES. Rattlesnakes and moccasins give me pause, and I try to avoid them 'in the wild'. We used to go to Monahans, Texas State Park, camping and hiking in the sand dunes. We saw many a track from the rattlers known as 'sidewinders'. We would carefully follow the tracks, but never managed to chase one down.
I have picked up many a garter snake, handling them gently, racers, bull snakes, gartners - but have never had the pleasure of draping a python across my shoulders.
I learned a lot from working in that snake pit - and got to watch a professional that worked at milking them. They do that to manufacture anti-venom. That guy was good at handling the rattlers, very good. A skill that I admired, but honestly, don't have the guts to ever try it myself.
If you ever cut the head off a rattler, just remember that they can still bite you and inject their poison for several minutes after decapitation. *w*
I find mongooses to be fascinating, but cobras are another species that I would not approach.
I didn't need to 'learn better', would work that pit agin in a heartbeat.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good ...
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