Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

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Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby nattim » Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:29 pm

Hi there. I was wondering if anybody has been to Mbidi lodge? John, aka the "tigerman" did a "snake show" the other day for a group of black primary school students. He started off by asking who was scared of snakes and when only a couple kids put up their hands, he opened an enclosure and pulled out a "snake" and threw it into them... (obviously it was only a rubber snake) but the poor kids actually panicked completely!!! They stampeded out of the arena nearly trampling each other!!! Next he was talking about his yellow anaconda, but his assistant only handled the snake with metal tongs and held onto it with the tongs by its tail! Even when carrying the snake back to its enclosure! He continued on to tell these poor kids about all the different types of snake venom and how dangerous snakes are... He even told them stories of how people he's worked with have died from snake bites! He even told them about Mike Perry's description of the pain of a puff adder bite! Again with the puffy it was only handled with metal tongs and pulled about by its tail. They never made use of a hook stick even once to support its head or body...

When they took the Mozambican Spitting cobra out, he and his assistant had goggles and a mask, but the kids only about a 1m from the platform had no safety equipment what so ever! He put the snake onto his table, and next thing lost control and the snake shot off the table fortunately away from the kids, (there was no barrier between him and the children), they had to go searching in building rubble behind the platform for the snake!

I would just like to know what your opinions on this type of show would be? I always thought snake shows should be educational, pitched at a level the audience can understand, and should teach people about snakes and their importance and how to avoid getting bitten... Not to scare the audience witless with horror stories!
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby Lillypod » Tue Oct 02, 2012 5:23 pm

I agree with you, poor kids, they will probably be the next generation beating harmless snakes with sticks till death...
3-1-4 Leopard Gecko
1-1-2 Bearded Dragon
0-1 Brown House Snake
2-3 Ball Python
1-1 Western Hognose
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3-2 Corn Snake
0-0-1 Bosc Monitor
0-1 Taiwanese rat snake
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby Bushviper » Tue Oct 02, 2012 6:26 pm

Unfortunately Mpumalanga parks board does not have any standards for giving shows. This is when incompetent people end up damaging what we take years to build up. I will discuss this with them when I see them again but I would suggest that you write a letter to the Parks Board and possibly they can stop this.

I watched a similar performance in KZN recently although it was not quite this bad. It was pretty dreadful though full of scary stories and thumb suck "facts".
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby nattim » Tue Oct 02, 2012 6:33 pm

I'll certainly write that letter. Thanks for the advice BV...
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby Venommaniac » Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:02 pm

Same thing with me, it was on a camp and they were giving a show to a local school and same thing chucked a rubber snake into the cround and in horror one of the kids grabbed it and tried to rip its head off. And later on took out a Taiwanese rat snake the only snake they had. clamped its head with tongs and then took it behind the head terribly and then said to them it was a black mamba.
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby vuduman » Tue Oct 02, 2012 11:28 pm

To go off the direct topic...the worst snake demo I have ever seen was in Thailand.All the snakes where in really bad shape.The handler tried really hard to scare all the travelers from far and near,but with a monicled cobra.With very poor english,he reasured the people over a microphone..."Cobra.One bite and you live 30minute only,but not to worry...hospital only 5 minute away,ya"

These shows gives off really bad publicity and no wonder most people will kill them in fear.It's more a way to boost their own ego and give some people a rush for their money,instead of educating the human race of these amazing creatures.
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby Durban Keeper » Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:02 am

When I do my shows I can actually see the perceptions towards these animals of both kids and adults alike change. I only convey these animals in a positive light. I don't ignore the dangers completely but discuss encounters with venomous snakes and how to react towards them should they or any snake be encountered. I try convince people that there is more reasons to love then to fear when it comes to these beautiful creatures. I have had the most fantastic feedback. Now I know why, seems there really are a bunch of monkeys out there destroying the foundations of what so many are working so hard to build.
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby Durban Keeper » Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:03 am

:)
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby Zeiphex » Wed Oct 03, 2012 4:55 am

Ugh, as a kid there was this snakeman who used to do shows at the Cape Town Snake Park and would often do birthday parties as well. He also did the rubber snake thing :/ The rest of the show was educational enough though (minus the lame jokes that were repeated at each and every show!), and I don't remember the snakes ever being handled poorly.
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby Lillypod » Wed Oct 03, 2012 7:33 am

I've only been to a few snake shows in my life, one was at a zoo (can't remember which one) and it was very nice and one was at a camp and the only had one boa constrictor and they told as that we should be very careful because gaboon adders are super aggro and that they will lie and wait for you under the fridge and attack you when you come close. I'm scared out of my wits for gaboons because of that and for a long time I didn't even want to walk past the fridge. There was a time that I actually feared all snakes, but I'm over it now since I went to a petshop and the guy allowed me to hold a ball python. Now I would like to get me a snake as well as soon as I feel comfortable feeding it rodents...
3-1-4 Leopard Gecko
1-1-2 Bearded Dragon
0-1 Brown House Snake
2-3 Ball Python
1-1 Western Hognose
1-1 Kenyan Sand Boa
3-2 Corn Snake
0-0-1 Bosc Monitor
0-1 Taiwanese rat snake
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby Bushviper » Wed Oct 03, 2012 11:24 am

It is amazing how these people dont realise what an effect they can have on children be it positive like Durban keeper or negative like these excuses for conservationists.

If you have to give yourself a name (tigerman) this proves they never grew up and still think they are super heroes that can fly and leap tall buildings.
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby Ruan Stander » Wed Oct 03, 2012 3:53 pm

I have been at two notably bad ones, one here in Polokwane, the other in Hartebeespoortdam.
One of them had a guy free handling a boomslang(there is a photo of the guy free handling at a school here on the forum somewhere).
The one here at home had a guy free handling a snouted cobra, playing with it much like the Thai handlers. The same guy was mentioned here on the forum in a heated debate a while ago when he was blamed for a kid from here's mistake of putting a boomslang around his neck.
I saw a photo of him, again free handling a snoutie, in the local newspaper last week. I mean what message does this convey to the public ?
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby Bushviper » Wed Oct 03, 2012 4:03 pm

I saw that picture in the paper. Nuff said.
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby Mr S » Mon Oct 08, 2012 3:00 pm

NATTIM

Contrary to Bushvipers miss information/ belief the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency have strict standards for people doing reptile demonstrations.

In early 2012 a new permit was introduced specifically for people doing demonstrations even though permits were and are required for this purpose. The snakes used must be micro- chipped and the permit renewed annually etc, etc..

Please write your letter and send it to reptile@mtpa.co.za. With such a complaint we will not only know of this snake demo guy but can then make a visit and see whether his permits exist or are valid.

If you dont know they doing demos you cant react on it- fair or not?

Thanx for your attention to this matter, we will sort it out
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Re: Poor shows at Mbidi Lodge, Mpumalanga

Postby Bushviper » Mon Oct 08, 2012 6:02 pm

Mr S wrote:Contrary to Bushvipers miss information/ belief the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency have strict standards for people doing reptile demonstrations.


Sorry Mr S, I meant to bring it up over the weekend anyway. I was not aware of these standards and am impressed that you have reacted. This post should serve as a first complaint.
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