Worried About Charlie

[Twilla]

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Well there ya go, get a horse to roam your yard for awhile.

I did see a series of pics once of a horse kicking the fuck out of a bobcat, or mountain lion or something. I should try to find those just for the hell of it.

Geeze, it was a mule, look at those dogs sitting in the background.

http://www.blackbearheaven.com/horse-kills-cougar.htm

I've seen that before but it was described as the cougar already being dead. The mule still went crazy on the corpse but it's not as impressive knowing it was a limp bag of meat at the time.

[John L]

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The only thing that really worries me is what could happen to Charlie, or Gizmo. Charlie is more a lover than a fighter, but he is also curious, and can get into trouble by wanting to check everything out. And being about sixteen pounds, if he happened to get bitten, he would have to get medical attention immediately. I have since looked up the nearest emergency vet hospital, just in case.

As for killing the snake, I probably won't. The odds are that the snake has already relocated somewhere else, because it knew I was watching it for two days in a row now. I'm not one of those people who gets all worked up over a poisonous critter. Also, killing it won't dent the population any.

I guess I've lived around shakes so long that they don't give me fits any more.

I remember one time when I was going through Ranger School at Benning, my squad was tasked to set up a blocking force against another group moving through the area. I set up behind a nice old log, and positioned the M60 machine gun I was carrying, so the bipod was around the end of the log and pointing toward the trail about 30 mitres away.

I had been lying there for about twenty minutes, and none of us were allowed to move so as not to give ourselves away. After awhile I heard this rustling noise, and out of the end of the log popped this copper head. It just suddenly appeared, and eyeballed me for what seemed like an hour. man that tongue was flicking in and out, and I stared right back at it. I guess it was no more than eighteen inches from my face. I was thinking "this could be a great time to break cover". But I didn't move, the snake finally lost interest, and went back into the log.

I learned a valuable lesson concerning snakes that day. If you don't fuck with them, they won't fuck with you. In fact they will do just about anything to get the hell away from you if they can. By the time the other force tripped the ambush, and my M60 had run through a belt of ammo, I'll bet every snake in the area was beating a hasty retreat from the entire area. After that little experience, a three week Jungle training phase in Panama was a breeze.

Incidentally, if deadly snakes bother you, you don't want to live in Australia, because they have more dangerous kinds of Mr. NoShoulders down there than anywhere in the world.

[Twitchin Kitten]

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Just kill them. Keep the skins and save up enough of them to make a pair of boots.

[Rhubarb]

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I learned a valuable lesson concerning snakes that day. If you don't fuck with them, they won't fuck with you. In fact they will do just about anything to get the hell away from you if they can.

My uncle said much the same and my grandmother always made loads of noise and stamped her feet when we went for a walk over the sand dunes where Adders love to bask. I never saw one with her about.

Incidentally, if deadly snakes bother you, you don't want to live in Australia, because they have more dangerous kinds of Mr. NoShoulders down there than anywhere in the world.

One reason I didn't want to go visit family out there. My sister-in-law phoned one evening out of the blue, just for a chat, she said. Then she admitted her neighbour phoned her to say a brown snake had been seen heading into her yard and to stay in the house. She watched it from the window make its way across the yard. Then suddenly she said she must go so she could phone the next neighbour, because it was now in her yard.
There is no antidote.
Bush Turkeys are annoying too

[John L]

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I'm almost positive Mr/Mrs NoShoulders is not there anymore. Its easy to tell by just making a noise that is different from what to expect. The snake will pop the head out and eyeball the area. I've been out there several times already and no head with forked tongue.

I've also noticed that my extensive crop of chameleons and striped racing skinks have suddenly returned in force. Again they are all over the place. That's about the best sign that Mr/Mrs NoShoulders has vacated the area. I doubt I will see it again, at least on that side of the house.

As for Australia, I watched a program on the Science Channel several years ago, and they had a "10 most venomous snakes in the world. I believe half of them were living in Australia, plus one swimming in the ocean around it. And the Simple Brown is the most dangerous, because it will enter your garage, your home, or anywhere it thinks it need privacy. They are relatively small, and are the second or third most venomous snake in the world.

I guess Aussies just learned to "live and let live" with these critters. Add crocs and that is one dangerous place to live, especially if someone has a thing for reptiles.

Incidentally, there is an antidote, which is widely distributed. On average, only about two people die from common Easter Brown bites per annum as a result of this highly available antidote. The don't look all that dangerous and can indeed be handled if they are not frightened, which reminds me of the North American Coral Snake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJJRZBrH45c

I once saw another video, were a huge king cobra was kept as a pet by an Indian family, for keeping down the vermin in their compound. Every morning the husband would take the snake out of his cage and place it on the ground and let it enjoy the compound yard. Their dog wasn't all that relaxed but everyone else was. Even the two children were shown playing with the huge snake, and it let them have a good time with it, and didn't seem bothered by the entire process. I wish I could find the video showing this. It was simply amazing.