Inspiring Photo: SSSSSSSsssssssSSSSSSS #54878

SSSSSSSsssssssSSSSSSS

Uploaded: November 06, 2002

Description

Exotic A.R.C.

Comments

Carol Engstrom November 06, 2002

Rhonda--remember those cute little birds? Just kidding--this is a great picture even if it does give me chills. #12470

Rhonda Maurer May 26, 2019

Carol,
Hi! Thanks for commenting. I goofed and loaded the first photo not cropped the way I had wanted to. I had posted a message to that one but I have ask Jim to remove the first one. So, since I goofed it all up, I will try to put everything back in place:-) Here is the original post.

Ladies,
I am sorry, I know I promised to go back to the cute little birds but I just could not help myself, he was sticking his tongue out:-) I just had to do it.
I promise I will get back to the cute birds.....although..I do have a really cool alligator shot:-)
Rhonda

Thanks again Carol I appreciate your comments.
Rhonda #21562

Damian P. Gadal May 26, 2019

Nice SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssSSSSSSSSSSSSSSnake! shot... #21582

Carol Engstrom May 26, 2019

I want to see that alligator shot too Rhonda. I will give up a cute bird for one day. #21595

Brian L. Zimmerman May 26, 2019

Great shot, Rhonda. Is he live? If so, how and where did you capture him in this striking pose? (pun intended) This is especially chilling for me - ten years ago I got bit by a diamondback of this size and was in the hospital for several days and took me a month to fully recover from surgery and effects of the horse serum antivenin. I was trying to refill the bird feeder mounted on top of the stone wall in my backyard in El Paso, TX, and I didn't notice him waiting under it for a bird I guess and thought my hand was a bird landing, hence the big injection I received through a neat little hole in my palm. My whole arm swelled up to the size of my leg and I had to have surgery to restore the circulation to my hand, otherwise I might have lost it. Thanks for the memories. lol Just kidding, it's a great shot!

#21613

Carol Engstrom May 26, 2019

Are you shaking now Rhonda? I am! Glad you got through that OK Brian. #21636

Cathy M. Gromball May 26, 2019

Oh my goodness Brian! What an ordeal! I'm glad you're here to tell us about it - I don't ever want to encounter one, mind you. This is such a great shot Rhonda! I'm curious to know how you managed to capture it posed so perfectly.

Cathy :) #21740

Rhonda Maurer May 26, 2019

Damian,
Thank you sssssooo very much:-) I really appreciate it.

Carol E,
Hi Carol, thanks for your comments. I have put the alligator on hold because I am getting ready for a show where I will be selling my bird photos. After this weekend I will be working on the snakes, alligators and the like for a reptile shop that will be carrying my photos. I promise to get him here soon:-)

Thanks again.
Rhonda #23443

Rhonda Maurer May 26, 2019

Brian,
Hi Brian, yes he was very much alive and very mad. There were numerous snakes in their cages and this one was standing up in this pose. I said "that's the one I want!" We put down a black plastic tarp and when they got him out of the cage he took up this pose again. I fired off over one hundred shots of him in different poses. He never did stop rattling the entire time.
I bet your ordeal was just absolutely terrifying! I have a brother that is a complete nature guy. For as long as I can remember he had snakes, lizards, coons, skunks, bats, you name it, we had it. I got really used to critters. I guess I don't have the fear that I should but he also taught me proper handling and respect for these animals and I really do have great respect for them. Having said that, I would not want to go through what you did!! I am really glad that everything worked out ok.
Thanks again for sharing your story. You hear about these things happening on t.v. but you never know someone that it has happened to.

Carol E.
Actually Carol, I am really excited to go back and get some more shots of the other creatures there. I do have to say that the guys working with these snakes really, really know what they are doing.

Thanks again.
Rhonda #23444

Rhonda Maurer May 26, 2019

Cathy,
Hi Cathy, thank you so very much for your wonderful comments. Like I was telling Brian, this guy was mad when we walked in the room, he was posed up like this ready to strike right off the bat. His rattle was going none stop. The others were just laying around, rattling a little. I had told the handler that I would love to get a photo of that pose and he told me that he would resume that pose once we had him out of the cage and on the floor, and by golly he did too. He kept his eyes on the handler the whole time, he was much closer to him than I was, except when I fired the flash and then he would look my way. He was striking at the handler when he put him back in the cage. I really wanted a shot of him stiking but I did not want to fire the flash and make him even more mad when the handler was putting him in the cage. Well...there is always next time:-)

Thank you so much everyone for your comments, they are greatly appreciated.
Rhonda
#23445

Brian L. Zimmerman May 26, 2019

Thanks for sharing all those details, Rhonda - it makes your shot even more impressive. I'm glad you had a good zoom, cause I would not want to get that close to one again. The only photo I have of the rattler that bit me was a headless & tailess shot my neighbors took after they killed him while I was still in the hospital. They found him back up on my wall. That same day, my then 3-year old son had dragged a step stool off the back patio out to the stone wall and climbed up to look over the wall. I was thankful he didn't try to mess with the bird feeder and the snake got me instead of him. I have a photo of my ugly hand when I got home from the hospital, if you want to see it. ;)
#23476

Rhonda Maurer May 26, 2019

Brian,
Thanks for sharing the rest of the story. I am extremely glad that your 3 year old son did not get anywhere near that snake, that would have been bad. You can send me the photo of your ugly hand, I have never seen an actual snake bite on anyone.
Thanks again.
Rhonda #25982

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