Ever since that slick serpent in the garden, mankind has had a love-hate relationship with snakes; we love to see them in captivity, but hate to find them in our backyards...and most times when we do, it's just a matter of calling on that old, sharp and ready friend "Collins" to do the rest. Here at 7NEWS, instead of calling Collins, we usually call on 'Smitty the Snake Man.' At a moment's notice, he'll respond and safely remove the snake from your area, no matter how big or how bad it is. And this is his busy season, because summer is mating season for snakes and that means you'll be seeing a lot more of our reptile friends around. That was evident in our own backyard today and when Snake Man Smitty couldn't respond in a hurry, we had to take matters into our own hands, literally! Here's how that went.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This afternoon we found a real life snake in the grass. You can't see it clearly but you're looking at one of two snakes that have been roaming the grounds of our transmitting station at mile one and a half on the Western Highway. Today we responded and didn't wait for snake expert "Smiity" to arrive. I took charge of the camera and cameraman Fortunato Noble took charge of the snake with his bare hands and this stick. He dragged it out by the tail with that stick at all times in its mouth. As you can see the snake isn't small and it also wasn't too friendly to mister noble. Just listen to all the hissing.
Fortunato Noble, 7NEWS
"We're waiting for Smitty the Snake Man to decide what he is going to do with it. They usually travel in pairs."
Smitty did arrive and what a difference a handler makes. The hissing was gone and the belligerent snake was tamed almost instantly. Even Noble was able to cuddle the 7 foot long and 30 pound reptile. Smitty says this is a red tail boa constrictor and told us how he pacified an angry boa.
Reynaldo Smith, "Snake Man"
"This is a female red tail boa constrictor. It is one of the most common boas in the country. Normally you have the red tail, the black tail, you have the pink and the rainbow boas. During the rainy season is when the breathing season starts, June, July, August, September, October and they have a lot of
young ones. They breed between 50 to 60 young ones. And the young ones, as they are born, they are not maternal, they just spread as they born and they move around for themselves and find territory of their own."
Keith Swift,
So you tamed a snake just like that?
Reynaldo Smith,
"Yes they don't do anything. You can hold them and pet them up and they won't do anything. This is full, it is eating good but it is not pregnant." [Smitty Puts the Snake;s head in his Mouth]
Of course we won't advise you to follow Smiity and put a snake in your mouth. In fact Smitty wouldn't advise you to even try and catch a snake.
Keith Swift,
If I find a snake like this in my backyard what do I do?
Reynaldo Smith,
"You chase it away, don't kill it. This is a snake which eats out your rat and rodents and stuff like that. The snake isn't dangerous. They aren't aggressive. The only way they will strike after you is if you hurt them or you molest them in someway. If you leave them they would normally go right away."
Keith Swift,
Should people try to capture it like we did?
Reynaldo Smith,
"No because they could give you some very vicious bites. See those teeth. They are slanted and very sharp like needles."
Keith Swift,
But you have your hand in her mouth and she isn't doing anything.
Reynaldo Smith,
"Because she already got used to handling, she is already used to being handled. She is used to being handled."
So while it may not be dangerous, it is heavy.
Reynaldo Smith took home the Boa Constrictor which is number forty in his collection of boas. The biggest in his collection is twelve foot long.
The Soca Warriors' World Cup Defeat
Last week when he was here, Trinidadian Prime Minister Patrick Manning thanked Belizeans for supporting his country's national football team, the Soca Warriors, as they made a bid for the round of 16 in the 2006 World Cup. Well our hopes, and those of the entire Caribbean were with the warriors, as they played today against Paraguay. In order to get to the next round the Soca Warriors needed a win, and they needed England to win against Sweden.
But it wasn't meant to be; Paraguay beat Trinidad 2-0, and England drew with Sweden, thus ending the Soca Warriors still historic run. With a population of just over a million, they were the smallest country every to qualify for the World Cup.
