Memoir

Pets in general argon lovable. Of course, who doesnt cope a hot dog? Or a cat? A fish, maybe? But in my case, its different. Not because I dislike innocent animals further because I nourish this extreme within me since childhood. You may not believe it but what I do the love are one of the most hated and feared living creatures in this world &8212snakes and reptiles.I dont have intercourse what it is slightly these cold-blooded creatures that attracted me most but for as long as I female genital organ remember, I have ever more(prenominal) been passionate some them. Lizards arouse my curiosity while snakes give me a sense of mystery story and excitement. pull down as a grown up now, I can quiet vividly rec solely my first encounter with a freight train which was one of the scariest experiences I ever had.It was one bright, sunny morning and we were acting in the woods. The summer heat was conducive for outdoor activities and our gang has garner once again to welcome th e long school break. Careless and jolly, I was scarcely 10 then and I was chasing my en after it was tossed off in a very secluded area. I could not regular remember what game was that but I was running after the ball and as soon as I entered the isolated zone, I matt-up shivers in my nape which gave me the creeps.I had cold sweats just as the earth was cold and moist and there were dried, wrinkled leaves scattered all over. I moved quite tardily not knowing whats in store in there. I faceed everywhere for my ball exploitation my telescopic vision. I was quite good in finding things and stuff. As soon as I found the ball behind a moss-filled rock, I heard this eerie hissing sound. Sensing that it might be a snake, I was agitated that I wondered where it could be hiding. I state to myself, This is a chance of a lifetime I was opinion doubly at first anticipating the danger it could do to me. Anti-venoms were difficult to find during those days. Nevertheless, I hesitated.Out of curiosity, I kicked the rock hard and there it wasa fat, full-blooded rattlesnake I suppose it was taking a nap forward I got there. But at that moment its eyes looked straight at mine, I knew that there was impending harm to come. My mind was f manufacture somewhere. each I felt was fear and thrill. The rattlesnake I found was brown, about four feet long with a triangular head.The minute I dictum it, I was shaking hard and I froze all over. Knowing that rattlesnakes only attacked humans when disturbed, I was reluctant to go near it. But thinking it was my only opportunity to explore and take a good look at a real one, I picked up a accommodate and went endingr to it moving one step at a time. As soon as I was closest to it, it gave a sort of infernal look at me as if it was about to bite me whole. Then I gathered all my nerves and began to strum its thick scales then lifted it up slowly.It irked I felt great and brave. Right that moment, I vista Id die a life-threateni ng death from a venomous snake. Then I struggled to gaze at it for a some minutes. What a beautiful sight And thats how I remember it. I returned it back to its place then I started moving away slowly to avoid provoking its untamed nature. When I returned to my gang, I proudly divided to them the grand yet terrifying experience with the first snake I have ever encountered. I never told my mom what I did because I knew shed kill me for doing such a stupid thing as she might have called it.I never had any other close encounters with snakes after that. I actually never petted them long. I gave up my eastern chipmunk snakes soon enough after I kept them a few years ago. But being a unique pet lover, it is quite rewarding on my part especially when I hear quite a little praise me for it. Even if only see snakes usually in cages or in the zoos now, I can always remember that one smuggled day I met that rattlesnake in the wild. I will always remember how beautiful it was.My experienc es with lizards were not as intense as that Ive had with snakes probably because they are harmless and nave. But my daily encounters with lizards were as memorable to me as that of snakes. Actually, it was quite a traumatic beginning for me.I was standing in our front porch one day when I byword this kid (I think he was younger than me at that time) playing with a lizard. It was about 4 inches long and brown in color so I assumed it was a deal lizard. It had a bluish stomach though. At first, the kid was feeding it with atrophied insects I could not recognise then before I knew it, he was flipping the poor lizard up and down. I was about to approach him when the next thing I saying was he stepped on it and the lizard was squeezed like an orange fruit. There it was lying flat on the street not breathing anymore.It was a terrible all the samet which I cannot erase from my long-term memory until now. From then on, I came to love lizards more and I collected not only fence lizard s but alligator and whiptail lizards as well. When I stopped care snakes, my lizards confronted. At present, I still have my lizards which I long to hold dear and care for in my own simple ways. To my mind, at least I am making a difference in the lives of these astonishing small creatures which are often neglected and unappreciated by tidy sum.It is so hapless to note that in some countries which do not have rigid animal rights, snakes and reptiles are ruthlessly killed flush with just the sight of them, even if they did nothing to harm humans. We should realize that such acts are merely their naturally-occurring refutation mechanisms. Some races made them into exotic dishes and sold at high prices. Even in zoos and animal sanctuaries, snakes and reptiles are given negative connotations which affect the impressions of people in general regarding these creatures.The media play a great role in influencing peoples opinions and generalizations about snakes and reptiles. Since t ime immemorial, I have never seen a film, TV show or any advertisements for that matter limning snakes in a positive manner. Movies like Anaconda, Anacondas, Spasm, Venom, Snakes on the Plane, Rattled, and many more all gave snakes bad images. Oftentimes, snakes are shown to represent evil and have been considered blasted symbols. How can peoples attitude towards snakes and reptiles be changed if what is being shown by entertainment is purely the dark side of these creations?It certainly takes time to transform peoples perceptions on snakes and reptiles. One of the most effective intermediate to begin with is education. We should be reminded that snakes and reptiles are also part of our wildlife, thus, they should be conserve and protected like any other endangered species. Children should be taught to love all animals through promoting media exposure and including conservation of wildlife in the school course of instruction to instill in their minds the need to appreciate even the most insidious creatures.This is not an easy task pursue since most learning of children are facilitated at home and most parents and guardians teach children to fear snakes and reptiles. This is the reason why massive media campaign should be done to alter our views about snakes and reptiles even at a slow pace. What is of the essence is that there should be efforts and attempts to conform the wrong impressions people have of these despised animals.While it may be true that snakes and reptiles are feared and unloved by most people, for me, they are wonderful creatures. Therefore, it is not true that they are feared and unloved because there are still people like me who can love them unconditionally. And I choose to remain as such as long as I have the capacity to do so.