'Bite me,' SooToday tells angry snake owners (updated)

They're still hissing mad at us!

Snake owners from all over Canada have been baring their fangs at SooToday.com since our verbatim publication yesterday of a City Police news release about the seizure of a five-foot boa constrictor during a drug bust on Queen Street.

Here's a sampling of the responses we're getting.

These are full, unedited texts of e-mails received by SooToday.com, with only the obscenities removed:

*********************** Regarding your article "Big snake removed from 655 Queen Street West".

This story seems to put a bad light on snake keepers by mentioning that the individual keeping the snake had "a substantial quantity of marijuana in addition to a five-foot boa constrictor".

I'm not sure how these two items are linked but a mention of why the boa was taken away may be helpful.

This article seems to assume that the two items, the snake and the drugs, were somehow related.

I do not appreciate this assumption as it makes all law abiding reptile keepers look bad.

There are many reptile keepers across this country and I have a feeling that you may be hearing from quite a few of them soon.

Thanks, Katie Rothert

(OUR RESPONSE: Hi Katie: This article is presented exactly as written by the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service. If you want to protest this effectively, I suggest you have people contact the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service directly.)

************************ THX for your recent "sorry" (I mean story), making all us snake keepers & breeders look like baby killing drug pushers.

The fact that the man had a boa as a pet is trival & the picture of the snake eating the baby is even less relevant & highly offensive to any responsible Herper.

THX for keeping up the negative media portrayl of snakes & their keepers.

I guess it must have helped out your stories exposure & was really relevant in your opinion though?

Good stories don't need such BS IMHO. THX again as we really like to be known as "Baby Killing Drug Dealers" as represented by fine journalists such as yourself,

Sincerely Mark IsBell - GONE SNAKEE! Calgary, AB

(OUR RESPONSE: Thanks for this. We work so hard to alienate you guys and our efforts are only rarely acknowledged. Keep those cards and letters coming. - dh)

************************ Hello, Mr Helwig. I just read your story about the drug bust at 655 Queen Street East

I am curious about one thing though.

Why, if the story is about drugs, do you feel it necessary to include the fact that the man owns a 5' boa?

What does that have to do with drugs? Why not include which cds he has in his music collection or what brand of peanut butter is in his cupboard?

Both facts bare the same importance on the actual story.

The reason I am inquiring is because I am a snake keeper and breeder and it is news articles like this one that unnecessarily give us "non drug dealing keepers" a bad name.

I would like to see an edit made to the article with an apology to all of the responsible snake keepers in this country.

But I doubt that will happen.

At the very least, could you change that ridiculous picture?

Maybe try making it a picture of a marijuana plant … or the right snake if you feel it necessary to vilify us.

Sincerely, Tim Cranwill Cranwill's Captive Bred Snakes [Winnipeg, Manitoba]

(POSTED BY TIM CRANWILL AND GONESNAKEE! THIS AFTERNOON ON REPTILESCANADA.COM: This is pitiful! I say we inundate that reporter with email complaints! In fact, here is the reporter's info: News Department Dave Helwig, News Director Cell: (705) 941-0664 Fax: 942-1017 E-mail: [email protected]. Lets flood this *******s email as he deserves it!)

********************* Dave Helwig,

Please remove the photo of the large diproportionate boa snake pictured eating a young child.

It is not humorous and it is not appropriate to the story.

Every little thing such as this is giving the wrong view on Reptile keeping as a hobby.

I know you probably don't understand quite how we as a community feel when we see reptiles used in a negativeway, or know how much it does actually impact.

Please feel free to contact Grant Crossman to publish an article on the April 2006 Reptile and Instect Expo.

Positive promotion will help save our innocent hobby.

Pleave visit www.reptileexpo.ca

Will Hayward. Canadian Chameleons.ca

********************* This story was fine to write, and I hope this boa gets placed in a proper home and not destroyed, but the picture that went along with it was completely inappropriate. A strange ancient lizard devil snake eating the child?

Not an accurate portrayal of any snake, let alone a boa. The reptile community is up in arms about how grotesque this is.

Please have this picture removed.

Have it taken down, and I can get you a beautiful picture of a real boa to post along with your news.

Thank you. Jessy Blazejewski and Justin Osborne [Blazing Reptiles Captive-Bred Pythons, Mississaugua, Ontario] PS. If you have nothing to do with the posting of photos, please please forward to the person who does this.

************************ Mr. Helwig,

You probably fancy yourself to be pretty clever, don’t you?

Why not publish your rude reply to Mark Isbell (GONESNAKEE) if you want this to become a public issue?

Why not reply to any of my emails at all?

It's probably because you feel better acting like a child than an adult.

It must be nice for Sault Ste. Marie nice to have such a non-biased "man" behind their news.

I wish I could make a career out of regurgitating police reports.

That sounds like a pretty easy job.

And heck, you don't even need to find an accurate picture.

Bonus! This job that is right up your "alley".

"Snake owners bare fangs, SooToday.com says 'bite me!'"

Very professional headline, by the way. Right on par with the relivance of your entire publication, I would say.

And you don’t even have the balls to use your own name in the headline.

Instead, you hide behind SooToday.com.

What a pro!

Here's to hoping you can out grow your ego.

Tim Cranwill

************************ I just read your brief article about the drug bust and snake seizure.

I do wonder why the snake was taken, and also have to wonder if the pet would have been taken if it were a puppy.

However, that is not my reason for sending you this note today, I wouldn’t expect you to have any answers for that.

Before I go on, I would like to tell you that I have looked around your website to become familiar with you and your online publication.

I would call it a news source, but I am hesitant to do that after looking at it more fully.

Click here to read the conclusion of this letter

*********************** (NOTE: The photograph appearing at the top of this article, showing Sault kids meeting a really cuddly reticulated python, was taken three years ago when Safari Jeff and Shannon brought their popular reptile show to Station Mall. To see more pictures that we took that day, please click here.)