Okay...now I can reveal the background to this image. I was with a group of kids visiting Townsville for the week. They were all competing in the Disability Games. My three children were amongst them.
Part of the week included visiting theme parks including the Billabong Sanctuary. During that visit I took these two shots of one of the crocodile handlers as he was encouraging one of the crocs into the water.
The group then dispersed into different directions but the 3 croc handlers took me to a private area of the park to visit 'Snappy Tom'.
'Snappy Tom' is very much alive. I sat only a couple of meters from him, on the ground at his level with no fences or barriers in between us. I got the shots I wanted and then the man in charge got him to spin around at me. He was about 4 meters long and he spun around with a huge bang to the jaws and his tail curled in front of him like a cat. All the little dots on his skin are his sensors that pick up vibrations of nearing objects. I loved every minute of it and I have been invited back to do more shots. BTW....none of these shots have been cropped.
I then continued on through the park and got many more shots from some of the other animals....
The handlers thought they would kindly drape a snake around my neck...I refused to hold it. All the children thought it was a great joke...as did many of the parents. I love being in the pen with the crocs...but I HATE SNAKES!!! I have to admit the Wombat was cute though!!
Some great shots judi, but I never would have guessed you didnt like snakes that much :P
-dave
*edit* just think of them as a live whip and you should be fine ;)
I used to thoroughly enjoy waiting till my car tyres made contact with the snakes and then hitting the skids to make sure they were dead. I am sorry to the snake lovers out there..but I just don't like snakes.
I was once been lazy and crossing an area on the farm that I knew had a resident red belly. (NOTE - this was in South WA) It was hot and I had just been doing stockwork on the horses...but I was only in a bikini (don't ask!!). My dog and I crossed into the area and the damn thing appeared and decided to chase me as I turned tail. So if you can picture me clambering onto a wooden fence screaming for my dog to back off the snake and everyone nearby laughing their heads off.
Some great shots judi, but I never would have guessed you didnt like snakes that much :P
-dave
*edit* just think of them as a live whip and you should be fine ;)
I used to thoroughly enjoy waiting till my car tyres made contact with the snakes and then hitting the skids to make sure they were dead. I am sorry to the snake lovers out there..but I just don't like snakes.
I was once been lazy and crossing an area on the farm that I knew had a resident red belly. (NOTE - this was in South WA) It was hot and I had just been doing stockwork on the horses...but I was only in a bikini (don't ask!!). My dog and I crossed into the area and the damn thing appeared and decided to chase me as I turned tail. So if you can picture me clambering onto a wooden fence screaming for my dog to back off the snake and everyone nearby laughing their heads off.
Right.
I DON'T LIKE SNAKES!!
you didn't happen to get any pics of you in the bikini on the fence with the snake below did you?
LOL sorry I couldn't resist, I'm pretty much the same way with spiders no matter how big or small...
I used to thoroughly enjoy waiting till my car tyres made contact with the snakes and then hitting the skids to make sure they were dead. I am sorry to the snake lovers out there..but I just don't like snakes.
I was once been lazy and crossing an area on the farm that I knew had a resident red belly. (NOTE - this was in South WA) It was hot and I had just been doing stockwork on the horses...but I was only in a bikini (don't ask!!). My dog and I crossed into the area and the damn thing appeared and decided to chase me as I turned tail. So if you can picture me clambering onto a wooden fence screaming for my dog to back off the snake and everyone nearby laughing their heads off.
Right.
I DON'T LIKE SNAKES!!
I'm with you Judi, I don't like them at all.
The only problem is that my wife loves them and actually catches them for WIRES and returns them back to the wild.
This one I came along for the release. Made sure I had the 200mm lense, still didn't like it.
I totally agree with you Tim. Here are a couple of others from the same place. Fortunately one was behind glass...but the other was only a foot from me.
awww come on, not all snakes are bad... ok some are lol. Yes he (Habu snake) was dead and behind glass.
When I was growing up we used to catch garner (or is it gardner) snakes, totally harmless but my brothers and sisters would put them in my face and even cloths...it took me a long time to get over them and now as long as they (and spiders I might add) aren't coming at me or in my personal space they will usually live another day.
and I guess I owe you an apology...I laughed my head off when I read about you in a bikini trying to get up that fence to get away from that snake lol.
awww come on, not all snakes are bad... ok some are lol. Yes he (Habu snake) was dead and behind glass.
When I was growing up we used to catch garner (or is it gardner) snakes, totally harmless but my brothers and sisters would put them in my face and even cloths...it took me a long time to get over them and now as long as they (and spiders I might add) aren't coming at me or in my personal space they will usually live another day.
and I guess I owe you an apology...I laughed my head off when I read about you in a bikini trying to get up that fence to get away from that snake lol.
No apologies needed....I am pleased I am not the only one that dislikes snakes.
Nice series of shots Judi. Just surfed on over to check out what updates you had in your profile (as I often do with my favourites lists). Animals can be so hard to catch at the right moment, but you have been fortunate enough to have staff members on your side to assist. Was it an organised tour for yourself or did you manage to con the staff to take you behind the scenes so to speak.
You didn't look to impressed in the snake shot. Take is easy fellow Sandgroper (well ex-sandgroper) :)
Nice series of shots Judi. Just surfed on over to check out what updates you had in your profile (as I often do with my favourites lists). Animals can be so hard to catch at the right moment, but you have been fortunate enough to have staff members on your side to assist. Was it an organised tour for yourself or did you manage to con the staff to take you behind the scenes so to speak.
You didn't look to impressed in the snake shot. Take is easy fellow Sandgroper (well ex-sandgroper) :)
It was an organised tour for the group...but then we all had an hours free time...with no guides. Except the guides took me to a different part of the park (off limits to the public) and that is where I met Snappy Tom!
Growing up in Australia (I did) one gets to realize that snakes can be more often than not deadly. I remember bush fires driving reptiles into our garden and running indoors.... They don't rattle either, not like these American ones do. And there were the red backed spiders that lurked under the outside toilet seat....
Growing up in Australia (I did) one gets to realize that snakes can be more often than not deadly. I remember bush fires driving reptiles into our garden and running indoors.... They don't rattle either, not like these American ones do. And there were the red backed spiders that lurked under the outside toilet seat....
Yup...or walking in the kitchen and finding you have a dinner guest...! Australia is known for its deadly snakes...they cover a larger area of Australia then what crocs do.
I remember swimming in a lake/watering hole in north queensland. There was quite a group of us. It was hot and the water was cool. We would dive off the jetty and have a wonderful time...nearly every day.
The water wasn't like other water I had swam in. I had never seen water like it. It was almost black. You couldn't see your hand in front of you under water...it was that dark and murky. You knew there were fish in there as the little ones would nip you and the large ones were usually caught earlier with the fishing lines for your dinner that night.
But what most people would have been deterred by were the wild pigs screaming around the shores of the lake (day and night...it was eerie) and the fact that this waterhole was notorious for crocs.
Heh...it was hot...and we got cool..in the waters!
I'd be a lot more afraid of the crocs than the snakes -- certainly than the non-venomous ones anyway. Nice pictures!
Yeow...now that is nasty...you mean old man...hehehehe!!
Mean? I thought I was being nice by posting the link instead of the thumbnail -- I wasn't "making" you look after all. I can't control your impulsive yielding to temptation ... ;-)
Mean? I thought I was being nice by posting the link instead of the thumbnail -- I wasn't "making" you look after all. I can't control your impulsive yielding to temptation ... ;-)
Great series of shots Judi. Especially love those close up photos of the crocs. You are so lucky to be able to have that type of opportunity.
As for the snake - Looks like it was a harmless ol' python. LOL!
My roommate and I raise and breed snakes so I have no problems with the majority of snake species. I do understand you not liking them though as I have an irrational fear of spiders. I have friends and family members who won't come to my house anymore due to the large number of snakes we keep (and we don't have any large boas/pythons nor anything venomous!), but I can respect that - since I wouldn't want someone sticking a spider in my face!
I totally agree with you Tim. Here are a couple of others from the same place. Fortunately one was behind glass...but the other was only a foot from me.
Yep thats how I like them from behind glass!!
Here is another from behind glass so you can get up close and personal.
