reptiles
Enlightened
I thought I'd share a recent experience with my ARC LSH-P where I would have been in a world of trouble without a quick, water resistant, one-hand activated light.
As president of the Philadelphia Herpetological Society (a reptile conservation group) I get some rather unusual requests from time to time.
The wife of an exotic python breeder called me in the middle of a storm. Her husband usually handled the large pythons they kept in their basement, but he was deployed in Iraq. She requested a "big favor."
It seems that their sump pump failed and water was accumulating in the basement. The plumber needed to get to an access hole in the floor under the python's enclosure. The python needed to be removed and the enclosure partially disassembled.
The snake was about 12-15 feet long; very fat (gravid?) and in a very bad mood. I arrived with one assistant and a 5' snake hook (handling device).
Our plan was to drag the python out and place her into an 70 gal trash can until the pump was replaced by the plumber.
We were successful in dragging the hissing snake to the middle of the floor... she was in a nasty mood... opening her mouth and striking in the air.
The trick is to control the head with the snake hook and guide her into the overturned trashcan.
I couldn't think of a worse time for the power to go out! People were panic stricken ... plumber ran up the steps; wife was screaming.
I'm thinking ... the damm snake has great IR heat detectors and can "see" me in the dark.
It was pitch black, I was wet from sloshing around in 2" of water, wrestling a 150 pound snake... I held the hook somewhere between by body and the last known position of the head of the python with my right hand while I pulled my ARC from my pocket with my left hand.
I was so happy the light had a tail switch! I clicked it on and held it in my mouth, and with both hands and help from my assistant, we got the snake secured. The ARC light never looked so beautiful! Lit up the entire area.
It's an especially funny story because people are always asking me what I'm doing with "so many flashlights." I also had an ARC AAA on my keychain but couldn't get to it and turn it on as easily as the LS in a crisis.
This story had a happy ending but it could have easily ended up with me in the local ER getting stitches and pulling python teeth out of my face... or worse.
Regards,
Mark Miller
As president of the Philadelphia Herpetological Society (a reptile conservation group) I get some rather unusual requests from time to time.
The wife of an exotic python breeder called me in the middle of a storm. Her husband usually handled the large pythons they kept in their basement, but he was deployed in Iraq. She requested a "big favor."
It seems that their sump pump failed and water was accumulating in the basement. The plumber needed to get to an access hole in the floor under the python's enclosure. The python needed to be removed and the enclosure partially disassembled.
The snake was about 12-15 feet long; very fat (gravid?) and in a very bad mood. I arrived with one assistant and a 5' snake hook (handling device).
Our plan was to drag the python out and place her into an 70 gal trash can until the pump was replaced by the plumber.
We were successful in dragging the hissing snake to the middle of the floor... she was in a nasty mood... opening her mouth and striking in the air.
The trick is to control the head with the snake hook and guide her into the overturned trashcan.
I couldn't think of a worse time for the power to go out! People were panic stricken ... plumber ran up the steps; wife was screaming.
I'm thinking ... the damm snake has great IR heat detectors and can "see" me in the dark.
It was pitch black, I was wet from sloshing around in 2" of water, wrestling a 150 pound snake... I held the hook somewhere between by body and the last known position of the head of the python with my right hand while I pulled my ARC from my pocket with my left hand.
I was so happy the light had a tail switch! I clicked it on and held it in my mouth, and with both hands and help from my assistant, we got the snake secured. The ARC light never looked so beautiful! Lit up the entire area.
It's an especially funny story because people are always asking me what I'm doing with "so many flashlights." I also had an ARC AAA on my keychain but couldn't get to it and turn it on as easily as the LS in a crisis.
This story had a happy ending but it could have easily ended up with me in the local ER getting stitches and pulling python teeth out of my face... or worse.
Regards,
Mark Miller
