I don't think I know Dylan, but I'd imagine that he has been to this website. Maybe he even posts here regularly? Dylan has 40+ videos of himself herping on YouTube. Here he is with a Timber rattlesnake. Let's hear some feedback on this video.
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armata on 2008-01-20
I admire Dylan's enthusiasm, but he is making some very critical mistakes, as Chris rightly points out. I would suggest he finds a mentor, experience counts for so much.
I do this here in SA for a number of young herpers, and it does pay off, and it only costs me time.
aziguana on 2007-12-15
Dylan,
First, I want to say I applaud your enthusiasm for wanting to help educate the public; but I am wondering if there are ulterior motives behind these videos. I saw you have DVDs of your herping outings for sale to the public. Do you feel your videos are educationally up to standard? With the advice/criticisms you have received from here, are you still going to sell DVDs that may contain misinformation? Would you include a disclaimer? For example, what would happen if an inexperienced herper(amateur biologist or Steve Irwin wanna-be, etc.) watches your video and gets envenomated imitating you? Who knows what kind of legal obligation you could have. I personally would suggest that you(if you have not already) find an experienced mentor that is very knowledgeable on venomous snakes.
To everyone else,
I have seen a lot of similar websites and videos out there on the Internet. The majority are the same: a young, amateur herpetologist videotaping himself while handling(often incorrectly) venomous snakes. The obvious goal being to hit it big on TV and getting their own program. When I first started pursuing a degree in conservation biology I actually ran into quite a few people with similar hopes, good people, just impractical. But by my junior year almost all of them had disappeared or changed majors once they started getting a glimpse of the real career world of biology: low to moderate pay with little press coverage. I still have yet to see a high roller environmental biologist. If someone wants to host their own TV program one day, I wish you the best of luck but please do it right. And if you don't succeed there is always room for you with the rest of us.
kylewb on 2007-12-06
Dylan,
I agree that there is always room for improvement, although like you said, you have been doing this for 15 years. And look at how much support you've gotten. I see the good in what your doing and I respect it greatly, so keep up the good work.
EvanGudmestad on 2007-12-04
I've known Dylan since it was 'Herping with Dylan in Diapers'...when he would make photo album after photo album of the animals him and his father would catch.
I call these videos 'Herping with Dylan' beta V1.0 - Its beta because this stuff is his passion and its the first time he has ever video taped himself doing the things he has been enjoying for years. Its also beta because he will continue to grow and learn from his mistakes.
Dylan - Keep doing what you love and listen to the good advice.
I'm not saying you guys are all "haters". I respect you guys a lot. There is a lot of very valuable experience here. There are just some people who are negative just to be negative. Being disrespectful is not a very good way to get a message across.
A lot of the comments were good, even if they were negative they were at least using constructive criticism.
Chris_Harper on 2007-12-02
Dylan,
We're not necessarily "haters". There is a lot of experience represented here, and you should pay attention to it. Your handling mistakes need to be addressed. We are all glad that you have a pro-conservation message, and you should carry on making your videos. If you get tagged, what will that do to your message? I hear a lot of people nonchalantly say, "Oh, I know I could be bitten", without really knowing what surviving a severe bite is like. This website is primarily for venomous keepers. That's why there are so many bite stories on here. But keep in mind, most of the worst bites will never make it here, because the people are usually unresponsive and intubated in ICU during the worst part of the bite. Many times they wake up a week after the bite and have no idea how or why they are there. So, don't think of us all as haters. We're not only looking our for your well being, but this community and our goals as well.
SCatheris on 2007-11-29
Well it's good to have you on board! Like I had said before I watched a majority of em. Of course there are gonna be things that won't fly with some poeple. There's always room for improvement on everything no matter what it is. I have room to improve and I continue to try to. If you saw anything that looked to be condescending or know-it-allish that was definatley not what I was trying to accomplish it was just an observation from the outside looking in.
Good to hear from you and hope you stay around to participate on the board.
I hope you don't think of me as a "hater" cause that is certainly not how I want to come across. I am just very concerned about what seems to be an ever increasing upward spiral in venomous snake bites inflicted on people who are handling them in one way or another. This impacts upon us all in a very negative way.
Unfortunatly, I think that an awful lot of these bites are the result of people doing things with snakes that they have no buisness doing which certainly includes routinly touching the animals with their hands. Every time you put your hand in contact with that animal your chances of getting bit skyrocket. And it is, in the vast majority of cases, just needless risk. So, why do it? I think that a great deal of the reason is that people who don't have enough knowlodge to know better, do it because they see someone else do it on TV.
Raymond Ditmars warned us about this in the way back when he protested (I think in Snakes of North America) against demonstrating too much familiarity with venomous snakes to lecture groups and I think he has been amply proved correct. People tend to mimic what they see and if they see unsafe handling practices they repeat them, and we all pay for it when the inevitable happens.
I've collected or handled hundreds of wild venomous snakes over the last 30 years and I have lain hands on none of them. It just isnt necessary.
Peter
Dylan on 2007-11-28
Wow, I was kinda surprised when someone told me I was on the front page of some herp website.
I have never been to this site before... but it seems like a nice place to share opinions and exchange techniques.
That being said, I am not going to get into justifying why I did "this" or "that". I do enjoy reading what people have to say about this kind of stuff though, negative or positive. I have several videos on youtube and people always seem to focus on the venomous ones. I guess that is a bit more exciting. Personally I find the non-venomous stuff more exciting.
I have lots of experience with this stuff (about 15 years).. but you can never say you have enough experience to be totally 100% safe. Accidents happen. I refrain from handling hots as much as possible. Especially if they show any signs of aggression. (If they strike, I keep my distance.)
The point of the videos is not to be "badass" or be "that guy who handles venomous snakes" .. in fact, most of the videos are not about venomous ones. There is a genuine conservation message in these videos, and THAT is what I want people to see. These videos were not made for "Herp Enthusiasts", they all already know the plight that reptiles are facing. These videos were for a general audience.
I don't know what else to say. I can't make people change their opinions about the videos. Haters will be haters I guess. I do want to thank you guys for the feedback though, I enjoy hearing it, negative or not.
-Dylan
squigy on 2007-11-27
I totally agree with ESPARR in the different views way of thinking. Most herper's do this very thing and much worse at home but see the video as a big "nono". I think it's just the problem of being ignorant enough to make a video....lol.
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