Re: Dogs, use of (non-explosive), cats, and grav bikes.

Sabmason@aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 98-07-05 21:35:37 EDT, David B. writes of animal
husbandry:
> 
> <<  but I'd be shocked if they didn't do dogs,
>  wolves, buffalo, crocodiles and sheep. >>
> 
> No Comment.
> 
> But, seriously, crocodile handlers in SG2?  C'mon, you Aussies, can't
you see
> that in the OUDF?  I mean, you've got that lunatic (I CAN'T remember
his @#$%&
> name!) who fools with really bad-tempered carnivores, and sticks his
arm into
> the borrows of venemous snakes.  He's on TV here, every so often.  And
I
> thought _we_ were nuts.

Which one? I can think of about half a dozen people that match the
description.

Many moons ago, a bloke called Eric Warrel ran a reptile park near
Gosford, just north of Sydney. We'd been in the country about three
months, and went to visit.
Mr Warrel himself parked next to our car, and we had a good yarn. Then
he produced a 2 metre snake out of a bag, explaining how friendly they
were, did anyone want to have a cuddle? When he draped it over my
Mother, she was NOT amused. Of course I, being a 10 year old boy, got
into the spirit of the thing (I reasoned it would be Very Bad PR if it
were poisonous, so that was unlikely despite the bright patternings) and
let it twine around my arm, taste/smell me with its tongue etc. Turned
out it was a Diamond Python - can give you a nasty bite (like a rat),
but not poisonous and likes to snuggle up to things warm.

They also taste pretty good. Better than some of the crap in 30 year old
SEATO ratpaks anyway. Why do USAians refer to special force types as
"snake-eaters?"? Doesn't your military basic training involve basic
survival skills, such as how to bake up bark, grubs, roaches, snakes,
lizards, worm omelette etc? What about elementary escape and evasion,
"How to completely dissappear in featureless terrain in 2 minutes"?
Without exaggeration, even HighSchool Cadets here get taught both. 

-- 
aebrain@dynamite.com.au     <> <>    How doth the little Crocodile
| Alan & Carmel Brain|	    xxxxx	Improve his shining tail?
| Canberra Australia |	xxxxxHxHxxxxxx _MMMMMMMMM_MMMMMMMMM
 abrain@cs.adfa.oz.au  o OO*O^^^^O*OO o oo     oo oo	 oo  
		    By pulling MAERKLIN Wagons, in 1/220 Scale