Memoir

Pets in general are lovable. Of course, who doesnt be intimate a dog? Or a cat? A fish, maybe? But in my case, its different. Not because I dislike innocent physicals scarcely because I hand over this extreme within me since childhood. You may non believe it but what I do the love are integrity of the most unloved and feared upkeep creatures in this world snakes and reptiles.I dont know what it is more or less these cold-blooded creatures that attracted me most but for as long as I weed commemorate, I reach always been passionate about them. Lizards produce my curiosity while snakes give me a sense of mystery and excitement. unconstipated as a grown up now, I can button up vividly rec in in all my first encounter with a rattler which was one of the scariest experiences I ever had.It was one bright, sunny morning and we were playing in the woods. The summer heat was conducive for outdoor activities and our gang has equanimous once again to welcome the long school b reak. Careless and jolly, I was sole(prenominal) 10 thence and I was chasing my ball afterwards it was tossed away in a very secluded area. I could not even commemorate what game was that but I was running after the ball and as in brief as I entered the isolated zone, I felt shivers in my nape which gave me the creeps.I had cold sweats just as the nation was cold and moist and there were dried, wrinkled leaves scattered all over. I moved quite slowly not knowing whats in store in there. I visited everywhere for my ball using my telescopic vision. I was quite good in finding things and stuff. As before long as I found the ball behind a moss-filled rock, I heard this eerie hissing sound. Sensing that it talent be a snake, I was agitated that I wondered where it could be hiding. I said to myself, This is a chance of a lifetime I was thinking twice at first anticipating the danger it could do to me. Anti-venoms were difficult to find during those solar days. Nevertheless, I hes itated. kayoed of curiosity, I kicked the rock hard and there it wasa fat, healthy rattlesnake I suppose it was taking a nap before I got there. But at that moment its eyes looked straight at mine, I knew that there was impending harm to come. My mind was flying somewhere. All I felt was fear and thrill. The rattlesnake I found was brown, about quatern feet long with a triangular head.The minute I saw it, I was shaking hard and I froze all over. Knowing that rattlesnakes further attacked manhood when disturbed, I was reluctant to go near it. But thinking it was my only opportunity to explore and take a good look at a real one, I picked up a stick and went imminent to it moving one step at a time. As concisely as I was closest to it, it gave a sort of evil look at me as if it was about to bite me whole. Then I gathered all my nerves and began to strum its thick scales then lifted it up slowly.It irked I felt great and brave. Right that moment, I thought Id die a terrible death f rom a cruel snake. Then I struggled to gaze at it for a few minutes. What a beautiful sight And thats how I remember it. I returned it back down to its place then I started moving away slowly to obviate provoking its untamed nature. When I returned to my gang, I proudly shared to them the wonderful yet terrifying experience with the first snake I have ever encountered. I never told my mom what I did because I knew shed kill me for doing such a stupid thing as she might have called it.I never had any other close encounters with snakes after that. I actually never petted them long. I gave up my Gopher snakes soon enough after I kept them a few days ago. But being a unique pet lover, it is quite honor on my part especially when I hear bulk sycophancy me for it. Even if only see snakes usually in cages or in the zoos now, I can always remember that one fateful day I met that rattlesnake in the wild. I will always remember how beautiful it was.My experiences with lizards were not as intense as that Ive had with snakes likely because they are harmless and nave. But my daily encounters with lizards were as unforgettable to me as that of snakes. Actually, it was quite a traumatic amazening for me.I was rest in our front porch one day when I saw this youngster (I think he was younger than me at that time) playing with a lizard. It was about 4 inches long and brown in color so I assumed it was a fence lizard. It had a bluish belly though. At first, the kid was feeding it with small insects I could not identify then before I knew it, he was flipping the poor lizard up and down. I was about to approach him when the next thing I saw was he stepped on it and the lizard was squeezed like an orange fruit. There it was lying straight on the street not breathing anymore.It was a terrible point which I cannot erase from my long-term memory until now. From then on, I came to love lizards more and I collected not only fence lizards but alligator and whiptail lizards as well. When I stopped keeping snakes, my lizards remained. At present, I still have my lizards which I long to protect and flush for in my own simple ways. To my mind, at least I am making a difference in the lives of these astonishing small creatures which are often neglected and unappreciated by great deal.It is so sad to musical note that in some countries which do not have strict animal rights, snakes and reptiles are ruthlessly killed even with just the sight of them, even if they did vigor to harm humans. We should realize that such acts are merely their naturally-occurring defense mechanisms. more or less races made them into exotic dishes and sold at high prices. Even in zoos and animal sanctuaries, snakes and reptiles are given negative connotations which affect the impressions of battalion in general regarding these creatures.The media play a great role in influencing peoples opinions and generalizations about snakes and reptiles. Since time immemorial, I have neve r seen a film, TV show or any advertisements for that matter depicting snakes in a positive manner. Movies like Anaconda, Anacondas, Spasm, Venom, Snakes on the Plane, Rattled, and many more all gave snakes bad images. Oftentimes, snakes are shown to represent evil and have been considered demonic symbols. How can peoples attitude towards snakes and reptiles be changed if what is being shown by fun is purely the dark side of these creations?It certainly takes time to alter peoples perceptions on snakes and reptiles. One of the most effective medium to begin with is education. We should be reminded that snakes and reptiles are also part of our wildlife, thus, they should be conserved and defend like any other endangered species. Children should be taught to love all animals through promoting media exposure and including conservation of wildlife in the school curriculum to imprint in their minds the need to appreciate even the most dangerous creatures.This is not an easy task pursu e since most learning of children are facilitated at home and most parents and guardians teach children to fear snakes and reptiles. This is the reason why huge media campaign should be done to alter our views about snakes and reptiles even at a slow pace. What is of the essence is that there should be efforts and attempts to correct the malign impressions people have of these despised animals.While it may be real that snakes and reptiles are feared and unloved by most people, for me, they are wonderful creatures. Therefore, it is not true that they are feared and unloved because there are still people like me who can love them unconditionally. And I choose to remain as such as long as I have the potentiality to do so.