Ok I admit it, I like to watch Fear Factor. It is the only “reality based” program that I have taken a liken to. The reasons; 1) pretty outrageous stunts 2) no need to know the life history of contestants and 3) they all seem to be it it more for the money than recognition so they can get a modeling/acting career. I do have gripes about it but that is another thread.
So I was watching FF last night and they showed scenes for next weeks Part 2 of the “Battle of the Champions”, or whatever the hell they are calling it. The challenge involves diving into a pool of pretty big (6ft or so) alligators (not sure how many but I saw at least 3).
I am guessing that they may sedate them but that still doesn’t seem 100% safe. Afterall, they do stress safety on the show (harnesses, non poisonous snakes/spiders etc). Anyone have any insight into how they can perform this safely? At least with the Pytons and Boas they can use well fed snakes that are familiar with human contact. Will well fed gators not attack? It seems a lot riskier with gators.
Of course which is why they have it on for its season finale but that’s another thread.
Only thing I can think of is sedatives, and maybe some kind of jaw restraint such as duct tape. Alligators can CLOSE their jaws with much force, but they have little strength in OPENING their jaws. Alligator wrestlers – and Steve Irwin – have relied on this little quirk of alligator/crodcodile physiology for years.
Alligators are not normally aggressive. If they have been well fed, they probably wouldn’t attack something as large as a human. As a boy growing up in South Florida, we often went swimming in canals and lakes with alligators larger than six feet in plain sight. Unless defending a nest, or very hungry, alligators prefer smaller prey than humans. They will probably retire to the corner of the pool, assume a defensive position, and not advance towards the people unless teased.
Of course, with TV involved, some staging may take place that gives the appearance of danger.
Personally, with all factors being normal, I wouldn’t hesitate to swim with alligators, if the area was large enough for them to retreat. YMMV. :eek:
Well, from what I saw they appeared to be caimans. I would feel better about swimming with these as they are one of the less aggressive crocodilians. Usually the instinct is for flight rather than fight. I still doubt I’d want to climb into a tank with them, as there is no place for them to exercise the flight option. I think they do pose a threat, but not along the lines of a salt-water croc.
As far as other non-aggressive animals used, I always wondered about the tarantulas. They can still bite, and while it is unlikely that one would unless you poked and prodded at it, it’s still a cause of concern I would think. Though I have not heard of a life threatening bite, I’d hate to find out one of the contestants was allergic to the venom. The bigger concern for me though, would be the hairs. They are an irritant, and from first-hand experience, I can say the stinging sensation of the hair is not pleasant. I am guessing inhaling hairs would be even less pleasant. In my case, after handling a Rose-hair, I apparently did not wash my hands thoroughly enough, and ended up with a swollen/stinging lip.
Okay, it really bothers me that this show is using live animals in these situations, especially very delicate ones such as tarantulas. Do you know how easy it is to injure/kill a tarantula? (Answer: VERY easy- I have three of them.) I’ve never seen the show- can anyone tell me how they ensure the animals’ safety in these situations? I’m going to assume that the show’s producers are working with some sort of Humane Society-type organization. I don’t have a problem with the humans doing stupid things on the show- they’re there of their own free will, and they might just win the big money/fabulous prize. But these animals have no choice, and terrified people are not known for their appreciation of animal safety rules. <rant over>
That said, I agree with everyone above that alligators are not very aggressive, and are unlikely to attack something as large as a human unless very hungry. But if they feel threatened, they will lash out in an attempt to defend themselves. Jaw ropes are an option for human safety. But sedatives? Whoa. I study reptile biology, and as “Crocodile Hunter” watchers may know, reptiles do not process drugs through their system in the same manner that mammals do- sedating a reptile is always very risky for the animal, as sudden death is somewhat common. Also, reptiles are very sensitive to stress, and when they feel threatened, angry, or frightened, stress hormones can quickly build up to lethal levels in their blood stream, which will kill the animal. (The vagaries of reptile physiology are many and varied, and very different from typical mammalian operations.) I worry.
Ummm, not quite. All the female finalists are female. The male finalists (and there are four of them) have a different stunt to do. The top two males and top two females then compete in the last stunt to be the winner.
I think they’re doing it that way to keep it from being boring. Seeing 9 people do the same thing gets old.
Thanks for the input. I guess we’ll wait and see if they felt threatened next week.
As for the treatment of the tarantulas. The stunt involved the contestants heads to be placed inside of a glass cube so they could not cause harm to them. All the contestants remained perfectly still.
Does anyone know what happened on the March 11th episode? Was it that blatant that the AHA could tell “the snakes suffered permanent injuries…” just by watching the episode and not actually examining the snakes?
As for the reason for the male/female separation. I figured they wanted to make sure there was a final stunt against the sexes. So far thought it looks like the females have had tougher stunts (including the gators/caimans). I don’t know what the men have to do for their next stunt.
The men’s next stunt seems to have something to do with tanker trucks. They showed guys both crawling on the top of a moving truck (with the smooth, rounded surface) and going inside the tank (which was half-full of water). That’s all I got from the scenes-from-next-week bit.
Oh, and my guess for the women is that there’ll be some sort of barrier. Perhaps a net between the 'gators and the bottom of the tank that the girls will have to swim beneath. Just a WAG.
As far as the March 11th goes, I think it was a celebrity episode. If it’s the one I’m thinking of, the contestants had to lay down in a three chambered, acrylic enclosure. The head section had cockroaches, the center had king and cornsnakes, and the foot section had worms. The contestants then had to remove all of the albino snakes and literally threw them into another container in the process. I can see the reason for the complaints. The other part that struck me, was that some of the snakes appeared unhealthy in the first place. There was a long, steady shot of a corn (I think this was supposed to be menacing) holding its head/uppper body pointing up. It was not trying to get away (though lot’s of them were), but rather sitting in this awkward position. Though I am not a herpetologist, I own several snakes, and this can be indicative of a severe respiratory infection.
I am now freaking out. I cannot believe that the Fear Factor producers refuse to cooperate with any humane organization to ensure animal safety. I am so angry right now…how dare this cheap, sleazy excuse for “entertainment” blatantly refuse to make sure that animals are properly handled? uuggghhhh…I’m tired, so please insert an appropriate AR rant in here, and throw in a few nasty comments about entertaining brain-dead audiences with cheap stunts. I feel sick.
Oh, and if you throw an average 2 1/2 foot corn snake, you will more than likely break several of its ribs and badly bruise its internal organs. And a snake in that situation who isn’t trying to escape some squirming retard in a plexiglass box is probably pretty unhealthy. Holding its head up, not moving, no tongue-flicking…definitely terrified, probably sick with an upper respiratory infection. And a cold TV studio is just what’s needed to finish the poor thing off with a galloping pneumonia.
I have to say that the people who make this show are sick and evil, and the people who watch it are probably no better. How can anyone possibly be entertained by watching some idiot writhe in fear while simultaneously abusing an animal? Maybe it’s a cheap thrill for a second, and maybe you genuinely didn’t know that these animals were being treated poorly, but if you know what these people are doing to the animals, you have no excuse to keep watching other than being an ignorant piece of shit. :mad:
John, you’re a freakin’ loon!! I live in SoFla right now, and those things give me the willies just looking at them. Aside from the danger, they’re just so prehistoric. I love looking at them from a safe distance, though.
And from what I understand, aside from the saltwater crocs in Australia and the monsters in Africa, caimans are the most aggressive crocodilians out there.
I live in SoFla right now, and those things give me the willies just looking at them. Aside from the danger, they’re just so prehistoric. I love looking at them from a safe distance, though.