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Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
08/22/09
One of the gents running the shoot advised us to be careful in Dublin as the city is plagued by the new crime spree. Naturally we asked what it was all about. In a very serious tone he asked if we ever heard of carjacking. Well we bust out laughing and the bewildered look on this guy's face made it quickly apparent he did not understand our reaction.
"Heard of it? We invented it." we informed him, with a touch of sadness and embarrassment.
Curious, we asked for details knowing that handgun ownership in Ireland was illegal (at that time. Not sure if that still applies now) although citizens can own as many rifles and shotguns as they desire.
He told us that these young hooligans wait at intersections in the city. They target women who are alone in their cars and have the window open. Once stopped at a red light these guys run up to the car and hurtle a rat, mouse or other small animal in the car. The women freak out and quickly exit their cars, after which the guy jumps in and takes off.
We started laughing once again, sides hurting, eyes welling up with tears.
He then asked how it's done in America. We told him, "If you're lucky they just take your car. If you're not lucky, they take your life. Our carjackers use revolvers, not rodents."
The fact that their criminals were not using weapons didn't make it any less serious. Many crooks are, if nothing else, inventive and resourceful.
08/22/09
08/21/09
2- not very dangerous at that size (they only attack what they can eat, unless provoked/scared)
3- I have been bitten by a 10' pet boa and it barely even hurt (although it did scare the crap out of me).
In general, I think there is an unnecessary fear towards snakes that stem from a lack of knowledge.
08/21/09
Out of genuine curiosity, what are the differences?
08/21/09
08/22/09
I guess it would be like mistaking a German Shepherd for a Rottweiler: they are both large dogs with bad reputations, but still considerably different and not nearly as bad as their reputations.
I have had both pythons and a boa constrictor as pets and they are harmless. Yes, they may bite, but that would be the worse of it.
Side note- I am animal friendly and I do not feed my snakes live food (I don't like the idea of any animal being suffocated to death)
08/22/09
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08/21/09