Utter Stupidity

He may be a law enforcement officer for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, but he should stick to law enforcement and try not to reveal his complete ignorance of basic anatomy:

Lee Ellington, a law enforcement officer for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, said it is illegal to buy or sell a non-game species. Penalties could include a maximum $5,000 fine, five days in jail and suspension of hunting and fishing privileges.

Municipal court clerk Cecilia Bland said putting a snake in a commercial freezer also could violate health codes, but she added that police have had trouble getting the health department to investigate.

Ellington said the businessman could have put his customers at risk by selling the meat.

"There are some Texas farmers that do serve rattlesnake, but they are professionals in detoxing the snake," Ellington said. "Odds are that this man is not a professional."

What are you, stupid? We aren't professionals in "detoxing" anything. The venom sacs of rattlesnakes as well as cottonmouths are located in the top of the mouth, so that when the snake bites, the sacs are crushed compressed and the venom is injected into the prey. There isn't any venom in the snake's body, you moron. If there was, it would die.

The only true statement in this report is "The snake 'was gonna get me so I had to get him first,' he said." That's no joke. Cottonmouths are extremely aggressive and, unlike many other venomous snakes, prefer attack as a first resort instead of as a last resort.

UPDATE: Boy, you just never can tell what's going to set me off next, can you? I never thought I'd be doing any snakeblogging.