Anna:

     Several people have emailed me privately in response to my post, and I
thank them for it.

     I, too, enjoy the company of animals, even my son's snakes. That is, of
course, as long as the company is not unexpected! I opened a drawer in my
gardening chest the other morning to find a 6' Everglades rat snake! I made a
rather ridiculous noise, but did not, of course, harm the snake. LOL! And the
raccoons that got in the garage last weekend when my husband was out of town
(I thought they were burglars!) almost stopped my heart.

     Animals can be cruel, though. I have stopped my cat several times from
playing with shrews and mice she has caught but not killed. She does not eat
them, but rather considers them kitty Frisbees. Animals are not perfect. I
don't expect them to be. But at least the dog, cat, snakes, lizards, frogs,
toads, and turtles in the house don't try to enthrall me with hours of
details about the new Star Wars movie like my kids do!

     Through my son, a knowledgeable budding herpetologist, I have become
involved in reptile, amphibian, and bat conservation. Many of these animals
are in serious danger. The touchy-feely animal rights activists don't seem to
have a lot of concern for them. People who would not dream of harming a dog,
cat, or bunny still attend rattlesnake round-ups where thousands of
rattlesnakes are slaughtered each year!

     By the way, I will probably continue to stay in lurk mode. I do not
follow a paleo diet, just a run-of-the-mill low carbohydrate one, so in
general I do not have anything of value to say to the list members. But I
find the list informative and fun, and that's about all you can ask of
anything.

     Diana in Cincinnati
     (Who gets all her mammals from the pound, whose snakes are
     all captive-bred, and whose son is not allowed to get anything
     that is poisonous or gets big enough to eat his little sister.)