 |
On Television |
|
AUSTIN STEVENS: SNAKEMASTER!
|
Coil up with Austin for
a bit of slithericious TV
By DONNA J. PLESH
of TheColumnists.com
"Snakes fear people as much as people fear snakes."
--Austin Stevens
Austin Stevens once spent 107 days--and nights--living
in a tank with 36 of Africa's most venomous and lethal snakes.
On Day 96 he was bitten by a cobra. He was treated in the tank
and remained there until day 107-- when he set a world record.
So now you know what kind of a guy the South African-born Stevens is-- the kind of guy who will do just about anything involving snakes and other members of the reptile family.
In his new 13-part Animal
Planet series, he first heads to Borneo to find the giant reticulated
python. On his trek through the rainy jungles heading for the
reputed home of the "only snake in the world capable of
eating a man," Stevens is told by locals that one of the
pythons--they can run 30-feet in length--has eaten a teen-ager.
Undaunted by the news, Stevens hacks his way through the jungle
to a river headwaters, the home of the reputed big guy.
Along the way, he investigates murky caves that are home to a snake that thrives on bats, and swims in a murky river with venomous sea snakes. But these snake encounters are just an appetizer for Stevens.
Soon enough, he finds traces of the python--large pieces of skin the python has shed-- along with leaving a wide trail on the jungle floor. And soon he is face to face with his prey--the mighty python.
Herpetologist and adventure-seeker Stevens is entertaining and knowledgeable about snakes. The program moves along at a brisk pace, and my only complaint is the overly dramatic background music.
But it's worth a watch
if you like snakes and are a bit tired of Crocodile Hunter Steve
Irwin mugging for the camera and his overly showy (and seemingly
staged) adventures with reptiles.
©2004 by Donna J. Plesh. The photo is courtesy of Animal
Planet.
You
can comment on this column online. Please address your message
to either "The Editors" or Donna J. Plesh. To send
an email, click here: talkback@thecolumnists.com
| Home | About Us | Archives | Talkback | Shopping Mall |