I've noticed for sometime that the media doesn't paint a very good picture of snakes. I recently read an article about a young man bitten by a rattlesnake while hunting with his father. The article said the boy was walking through a tall weed area when the snake attacked.
Attacked, more like this guy stepped on it and it defended itself. The snake was killed by the father and the boy recovered from the bite.
I just found it interesting that fault is very rarely placed anywhere but on the snake. I wasn't there but common sense tells me this wasn't a snake attack.

Today, I received my July copy of Reptile magazine and found the ad. on page 43.
Once again, the snake is being portrayed as the aggressor and for what reason? Ticket sales/door admission.
So, they're going to agitated/harass/prod and poke these snake to perform for the audience. All the time sending a negative image of animals that in most cases just want to be left alone.