The stupidity of some

This is Mike...
   We visited a Serpentario (reptile exhibit) where they rescue injured, abandoned or confiscated reptiles. This is an organization that assists in the eventual release of native animals provided they can fend for themselves in the wild. The only exception for release are none native species and some of the venomous snakes, where they are milked regularly for their venom. This is done so they can produce anti venom for the nearby hospitals and clinics.
   Guatemala, like the rest of the world, is suffering ecological damage from the introduction of invasive species. Some examples would include the release of Cobras, Siberian tigers, Anacondas, etc. into the wild. These, and other introductions, along with the heavy hand of man are making the wild spaces more difficult for native species.
   One of the confiscated snakes, was an extremely venomous fer-de-lance viper which was duct taped to a man's thigh, when he was boarding an airplane. No joke, boarding an airplane with a viper duct taped to his inner thigh! They also showed other examples of deadly frogs captured in film roles at the airport, and so on. I guess the stupidity of some can never be underestimated.
  

Consuela, the crocodile, was injured because people wanted to kill her for her tail meat. They shot her hind leg and hit her with a blunt object blinding her right eye, but she still managed to escape. She was found sometime later in bad shape and was brought to the rescue center where they amputated her infected hind leg. She will not be released into the wild but will be part of a breeding program the center has set up for crocodiles. 

Thankfully, this former pet, ended up here instead of the wild.

Honey, is that you? Donations keep these awesome places alive and we recommend visiting shelters like this as part of any vacation.

We were at this exhibit with our Spanish instructors and Elise said, in Spanish, "Tengo mierda de serpientes." Everyone busted out in laughter as she said, "I have Sh** of snakes." She meant to say, "Tengo Miedo de serpientes." Which means I have fear of snakes. Let nobody think it only happened to Elise. A few days prior, I was riding on the back of my teacher's motorcycle as I had to go to the ATM to pay for class. We got stuck in traffic and the sun was blaring on us. As I was holding on his love handles while he was driving I yelled, "Estoy claliente!" I thought  I was saying, "I am warm." The correct phrase should have been, "Tengo color." What I yelled to him on the back of his motorcycle was "I am h*rny." Afterwards, he told me what I said at a coffee shop and we both laughed. The joys of learning a new language are many.