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Description
Well! First stamp ever, and I might already be well on my way to pissing some people off. This was fun to make. Might make more. :3

But if you would stop here to read the description quick on your way to leave me an angry comment - just wait a moment! I'll explain what I mean.

Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows I'm an animal lover. My profile is decorated with stamps of various animals. As such, any time I hear about animal cruelty, it kills me. That's why I've written a journal against rattlesnake roundups and I do my best to educate people about animals like sharks and snakes every chance I get.

While undertaking such endeavors, you meet people who are just...too scared or stubborn to believe these animals aren't evil and ugly monsters that live to kill people.

Some will go so far as to say they wouldn't mind if all of a certain type of animal were killed.

And some of the people who say so claim to be against animal cruelty themselves.

No, you didn't read that wrong. I recently had a conversation with someone who, in the same sentence, said something along the lines of, "I'm against animal cruelty, but I think all snakes should be killed. They're such evil animals!"

And I'm going to tell you now, if you're reading this right now, and you think the same way as that person - about any animal, not necessarily snakes.....then I think you're a fucking moron and a hypocrite.

Allow me to educate you. (if you don't want to read all of this, just skip to the underlined part at the bottom.)

Snakes and sharks do NOT hunt people.

You need to lay off the fuckin' horror movies if you believe this. Snakes hunt rodents, primarily. Some will take birds, fish, frogs, rabbits, or small lizards, but mainly rodents. Rodents that, if left unchecked, would soon overrun us. While yes, a snake can swallow something several times the size of its own head, it will KILL itself if it tries to swallow something too big. And allow me to assure you most snakes do NOT grow big enough to swallow a human whole, so get that idiocy out of your heads - and stop watching Anaconda. Clearly you've seen it too many times.

Let me be clear - I'm not saying they're harmless. All snakes are predators, and as such can be dangerous. If you mess around with a wild snake, there is a chance you will get bitten. In its mind, you're big, you're a threat, and it only has one weapon to defend itself with. Just respect the animal, and let it get away from you. A snake will almost always rather run and hide than fight.

As for sharks, here's an interesting little factoid. A study was conducted in which a small shark was exposed to the scents of fish, squid...and human blood. The little guy reacted really strongly to the smell of its natural prey. But the human blood? Barely any interest. We do not smell OR taste good to them. A shark will usually let go after only one bite.

So why DO they bite? because they mistake us for food. We're NOT actually food to them. The sounds we make while swimming sound and feel exactly like an injured and distressed fish to a shark. And surfers that get attacked by great whites look like seals to the sharks from below - seals are its main food source.

Nevertheless, sharks are still predators, and MUST be treated with respect and caution.

- Remember - if you ever see a shark fin surface near you while enjoying a day at the beach, NEVER panic! If you thrash around, it'll think you're a fish in distress. Just swim calmly and steadily back to shore. If it shows interest in you, stop moving and stay put until it goes away.
- Avoid wearing shiny jewelry in the water. That new necklace/bracelet/pair of earrings you just got may look pretty to us, but to a shark - and other fish-eating predators - it looks like lunch! People who forget this have taken nasty bites from barracudas.
- Cover up any open or bleeding wounds. Sharks are not attracted to the smell of human blood, but that's no reason to neglect basic personal safety. You really want sand in a cut? Ouch!
- If a fisherman nearby reels in a shark and it appears dead, do NOT touch the shark! This should be common sense. Things often aren't what they seem, and if you get a painful bite because you poked something that looked dead, that's on you, idiot.

JAWS was just a movie, everyone. If you're smart and careful, odds are you will never have trouble with a shark.

Spiders hunt annoying insects like mosquitoes.

Come on, we ALL know the annoyance of mosquitoes. Their bites itch like hell, and the sound of that high-pitched buzzing in your ear could drive you crazy! But did you know that biting insects can and often do carry dangerous diseases? The one you probably hear mentioned most often is malaria.

That little spider in your garden, just sitting in the bush and minding its own business? Yeah, let it do its thing, and you go on with your day. It won't bother you or come after you - insects are the only ones who have anything to fear from it. You'll be thanking the little guy in the long run. Now, again, as with any predator, SOME spiders can be dangerous to humans. However, most species are harmless. Leave them be and they'll let you be.

And if you think spiders come after humans just to bite them...come on. Turn off Arachnophobia and stop scaring yourself.

I could go on FOREVER, debunking myths about misunderstood animals. But I really should wrap this up. XD The facts are what they are, and any myth can be busted with a simple five-second google search.

The point in all of this is simply this:

Do NOT assume that just because an animal has been made into a monster by Hollywood, it IS a monster. The animals that need help right now are the most misunderstood ones - no, NOT the wolves, shut the fuck up about them already. There are more misunderstood animals in worse trouble out there! The sharks. The spiders. The scorpions. The snakes. So many more.

Shark finning. The shark's fins are cut off while the shark is STILL ALIVE, and the shark is tossed back into the ocean. Sharks can't breathe if they can't move, and so they drown.

Rattlesnake roundups. Tens of thousands of snakes are gassed out of their dens before they're ready to come out of hibernation. These snakes are skinned, gutted, decapitated, and more. The snakes are thrown into cramped barrels with many other snakes and starved until the event begins. Some of them get their fangs pulled out and their lips sewn shut so people can parade them around like pet pythons. The venom milked from the snakes is wasted. It's unfit for research because of the method it is collected with.

They're treated cruelly, slaughtered, and most of the carcasses are wasted, because it's believed there's an "overpopulation" problem. In reality, western diamondback rattlesnake numbers in Texas have slipped dangerously low.

And yet some people say they don't mind this cruelty while claiming to be AGAINST it in the same breath. If these were kittens, there would be fucking riots in the STREETS. What gives any of us the right to say any one animal is more important than all of the rest of them?

*-*-*-*
Edit: Forgot to mention! Stamp template was made by ~Abfc , and without the tutorial the awesome ~mylastel made, I would never have been able to make this in the first place.

Description
Well! First stamp ever, and I might already be well on my way to pissing some people off. This was fun to make. Might make more. :3

But if you would stop here to read the description quick on your way to leave me an angry comment - just wait a moment! I'll explain what I mean.

Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows I'm an animal lover. My profile is decorated with stamps of various animals. As such, any time I hear about animal cruelty, it kills me. That's why I've written a journal against rattlesnake roundups and I do my best to educate people about animals like sharks and snakes every chance I get.

While undertaking such endeavors, you meet people who are just...too scared or stubborn to believe these animals aren't evil and ugly monsters that live to kill people.

Some will go so far as to say they wouldn't mind if all of a certain type of animal were killed.

And some of the people who say so claim to be against animal cruelty themselves.

No, you didn't read that wrong. I recently had a conversation with someone who, in the same sentence, said something along the lines of, "I'm against animal cruelty, but I think all snakes should be killed. They're such evil animals!"

And I'm going to tell you now, if you're reading this right now, and you think the same way as that person - about any animal, not necessarily snakes.....then I think you're a fucking moron and a hypocrite.

Allow me to educate you. (if you don't want to read all of this, just skip to the underlined part at the bottom.)

Snakes and sharks do NOT hunt people.

You need to lay off the fuckin' horror movies if you believe this. Snakes hunt rodents, primarily. Some will take birds, fish, frogs, rabbits, or small lizards, but mainly rodents. Rodents that, if left unchecked, would soon overrun us. While yes, a snake can swallow something several times the size of its own head, it will KILL itself if it tries to swallow something too big. And allow me to assure you most snakes do NOT grow big enough to swallow a human whole, so get that idiocy out of your heads - and stop watching Anaconda. Clearly you've seen it too many times.

Let me be clear - I'm not saying they're harmless. All snakes are predators, and as such can be dangerous. If you mess around with a wild snake, there is a chance you will get bitten. In its mind, you're big, you're a threat, and it only has one weapon to defend itself with. Just respect the animal, and let it get away from you. A snake will almost always rather run and hide than fight.

As for sharks, here's an interesting little factoid. A study was conducted in which a small shark was exposed to the scents of fish, squid...and human blood. The little guy reacted really strongly to the smell of its natural prey. But the human blood? Barely any interest. We do not smell OR taste good to them. A shark will usually let go after only one bite.

So why DO they bite? because they mistake us for food. We're NOT actually food to them. The sounds we make while swimming sound and feel exactly like an injured and distressed fish to a shark. And surfers that get attacked by great whites look like seals to the sharks from below - seals are its main food source.

Nevertheless, sharks are still predators, and MUST be treated with respect and caution.

- Remember - if you ever see a shark fin surface near you while enjoying a day at the beach, NEVER panic! If you thrash around, it'll think you're a fish in distress. Just swim calmly and steadily back to shore. If it shows interest in you, stop moving and stay put until it goes away.
- Avoid wearing shiny jewelry in the water. That new necklace/bracelet/pair of earrings you just got may look pretty to us, but to a shark - and other fish-eating predators - it looks like lunch! People who forget this have taken nasty bites from barracudas.
- Cover up any open or bleeding wounds. Sharks are not attracted to the smell of human blood, but that's no reason to neglect basic personal safety. You really want sand in a cut? Ouch!
- If a fisherman nearby reels in a shark and it appears dead, do NOT touch the shark! This should be common sense. Things often aren't what they seem, and if you get a painful bite because you poked something that looked dead, that's on you, idiot.

JAWS was just a movie, everyone. If you're smart and careful, odds are you will never have trouble with a shark.

Spiders hunt annoying insects like mosquitoes.

Come on, we ALL know the annoyance of mosquitoes. Their bites itch like hell, and the sound of that high-pitched buzzing in your ear could drive you crazy! But did you know that biting insects can and often do carry dangerous diseases? The one you probably hear mentioned most often is malaria.

That little spider in your garden, just sitting in the bush and minding its own business? Yeah, let it do its thing, and you go on with your day. It won't bother you or come after you - insects are the only ones who have anything to fear from it. You'll be thanking the little guy in the long run. Now, again, as with any predator, SOME spiders can be dangerous to humans. However, most species are harmless. Leave them be and they'll let you be.

And if you think spiders come after humans just to bite them...come on. Turn off Arachnophobia and stop scaring yourself.

I could go on FOREVER, debunking myths about misunderstood animals. But I really should wrap this up. XD The facts are what they are, and any myth can be busted with a simple five-second google search.

The point in all of this is simply this:

Do NOT assume that just because an animal has been made into a monster by Hollywood, it IS a monster. The animals that need help right now are the most misunderstood ones - no, NOT the wolves, shut the fuck up about them already. There are more misunderstood animals in worse trouble out there! The sharks. The spiders. The scorpions. The snakes. So many more.

Shark finning. The shark's fins are cut off while the shark is STILL ALIVE, and the shark is tossed back into the ocean. Sharks can't breathe if they can't move, and so they drown.

Rattlesnake roundups. Tens of thousands of snakes are gassed out of their dens before they're ready to come out of hibernation. These snakes are skinned, gutted, decapitated, and more. The snakes are thrown into cramped barrels with many other snakes and starved until the event begins. Some of them get their fangs pulled out and their lips sewn shut so people can parade them around like pet pythons. The venom milked from the snakes is wasted. It's unfit for research because of the method it is collected with.

They're treated cruelly, slaughtered, and most of the carcasses are wasted, because it's believed there's an "overpopulation" problem. In reality, western diamondback rattlesnake numbers in Texas have slipped dangerously low.

And yet some people say they don't mind this cruelty while claiming to be AGAINST it in the same breath. If these were kittens, there would be fucking riots in the STREETS. What gives any of us the right to say any one animal is more important than all of the rest of them?

*-*-*-*
Edit: Forgot to mention! Stamp template was made by ~Abfc , and without the tutorial the awesome ~mylastel made, I would never have been able to make this in the first place.