snakes

5 really cool pics in Arizona. I've never seen anything like this before...

Since time immemorial people have been fascinated and awed by snakes. Many people dislike and fear them. In reality they are beneficial creatures.

The European Union, led by Italy, is the world's biggest importer of reptile skins. Between 2000 and 2005 it is estimated that 3.4 million lizard, 2.9 million crocodile and 3.4 million snake skins were brought into the EU. However, conservationists estimate that the illegal trade is just as big.

"For every skin that is imported legally, one is imported illegally. So whether or not designers are sourcing skins legally, by putting them on the catwalks they are sparking trends that fuel the illegal trade," says Taylor.

Pythons skinned alive and left to die in agony. Alligators killed with hammers and chisels. This is the truly shocking reality behind fashion's shameful new obsession:

At a slaughterhouse, deep in the Javanese jungle, blood-stained hands untie a wriggling sack and pull out a ten-foot long python.

The snake is stunned with a blow to the head from the back of a machete and a hose pipe expertly forced between its jaws. Next, the water is turned on and the reptile fills up — swelling like a balloon. From there the skin will be sent to a tannery before being turned into

Celebrities are leading the craze for snakeskin accessories – to the fury of campaigners, who claim that reptiles are being skinned alive to supply the fashion industry. Style never stands still, and this season the super-rich have a new