First and foremost, we at MaxMan Reptile Rescue would like to thank the community as a whole for the immediate and primarily positive response that we received in finding our lost ambassador, Dante.

As the rescue owner, I would like to extend a special thanks to Channel 9 and Channel 10 for the excellent, well thought out and panic reducing news coverage.

Also, thanks are extended to the print and radio personalities who supported us, gave us an opportunity to speak truthfully, and explain the fact that Dante was the victim here.

I would also like to thank my local Jordan/Elbridge community, which responded to pass the word and help to allay concerns about Dante.

Many in our community look forward to interacting with Dante at the community festivals, and their ongoing support has been greatly appreciated.

I would also like to thank those complete strangers who called to generously offer their assistance in searching for him.

And lastly, I would like to thank my neighbors who found him and waited with him to ensure he made it home safely, despite their own discomfort.

We can not thank the MaGuires and the Vincents, as well as the other neighbors, enough for their continued support and understanding.

To the media outlets that sought to highlight only the scary fear factor side of this, we hope that in the future, you might responsibly research your information before passing it on to the general public.

Inaccuracies and sensationalism of any subject serves only to misinform the public, generate panic and is a disservice to the community.

For example, snakes yawn (as the retic python from Rosamond Gifford was doing) and this is not an indication the animal is hungry. If this were a loose pitbull, the key opening line would not have been “it's safe to go back outside,” or the dog “is lurking out there.”

To all of the public, I offer a general invitation for you to join either MaxMan Reptile Rescue at any of our public events to learn more about and the value of these amazing creatures.

If you can not join us, please feel free to visit Beaver Lake Nature Center and the Upstate Herpetological Association for our monthly meetings, or our annual October Reptile Open House, an interesting and informative interactive educational event.

“A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing,” a lot of knowledge can be an education.

Thank you all from Diana Sleiertin, MaxMan Reptile Rescue, the volunteer team and the fans of Dante, Speedy and the rest of the reptile crew.

Sleiertin is from Jordan.