"Why would anybody want to keep a snake?"

The question is a familiar one to any reptile fancier. Similar questions are put to anyone who ventures outside the familiar confines of conventional companion animals. Why a lizard? Why a fox? Why a monkey? Why a tarantula?

The answers in detail are as varied as the fanciers, but in general the response is the same: a desire for something different, for something that's a challenge; an admiration for nature's intricate diversity and a wish to deal with it on a close, personal level.