VANS Used STARVING Snake In Ad (Horrible)

The sneaker company Vans used a dying animal in one of its recent shoe ads. The production company owned the mistake in our DM's but still has not said anything publicly. Let us know what you think. We won't tolerate this, I am happy to work with Vans if they want it, but I will not stand for a company just trying to rip it off the internet and not take ownership.
Thank you to Cheyenne’ check out her IG below! Thanks for posting this and bringing attention to it!!
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Andy Gabbard
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[@AndyGabbs]

Thank you to Cheyenne’ check out her IG below! Thanks for posting this and bringing attention to it!! instagram.com/therealkhaleesii?igsh=OTYwem1uMjlneTBy

[@LowSBlow]

huh

[@LowSBlow]

Thanks ❤

[@johninnh4880]

I'm pretty sure the executives at both offending companies have no clue what a healthy or unhealthy snake looks like. BUT now that you have brought it to their attention, they need to take corrective action. Not just an apology, but actionable corrective action. Good catch!

[@LeLeD662]

This is exactly what I was thinking!

[@guccisgooch9661]

Can you imagine the backlash and how quickly they’d publicly apologize if it were a dog or cat. We gotta stop with these double standards for animals. They’re all living things, and every pet owner, no matter the animal, has a responsibility to help that animal thrive and be given the best life possible

[@carolcox6408]

Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention, Andy! That poor snake! Cult crew and Vans definitely should make a sincere appo!ogy and a donation to USARK. The owner of the snake also needs to step forward to have someone teach them proper snake husbandry. I've seen Kevin do that with employees. 😤

[@angelwalker979]

Have someone teach him??? What, that snakes need FOOD?? Like every other living thing? This is common sense! You can't teach common sense. ffs smh

[@Varenyam86]

​@@angelwalker979 some people get their info from pet stores. Outdated info. Like only needing mice. Or red bulbs and what not. Soms people overfeed their snakes because people said they just need to eat every week instead of watching it's body size. So yeah, teaching. It's unfortunately not all blamed on (lack of) common sense

[@angelwalker979]

@@Varenyam86 I get it. I know ZERO about keeping snakes. But I can plainly see that snake is starving.

[@joanbaczek2575]

And specifically get that snake treatment

[@joanbaczek2575]

@@angelwalker979or he offering food snake refuses so he just thinks it’s not hungry when really underlying health issue or something not right with food offered - like vegans insisting their cats should eat vegetarian then wonder why kitten went blind 🤷‍♀️

[@sherkylady7765]

Definitely appalled at that ad. Hope that “employee” has the good sense to take the snake to a vet. I’m not a reptile keeper by choice but I do watch and appreciate all Kevin does for them.

[@jessicatucker1440]

I don’t think the employee losing their job is really any kind of answer, they should learn proper husbandry and learn from their mistakes. The companies should apologize and a donation to U.S. Ark would go a long way to making that apology feel more sincere.

[@jeancena3556]

If I was the head of a company and found out my employee was starving their pet, unintentionally or not, they are getting fired immediately. They cant take care of their own low maintenance animal, no way they should be responsible for something else of importance. Taking care of pets is literally taught as a child for most people; how an adult can screw up to the extent of the nike ad is beyond me.

[@onixprime]

Definitely something that should be called to attention. I understand some people's misunderstanding and inability to recognize a snake in a bad condition, the reptile pet keeping hobby if far more niche, but if it was a dog there would be boycotting and an uproar in negative publicity. It is more than fair to ask Vans to acknowledge their ignorance and mistake, do right by exploiting a sickly animal, and they definitely should find out who that snake belongs to and report them for the condition it was in.

[@mookinbabysealfurmittens]

Exactly! THIS!

[@faithcrisis2138]

I saw this on reddit and immediately emailed the company informing them of all the wrong in that photo

[@FatMarioHeads]

It's amazing to me how little people think of snakes, that they wouldn't even notice when one is unhealthy. That poor ball python

[@meredithunit]

Yeah that was in poor taste and they screwed up. Whoever is supposed to be taking care of this snake needs to be educated and fix their wrongs. I understand that this has been scrubbed and that Vans has lawyers and stuff, but let’s stop for a moment and recognize that we need to be more responsible as reptile caretakers and respond accordingly. This makes everyone look bad. Y’all “employees” need to do better. Your snake looks very unhealthy and you should respond with apologies appropriately. We see mammals in poor states of health and we can instinctively see it. This is what a sick snake looks like. Fix it.

[@meredithunit]

*I love Vans, I love your shoes and your attitude about culture and style, please y’all if you’re reading this, do the right thing.

[@NewEnglandReptile]

Same here Meredith. We want them to do the right thing.

[@horseygurl143]

Van's found a snake and just assumed that it was a rattlesnake. Entire spine visible. Disgusting. Not well taken care of, fed, nor hydrated. Poor snake.

[@jaxxom87]

That poor baby. I don’t have any ‘I won’t buy your shoes’ clout because I don’t buy them already, but I really hope they’re able to ensure the snake is getting proper care. If the snake IS being fed regularly and has good humidity, it’s very very sick :(

[@mariaprovencher]

I hope that snake gets the help it needs. I also hope they give a nice donation!

[@NewEnglandReptile]

Hopefully!!

[@lyrieth8833]

I don't need an apology I need to know that the snakes are okay.

[@NewEnglandReptile]

I think getting the snake proper care is a given in this case

[@VictoriaEMeredith]

Exactly!

[@Valyndris]

If they truly wanted to make it right, they would've acknowledged their mistake publicly instead of just silently removing it. They obviously just want to hide it to not risk losing reputation but it's too late for that. They made a mistake, I can understand not everyone can tell the snake is malnourished but they should've admitted the mistake and said something about it rather than just removing it.

[@miparo6088]

That snake looks so bad anyone who has eyesight and has ever seen even a picture of a snake should be able to question if any living animal is supposed to be so thin you can see their bones.😢

[@45thdegreeMP3]

the execs were like "we can see this snake's ribs, IT WAS MEANT TO BE A MODEL!!!"

[@1965KareBear]

Thank you for posting this and letting us know that some people don't understand what a healthy snake looks like. It makes me sick. I pray this snake is rehomed and is taken to a vet to be checked out. Tell Kevin to keep up the awesome work he does and I'm glad you are helping out. God Bless.

[@caughtafaygo]

yep im with you. wont be spending a dime on vans if they dont make it right. erasing it doesnt fix it.

[@NewEnglandReptile]

I own vans too… but this is not a good lol

[@essbing]

@@caughtafaygo I own them too. But VANs needs to stand behind their policies.

[@lethafaey4544]

I absolutely love that you are a part of this channel and N.E.R.D . The other guy was really not a good fit anymore. Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us. ❤

[@calvinbowling9901]

That Ad is such bullshit that snake is starving and hasn't been taken care of at all.i don't understand why people get these beautiful animals and not take care of them my fist pet snake was a ball phyton.and I have been in this hobby for 39 years now. I take rescues in that haven't been in the shape that the ball phyton in the vans video was in and that's saying alot

[@terrimarie4651]

They also need to show proof that snake has been seen by an actual reptile veterinarian! If it's even alive.

[@hi_tech_reptiles]

Man, I like Vans (one of the few skate shoes with wide/X wide soles) being a lifelong skateboarder etc. Bring it to the skate community too - they care and Vans is a huge company who isn't what it used to be, owned by a conglomerate now days, but skaters will pressure them. They could have had a cool ad with a BP or something which personally I don't see an issue with, but not apologizing and not showing the snake is being taken care of etc is shitty as hell. Fingers crossed something gets done (USARK donation is a stretch as far as hopeful but hey, here's to hoping lol) and mostly the snake and keeper is shown to be educated and actually helping the snake not be emaciated.

[@scabbynack]

"The snake is well taken care of, fed, and hydrated. We're aware how bad this looks." Huh? 🤨

[@cheese-dw7mi]

the only way they could be forgiven is making a public apology post and a huge donation to some type of animal rescue/animal protection charity

[@jwilcox]

Set your employee/s up with a pet fund, Vans. Maybe have a husbandry class too. What a disgrace.

[@B3258]

I hope whoever owns the snake wakes up and takes better care of their animal and the donation to usark with a public apology would be great. I don’t really want them fired though, the snake may be a friend or family member’s and the employee just brought it in and said it was theirs to look cool and they had no idea what a healthy snake even looked like. I just wouldn’t advocate for anyone getting fired when we don’t 100% know the whole story.

[@spiercephotography]

Good for you guys on calling them out! I hope the poor snake got the attention /care and home it really deserves

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

My jaw dropped over this. It is horrific and mind boggling. Did they think no one would notice the condition of the poor snake, the cruelty involved, let alone the silliness of using that species to someone like myself who spent most of her life in rattlesnake country? I wouldn’t touch their shoes with a ten foot pole and encourage everyone who sees this to let ASICS know we will boycott their shoes and to do something for that snake. I’ll be sending them a letter today.

[@Poecilotherius]

My dream scenario would be if the owner turns out to be merely uneducated, fixes the husbandry, gets the snake back to health, and the apology comes in the form of that snake returning to model for VANS looking like a beacon of health. Would be fun seeing healthy snakes promoting shoes for once not made from them.

[@GogeeReptileCuddles]

That would be awesome 😅

[@dragonboy4578]

That is so sad. If Vans doesn’t try to make this right I sure won’t be buying from them again. Keep up the great work and you’re a great addition.

[@307bmx3]

Robbie morales is the owner of cult crew witch is a bmx company and he should buck up and take ownership for this

[@SeagraveSerpentarium]

They say this was because of a "filter"??? How about they tell me what filter they used. I'll put that filter on my wife's ball python and see how he looks. They even have an advantage because he's a juvenile and still slims out a bit between meals.

[@YochevedDesigns]

I'd like that filter too. I've put on a few pounds lately.

[@RyanSmith6644]

This is awful that poor snake. I generally avoid snakes but I feel horrible for this poor animal. This is just evil.

[@NewEnglandReptile]

We just want accountability

[@horseygurl143]

@@NewEnglandReptile True. Admitting means you know it's wrong, thus will never be part of that again.

[@trabash505]

Btw - I HAVE BOTH VIDEOS!! I'm extremely proud to have been part of the incredible reptile community and animal allies that put intense pressure on Vans to remove this video, and the second video of the snake being burned, by Sunday night!

[@NewEnglandReptile]

Can you send them to me on instagram?!?!

[@NewEnglandReptile]

@newenglandreptile

[@trabash505]

@@NewEnglandReptile Absolutely! Coming to you in a few!

[@trabash505]

@@NewEnglandReptile You should have them! Let me know if there is any issue!

[@Lauresaurus96]

I’m sorry- snake being burned?! Is this related to the snake in the photo? This is the first I’m hearing about this story. The obvious neglect is bad enough, but that is absolutely disgusting.

[@cheese-dw7mi]

they havent even made an apology

[@EmilyEverglot]

How can they "assure" that the employee is taking care of their snake but also in the same statement claim that if they find out the snake needs to be in a better home they will make sure that happens? It can't be both!

[@Paeper_Shredder]

I appreciate you putting out this type of content for the community. I can only imagine it must be tough to upload dealing with the negative emotions, backlash, and potential pressure from a large corporation.

[@paranoiarpincess]

This is so sad. Thank you so much for spreading awareness. You guys really have the biggest hearts. I wish I could feel the same way you guys do. ❤❤❤❤

[@sreace723]

Who knew "heroin chic" in snakes was a thing now? It was the big thing in the mid 90s for models to look malnourished.

[@saveriopanaccione996]

I saw that picture on Facebook twice this morning, but I was half awake so I didn’t really understand it. But man that is awful.

[@alicinsane3003]

Someone should also get in touch with the snake owner and re-educate the snake owner on proper care of the animal or remove it from that situation. Who knows how many animals are in that collection and in that condition. It’s scary to think the best looking animal was picked from a collection and that was the one.

[@dshesser]

Now this is how you make these types of videos 👏 well done ❤

[@paranoiarpincess]

Last comment I swear. I like you, if that helps at all. Pretty much, so long as you believe in what Kevin does, in regards to saving and loving animals, and you work to get Kevin's ideologies out with as equally big of a heart, that's good enough for me.❤

[@sarahmmkay7220]

Glad you guys called them out n are working to fix the problem that snake was deffinetly not cared for properly or had some kind of parasite, loving your videos hated donny. Love the change up

[@NewEnglandReptile]

lol, thank you

[@TesseraCraft]

I would like to see more reptiles appering in media, but really we need to have healthy and happy reptiles in the media. I think a big donation to USark is called for. Using sick animals in media makes the keeping on the animals look bad, when really, most people keep their animals very healthy now days.

[@Lowlandlord]

I don't know much about snakes aside from the odd videos on here or Clint's, but that snake reminded me of a video of starving children, where you can see their ribs 😱

[@mandiegannon9479]

As for the Van's company that was a stupid campaign. The name "Diamondback Collection" and they used a ball python. They failed in the release. A Diamondback water snake could have easily been used. As much money as Van has using a fill-in was stupid. The person who owns the python he/she needs to learn how to care for their snake. I have 8 snakes in my collection from people who either could not care for or no longer wanted their ball pythons. Be a better owner (watch some videos, read books, talk to other owners, do something) or give up and give your reptiles to someone who knows how to care for them. As for you Andy Great job. Looking forward to seeing what you have planned for this channel.

[@GogeeReptileCuddles]

Very well stated 👍

[@DoorsToHideBehind156]

It kinda sucks that this video was released almost a day ago and it still has less than 10k views. It needs to be pushed more, maybe on x or tiktok. That would definitely get this more traction and have more eyes on it.

[@saveriopanaccione996]

Vans definitely needs to make this right. Especially for that poor ball python.

[@Poldovico]

If they're going to copy and paste the exact response to multiple people, they could at least not use ellipsis instead of punctuation. This is a company that produces ads, and they couldn't spare fifteen minutes to properly write their own canned response?

[@terribudesa4659]

That’s just disgusting! Vans should be ashamed.

[@nicolegoodew1547]

I appreciate you bringing awareness to this issue. What happened to companies doing research on what they promote?

[@NewEnglandReptile]

I guess they don’t anymore?

[@nicolegoodew1547]

​@@NewEnglandReptileseems like companies don't know a lot of things these days unfortunately

[@savannahhurley3157]

As bad as this was, education about husbandry and care would be more helpful to the owner and the public than disparaging and requesting termination. This vid is just going to put people and companies on the defensive, close minds, and close doors to advocacy and restitution. Hopefully, the owner is humble enough to learn or surrender the animal(s), and the company genuine enough in their love of animals to at least admit to wrongdoing. Doubtful though. A donation to USARK is more believable than a public apology.

[@demonatemu]

whoever they got that snake from should be charged with animal neglect/abuse

[@TattooedPink]

Cheers! How horrible that vans would do that 🤬

[@NewEnglandReptile]

Agreed

[@jdssurf]

Yeah cuz Corporate purposely starved a snake and put it in an ad to get ridiculed.........the only person that sucks is the snake owner unless they have bern rehabilitating it.

[@MelSparrow]

What the hell? I loved Van's, love snakes more! No more Vans

[@Fozzdaddy12]

Been wearing vans shoes everyday for the last 10+ years, but won’t be until they take responsibility. With the amount of employees they have, someone must have noticed that snake didn’t look right. Just a simply apology and commitment to do better, Vans.

[@NewEnglandReptile]

Exactly!!

[@dixiedoe3528]

Thank you, Andy! That poor baby.

[@Texiipop]

I also want to know what has happened with the snake now. I want to know if it getting the care it needs, I want the person responsible reported for animal cruelty. EDIT: Thank you for addressing this, I saw it on FB the other day too and Ive been sharing it as much as possible.

[@ReptilesXtremeGaming]

Honestly Kinda bummed.. love vans shoes

[@ChiaraMainolfi]

Pump the brakes! I agree with everything you said, almost, but first and foremost that poor snake should be confiscated and taken from its owner! After if the law wants to prosecute them for animal abuse, fair play. I suspect this person had no idea what condition his/her snake was in or they wouldn’t have put it in an advertisement.

[@GogeeReptileCuddles]

They know - Ballies are notorious for being finicky eaters and you have to be patient and dedicated. In my 50 + years of reptile care - I have never seen a snake look like this 😢

[@acaciaballpythons]

You were great. Ty for the update

[@tylerclogan]

Absolutely love this video! Thank you for bringing this to light.

[@leannasummerlin9785]

Thanks for keeping me up to date with the animal world news!

[@carlc7824]

Super sketchy that everything about the ad has been deleted. Even reddit posts.. thanks for putting the word out there!

[@NewEnglandReptile]

No worries!

[@Khunai.]

Thanks for the video Andy this is horrible! Definitely not buying anymore Vans until they at the very least make an apology. Its one thing to be ignorant and not understand, its another to try to cover it up. Shame on them

[@nicolewilleford749]

How do they not know, it's obvious that they need to have those snakes taken away, and put with people who actually give a shit about all animals, you are awesome and I am subscribed to your channel too, they should have called one of the venomous keepers if they were going for a diamond back.. jeezus

[@charlesbragdon5200]

As a first time visiter I am very pleased to have this video with you. I'm glad it will be my exposure to a nice channel like yours. This topic was ludicrous, like yikes

[@bethannyallain5395]

I am not a reptile keeper but I have watched enough of Kevin's videos as well as those put up by Tyler Nolan . I have learned what healthy, fit Ball python looks like. The that was used by Van's was in horrible shape. Shame on Van's and Cult Crew. Poor snake.

[@tigerlilly03152012]

That poor baby. Everytime I see a rehoming post I comment that I can house if needed.

[@acaciaballpythons]

Id love to find out which employee that animal belongs to and find out why they are abusing their snake. And then have it removed from their care

[@melissadanielle629]

👏 👏 👏 👏 thanks for always speaking up guys !!!!❤

[@ianariyoshi2712]

This hits me in many ways. I am such a reptile lover and 99% of the shoes I buy and wear are vans. I’m a bit distraught and don’t really know how I want to proceed with my support for this company

[@synthwav_]

man, i feel awful about this. vans carries the ONLY shoe i can tolerate wearing due to sensory issues, and now they've done this?? i might just have to keep wearing my old pairs instead of getting a new one.

[@vanilla_bean496]

Thank you, I saw this when it was first posted and was hoping someone said something 💕💕

[@J-_-]

Good on ya Andy. If people don't stand up for the animals, then who will?

[@j.i.m.reptiles1909]

Thank you, posted a screenshot of the ad on all my social media

[@jimmystockton6404]

That really sucks but we want Kevin back !!!

[@NewEnglandReptile]

Kevin wasn’t in one video, relax lol

[@alisonoxholm9315]

That’s unbelievable poor snake 😡

[@carmenlawsky139]

Vans contradict their reaction. They say the snakes are fine and then say we see the shoot caused a hassle so we took the video down. Why take it down if the snakes are fine? Who signed off on that response?

[@scottuzarowski3629]

We don't know enough to ask for somebody to loose their job! Can't just strip a person of their livelihood without knowing the circumstances. This person could just be legit uneducated in husbandry. We all know about ball pythons & their pension for hunger strikes as well! To be clear, I'm just as upset about this as any snake lover, but to potentially destroy someone's life is a bit harsh & definitely premature, without the back story!!! The large donation to USARC however is definitely warranted!!!

[@iwba7481]

I saw that picture a few days ago and thought the same, so glad you made a video on this

[@catherinepetersen3789]

I'm not a reptile owner. I've only had a garter snake as a kid. I'm a cat lady! But even I know that Ball Python was NOT at healthy just by looking at it!!! 😢

[@trala8911]

I actually couldn’t believe the absolute cheek of thinking they’d get away with just saying “we assure you it’s well taken care of, fed and hydrated.” Umm… what? “I know this 14 year old kid has kwashiorkor and thighs so small you can wrap your fingers around them, but I promise, he’s eating plenty” 🥴

[@sherilynn1310]

Before I started watching these animal channels, I wouldn't have realized that this boa was severely underweight.

[@EmpressOfExile206]

What's crazy is that BP's can *easily* go 6 months off feed without losing _any body condition‼️_ 🤨 In other words, a snake's condition being that _visibly terrible_ indicates a 🐍 that is either *seriously ill* and needs to see an exotic vet ASAP or one that's been subjected to an *extended period of neglect* 💯 🤕 😢 😠

[@user-wz8kj6ly9u]

Absolutely horrendous!!!

[@Coffee_Bandit_RVA]

How is it possible that they could not see that the poor animal was sick and clearly in distress??? Vans better be careful before they end up being boycotted

[@lindaglover3321]

Wonderful! Keep up thr great work! More snarfles please!

[@YochevedDesigns]

You can never get enough Snarfles!

[@battle66674]

What happened here is completely gross. However I instead of calling for the employee to lose their job, I think it'd be awesome if they were required to attend mandatory training and volunteer work at NERD!!

[@WaitinInAmber]

This video has been up for under two minutes and need the comments to exist already and tell me how upset I should be prepared to become

[@NewEnglandReptile]

I’d say a solid 7.2/10

[@WaitinInAmber]

@@NewEnglandReptile that was shockingly accurate thank you

[@TheUncleDolanShow]

Yeah while I agree with almost everything said I will not be getting behidn firing someone over this mistake. As another comment mentioned, the snake will then end up in worse care and probably dead because the owner will no longer be able to AFFORD to care for the snake, let alone actually care for it. I will boycott vans, I will advocate on social media for better education and I will demand an applogy from Vans and the production company, but as far as going after individuals, nope. Youre painting a target on someone's back who needs to be taught an actual lesson, not "taught a lesson".

[@paranoiarpincess]

Awww baby 😢 I may have only had 2 ball pythons in my life (one currently, first taken in from me in a breakup), but I look at photos of them daily. I LOVE them and their squidgee little heads! So it might sound crazy that I thought that make was a BCI. It's is so thin, and his massive jaw muscles so droplet that I thought from that photo that it was full on an entirely different species! My heart is absolutely breeding for this little one 😢. On to of its poor health, putting the liable “diamond back” on ball pythons makes it more likely that people will KILL ESCAPED PETS instead of rescuing and reporting them. It's bad enough that would Collingwood are being killed over similar patterns as actual rattlesnakes, and even actual rattlesnakes being killed, all because of assumed, unnatural behaviors these snakes don't actually exhibit (attacking unprovoked/chasing/murderous intent/etc.); but now even escaped beloved family members might be killed to from this absolutely ridiculous ignorance!😢

[@kingme79]

Too many things don't make sense. Who would look at a picture of a dying python and the cigarette butt and want to buy those shoes. The shoes in the picture don't even look that nice.

[@theresalux8185]

Wow come on Van's couldn't tell this snake hasn't been Feb or taking care of I don't own any snakes only a dog and I even know this snake is sick and hasn't been eating this is so heartbreaking thanks to New England Reptile ( Nerd ) for saying something about this video we all luv the work you all do and for saving animals so thank you New England Reptile (Nerd)

[@jaimieseejaimiedo]

Never had vans shoes and i will make sure never to give them a dime of my money

[@hannahmartley7293]

That's just not right... that poor snake.

[@kaciewolverton2692]

The worst part is their response. It’s one thing to be ignorant, it’s another to ignore the concerns of hundreds of experienced keepers and professionals. They do not care about the health of that snake

[@jameshuayta2794]

We should plan a date for everyone in the US to walk into Vans stores with snakes on our necks.