Way OT but..........
I'm not sure where your thinking of Kevin, but where I am, the only snakes are the ex-KGB mafia guys!
There is desert in the extreme south but that is like 3000 miles away from where I am. I would say 70% of Siberia is swamp and sand. And there is two seasons here - Winter and Summer. No camels, no tigers, no leopards, but there are tipi's here. Lots of native hunters that live off the land and herd reindeer-I believe they are related to the eskimoo cause they look identical.
There are Leopards in the far east but there are only about 40 of them left in the wild.
Why do I work here? Simple. I work 6 months of the year, I get a huge tax break, and I get 6 months off paid to do whatever I want.