Reptile & Amphibian
News Blog
Keep up with news and features of interest to the reptile and amphibian community on the kingsnake.com blog. We cover breaking stories from the mainstream and scientific media, user-submitted photos and videos, and feature articles and photos by Jeff Barringer, Richard Bartlett, and other herpetologists and herpetoculturists.
Monday, January 31 2011
 Want to increase your virility on your next date? Pick up a bottle of this wine from Viet Nam.
From the Times of Malta:
A village in Vietnam is producing snake and scorpion wine and shipping it worldwide.
The venomous cobra snake is used to make the snake wine. This picture shows how the snake is preserved to have its poison dissolve in the rice wine. Because snake venoms are protein-based, they are inactivated by the denaturing effects of ethanol, and thus are no more dangerous.
Instead, the liquor is considered healthy and seemingly has many health benefits.
Snake and scorpion wines are also known as a natural medicine used to treat different health problems such as back pain, rheumatism, lumbago and other health conditions.
These rice-based liquors are also considered to be a strong natural aphrodisiac.
I think I'll stick to the stuff in the box.
 Extra herping gear laying around? Old camera you don't use at all? The Reptile & Amphibian Ecology International can use it!
Reptile & Amphibian Ecology International (RAEI), a nonprofit conservation ecology organization, has announced an innovative program that puts used cameras and other equipment to work for promoting the science and art of biodiversity. In this program, RAEI accepts donations of all kinds of gear crucial to conservation ecology, from camera bodies and lenses to GPS units and even "snake hooks". The donated equipment is used by biologists and photographers in the field to document the diversity of life. Some of the gear is used by RAEI staff, but many of the recipients of the donated items are residents of impoverished regions in Ecuador, Mexico, and Cameroon.
"Biologists and guides working in poor nations often don't have the resources they need to work effectively", said Dr. Paul S. Hamilton, Executive Director of RAEI. This program will put cameras and other crucial tools in the hands of those that can use them best, and need them the most. The program works like this: residents of targeted study areas are chosen for their knowledge of ecosystems and abilities to conduct field work. They are then given basic gear like cameras, GPS units, snake hooks, and data sheets, along with training and a research manual. They are also taught the technical skills needed to take photos and field data, and given instructions on how to get their photos and data to biologists who can use them.
For more information on how you can help click here.
Friday, January 28 2011
 The new year marked the start of a new congressional season, along with another try at amending the Lacey Act to ban importantion of a number of snakes into the United States.
That's right, Florida Representative Thomas Rooney (R) brought back the bill he tried to get passed last year; the exact language of this year's bill is not yet available.
GovTrack.us reports that the new bill, HR 511, has been referred to committee. Rooney's website has this to say:
U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney (FL-16) today introduced legislation to protect the Everglades and surrounding communities from dangerous, imported snakes like African rock pythons and boa constrictors. Rooney’s bill would restrict the importation of specific breeds of snakes, which continue to cause extensive damage to the Everglades, into the United States.
[....]
Rooney’s bill would add the following species of snakes to the “Lacey Act,” effectively banning them from importation into the United States: Burmese python, northern African python, southern African python, reticulated python, green anaconda, yellow anaconda, Beni or Bolivian python, DeSchauensee’s anaconda, and boa constrictor.
As usual, we will keep the community up to date on this. To read the full statement from Rep. Rooney's website, click here.
Thursday, January 27 2011
 A visitor to an aquarium in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk attempted to take what she felt would be a very dramatic shot of Gena, a croc on display, and ended up dropping her phone into the animal's mouth.
According to vets at the aquarium, Gena is now not doing well refusing food and acting listless:
The mishap has caused bigger problems for the crocodile, which has not eaten or had a bowel movement in four weeks and appears depressed and in pain.
"The animal is not feeling well," said Alexandra. "His behavior has changed, he moves very little and swims much less than he used to."
Doctors tried to whet the crocodile's appetite this week by feeding him live quail rather than the pork or beef he usually gets once a week. The quail were injected with vitamins and a laxative, but while Gena smothered one bird, he didn't eat it.
He also won't play with three fellow African crocodiles, despite being the leader in the group. Crocodiles can live up to 100 years.
I will remain hopeful, having done enough rescue work and seeing the wide variety of items American Alligators of much smaller size have vomited up after a period of time, that this, too, will pass. So to speak.
The most amusing part to me is what the owner of the phone did: she blamed the entire incident on the zoo!
Maybe I wasn't careful with it but, I think that zoo managers should think about human mistakes.
She is also hoping to get her SIM card returned because it holds her contacts and photos. So the moral of the story is, if you're going to drop your phone in a croc's mouth, be sure to back it up first!
Video after the jump.
Continue reading "Croc asks, 'Can you hear me now?'"
Wednesday, January 26 2011
 A realtor in Idaho is willing to slash the price of one home to the bone. The reason? The home is crawling with Garter snakes.
Garter snakes, as we all know, are a harmless small native species; chances are when the house was built it destroyed a nesting site.
Last year its owners gave up and walked away, allowing the house to fall into foreclosure - deciding that was a better option than living with the serpents slithering around in the ceilings and walls.
It was taken over by the lender, Chase Bank. Now Realty Quest associate broker Todd Davis is faced with the daunting task of trying to sell it.
That task would be hard enough with the current market, but once the slithery occupants are factored in, you have to feel a pang of sympathy for the optimistic Mr Davis.
Even his decision to slash the price from the estimated value of $175,000 to $109,000 may not be enough.
[....]
Even more horrible for those living there. Previous owners describe the terror of trying to sleep at night, never knowing when your bed could be invaded, in a YouTube video from as far back as 2006.
While the press coverage was not kind in the least to these snakes, it does bring to mind a similar situation in Illinois, with the Fox Snake House. Since the state will not aide in removal of the snakes, perhaps they can purchase the home and turn it into a giant hibernaculum. Or maybe a field herper in Iowa is looking for a new cheap home!
Tuesday, January 25 2011
 To protect themselves from predators, squirrels scent themselves with rattlesnake.
From an older article in USAToday:
"Recently, two squirrel species were discovered to anoint their bodies with rattlesnake scent as a means of concealing their odour from these chemosensory predators," begins the study in the current Journal of Evolutionary Biology. It was written by a team led by Barbara Clucas of the University of Washington in Seattle.
The two ground squirrel species chew up shed snake skins and lick their fur to acquire the scent of their predators.
In the study, Clucas and colleagues track back the origins of protective snake scents on squirrels, first by checking the popularity of such chemical disguises among 11 squirrel species, including two kinds of chipmunk. In field trials, the team checked the squirrels fondness for rattlesnake, weasel (another predator) and deer (a non-predator included as a test) stinks. The team also tested the fondness of 15 wild North Pacific rattlesnakes for mice burrows that did and didn't smell of their kind.
The link to the actual study abstract can be found here.
Monday, January 24 2011
By
Mon, January 24 2011 at 15:12
CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Animal Protective league rescued more than 20 constrictor snakes from a home in Cleveland Saturday.
Sharon Harvey with the APL tells NewsChannel 5 there is an active investigation surrounding the ownership of these snakes.
Most of the 20 plus snakes rescued were pythons, some upwards of 15-feet-long, according to Harvey.
Under the current exotic animal ordinance, the owner of pythons and other constrictor snakes must obtain a permit.
“This is a perfect example of why we need Governor Kasich and state legislators to sign into permanent law, the dangerous animal law that Governor Strickland put into place before he left,” Harvey said.
Strickland’s dangerous animal law is only a 90 day ordinance at this time.
Harvey stressed proper care needed for these snakes could not be met in a home and could become a danger to the animals as well as the community.
The APL is working with experts who have taken the snakes and will determine the next steps to keep them safe.
The APL received a tip call about these dangerous animals and worked with the city of Cleveland to recover them from the Cleveland home.
It is unclear how the owner obtained these snakes in the first place.
While this case is unusual to the APL, they say they are working with experts to make sure these snakes get to proper care to keep them safe, as well as others.
Here is the link: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland-apl-rescued-over-20-snakes-from-cleveland-home
Friday, January 21 2011
I grab my hook... I grab my bags... I grab my rubbermaids... gone herping never know what herp species I may find ?? gone herping makes me feel alive.. lifting rocks to sheets of tin... climbing moutains to stomping through the mud on the river bank... gone herping from dusk to dawn all summer long... You'll know where ill be ... gone herping ill see you in november.....
Thursday, January 20 2011
By
Thu, January 20 2011 at 16:36
"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session." Judge Gideon J. Tucker
For many years now, a distinctly noticeable, and deeply disturbing trend has been occurring (and continues to occur)in all branches of our government, from local and municipal, all of the way up to state and sometimes even federal levels. This trend, in essence revolves around a government's ability to place prohibitions, regulations, or other restrictions on particular activities, objects, or commerce with the underlying perception that the personal and/or public health and safety risks of such activity far outweigh the liberties and/or benefits derived from said activity/object/commerce. In essence, it is the same age old mis-notion, that keeping reptiles poses a "significant public safety threat or risk. This “public risk-based” argument (which shall be how I will refer to it for the purpose of this blog), seems to be a favorite justification of the animal rights, and other activists in favor of reptile prohibition to court (and mislead) the public and our elected officials with, in the attempt to outlaw ownership and trade in reptiles and other exotic animals completely. But is this particular issue, the keeping of reptiles, or other exotic animals for that matter, actually of sufficient magnitude to warrant overriding our liberties in the name of the "common good"? Let us examine the facts, rather than the fear, hype, and misunderstanding that prohibition activists regularly utilize and exploit to shape public opinion.
Taken at face value, outlawing "giant, man eating constrictors", "venomous" reptiles, or other “exotic animals” would seem like a reasonable measure in the minds of much of the public to ensure their own protection/safety, and if one examines only the sensational, anecdotal, and often agenda driven news and media reports (and other misinformation and false claims of risk to personal and public health/safety) that Animal rights and other prohibition advocates would quickly have said members of the public believe. After all, who wouldn't oppose a measure to outlaw "deadly crocodiles" and "giant man eating constrictors" as a means of quelling our primal fears of predatory animals? However, we must dig deeper into the issue than this, by examining the actual statistics (and other published risk based assessments), statistical trends, and scientific information that is relevant to these animals and the subsequent keeping of them.
Contrary to popular public misconception and belief, snakes, as well as other reptiles in general, are not evil, slimy, viscous, or bloodthirsty killers which habitually or routinely stalk or seek humans out as prey. Even most crocodilians and the largest species of boas and pythons are naturally wary of humans, and typically opt to avoid humans rather than regard them as a staple food source. While many members of the public may hold especially negative perceptions of venomous reptiles in particular, we must realize and understand, that the fact that an animal possesses venom does not inherently render that animal as a "bad animal", or as an animal in which presents no legitimate use or purpose, whether in nature or in captivity. Because venomous reptiles have evolved with venom specifically as a means of quickly and efficiently subduing prey in their oftentimes harsh environments, it therefore make no biological sense for any venomous animal to expend its valuable resources (such as its venom and energy) on an animal far too large to ingest (such as a human). Thus, the public should be realizing and understanding that the possession of venom is simply a unique adaptation that these animals have evolved with in order to survive in a given environment. In fact, this very trait that venomous reptiles possess is among the many that fascinate, motivate, and captivate the minds of many researchers, herpetologists, educational/environmental education institutions, and private and public keepers and venomous herpetoculturists to keep, study, and interact with these animals all as a means of developing breaking life saving medicine and research, as well as greatly furthering our knowledge and understanding of these animal's biology and reproductive habits.
As I am sure we all know and have heard by now, the risk associated with keeping these animals is therefore one which is largely voluntary and occupational in nature. It is fundamentally no different than the myriad of other objects and situations we are often surrounded by in routine life including lawn mowers (oops, where did my toes go?), swimming pools, chainsaws, garden shears, plastic bags, automobiles, domestic dogs, or engaging in contact with other humans to name only a few. All of these statistically contribute to far greater numbers of accidents involving human death or injury every year among members of the public than does the keeping of so called “exotic pets”. But despite this fact, we as a society seemingly continue to allow and tolerate the use of many of these activities, of which can be considered as equally non-essential to our survival as their claim is that reptile keeping is not. Simply put, if "dangerous" exotic pets are so widespread and commonplace amongst the public in the numbers that Animal Rights and other prohibition activists so often state and depict that they are, why then are we not seeing more published and documented statistics involving these animals? In my opinion any way, the very fact that we are not seeing such evidence should clearly indicate that the issue of keeping "exotic animals" is not actually of sufficient magnitude to warrant a complete prohibition of their ownership.
I must acknowledge for the purposes of this blog, that our freedoms and our liberties are not, in fact, limitless or endless. For example, we are of course not free to harm or murder others, or to engage in theft, arson, property destruction or to otherwise infringe upon the rights or liberties of others as we see fit. In these cases, government is obligated to act upon the behalf of the "common good". That all should be a given. Many legislators, however, are often quick to overstep their governmental power in regulating or outright prohibiting activities conducted within the privacy of our own residences, and which do not infringe upon the rights of any other non consenting member of the public. Such is typically the case when maintaining reptiles, or other "exotic animals" in secure and controlled environments at our own residences or facilities. That is what "privacy" means when the topic is Constitutional law, that consenting adults who are acting in private and not infringing on the rights of others will be free of government intrusion. The fact that government CAN regulate or outlaw us and our hobby, does not, and should not negate this principle. Granted, accidents can and do occur in every activity, occupation, or profession we engage in. However, individuals who commit acts of recklessness, irresponsibility, and/or other violations undoubtedly are to be, and should be, the individuals held accountable and responsible for the incident in question rather than an entire sub-community or industry.
In conclusion, these aforementioned concepts (as well as numerous others as they pertain to our liberties and the Constitution) are discussed in even further depth in Andrew Napolitano's "A Nation of Sheep", a book I recommend on this very topic. The entire underlying (and incorrect) notion and perception that maintaining reptiles or other "exotic" animals is far too great of a detriment to the "common good" to be allowed to continue to be enjoyed by the hundreds of thousands of responsible individuals worldwide by their respective governments seems to sadly be simply another advancement in the perpetuation of age old fears, myths, and misconceptions or pre conceived notions that many members of the uninformed general public still hold towards animals that they either do not fully appreciate or understand. In my opinion, only when we are successful in raising understanding of, and in reshaping the attitudes, notions, and mindsets of the greater percentage of the public when it comes to reptiles and the herpetocultural hobby/industry will we ultimately be successful in stemming this, what I have come to refer to, as "persecution through legislation."
Wednesday, January 19 2011
 If anacondas are causing some problems with their invasive ways, it might just be a form of payback.
Ecotourism is a popular trend these days as folks head off to distant locations to experience a once in a lifetime trip, but sometimes the damage from increased traffic can leave a very unfriendly footprint. From the The Telegraph:
Biologists say the entire population of anacondas in one of the jewels of the Amazon basin will be wiped out within three years because of the deadly effect on the snakes of the insect repellant used by most backpackers to help protect against malaria.
The number of tourists going on tours of the pampas that snake there way through jungle and grasslands 250 miles north of La Paz has exploded from a few hundred to nearly 12,000 a year in the past decade.
Travellers are enticed by the promise of getting up close and personal with the world's largest snake - sometimes picking them up and hlding them - as well as swimming with river dolphins, catching pirhanas, and spotting monkeys, sloths and an array of other flora and fauna.
[....]
He added: "A study has been carried out by other biologists which shows the ecosystem will collapse in three years if things continue as they are."
The fear is that insects, fish and smaller amphibians would be wiped out within the river basin, resulting in the collapse of the entire food chain.
Wonder which one of us most deserves the "harmful invasive species" label, the anaconda or humans?
Tuesday, January 18 2011
By
Tue, January 18 2011 at 20:30
We now have a better contact at the Governor's office. Even if you've already called and/or emailed, please take a few minutes and do it again. Michael DuChesne is telling us that his phone has been flooded with calls on this issue; we need... to keep the pressure on!
Please call Michael DuChesne (pronounced "Doo-Shay") at the Governor's Office immediately. We cannot afford to wait. The number to call is (614) 644-0829. You may get an answering machine; if so, leave a detailed message outlining your concerns and providing your name and phone number for a return call. If you get to speak to a real person, write down his/her name for future reference. As always, be polite but firm. Even if you called the number in our previous emails, you need to call this new number now.
We knew that outgoing Governor Strickland promised HSUS he would ban exotic animals in Ohio. He made his parting shot at us on January 6 when he signed his "emergency executive order" to accomplish that. The ODNR followed up the very next day by filing an "emergency rule" that expands even farther on the executive order by adding more animals to the "banned" list. Although the order and rule are only good for 90 days, a lot of damage can be done to our industry and our pocketbooks during those 90 days. It's time to go to work -- right now. We must get this overturned in order to protect our industry. The new ODNR Director could file this as a permanent rule, in which case we will need members to testify at the ODNR public hearing and, if necessary, at the subsequent JCARR hearing; but we can prevent this if we can persuade Governor Kasich to revoke the emergency order and to instruct Director Mustine to withdraw the emergency rule.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here, very briefly, are the points you need to address:
1. This is a power grab by the ODNR to seize control of, and ultimately shut down, Ohio's exotic animal industry. This is not the first time the ODNR has attempted to do this.
2. Ohio Revised Code Section 1531.02 clearly shows the ODNR does not have statutory authority over exotic animals. It states: "The ownership of and the title to all wild animals in this state, not legally confined or held by private ownership legally acquired, is in the state, which holds such title in trust for the benefit of all the people..." Governor Strickland chose to leave out the part about animals that are legally acquired, confined and held by private ownership. The ODNR has no authority over non-native/exotic animals, so the emergency rule is flawed and will most likely be overturned if and when a permanent rule is filed with JCARR (Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review). Governor Strickland lied, and the former ODNR administration was willing to participate in this Governor-ordered power grab.
3. The order exempts AZA- and Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries- accredited facilities. Both are private corporations with financial links to HSUS. The emergency order is unconstitutional and creates a monopoly for those two corporations, while shutting down the other USDA- and ODNR-licensed facilities that have these types of animals; that includes the drive-through animal parks, private zoos, and licensed breeders/dealers/exhibitors throughout Ohio. In Governor Strickland's own words last fall, the exotic animal industry is a 12.5 billion dollar/yr industry in Ohio. His emergency order will shut down a large part of that 12.5 billion dollar industry. Ohio cannot afford more job loss.
4. There is no exotic animal emergency in Ohio. Licensed animal owners, breeders and exhibitors have safely and securely kept these animals for many, many years and are subject to regular, unannounced government inspections to ensure that the public and the animals are not at risk. This emergency order is fueled by animal rights extremism and scaremongering, and it is a direct attack on commerce and private enterprise in Ohio. This order was not requested by a government agency (the ODNR) as Governor Strickland indicates in paragraph 5 of the emergency order; it was agreed to by HSUS, Ohio Farm Bureau, and the Governor himself, and only then did the ODNR draft their "emergency rule".
5. Exotic animal owners throughout Ohio rallied to vote Ted Strickland out of office, due to his "back-door deal" with HSUS. We voted Governor Kasich in, convinced that he would not honor that back-door deal. We now appeal to him to immediately revoke this emergency executive order which will cripple the exotic animal industry in Ohio, and to instruct ODNR Director Mustine to withdraw the ODNR's emergency rule #1501:31-19-05.
Action required:
1. Call Michael DuChesne at (614) 644-0829 with the above information. Put it in your own words, tailor it to your operation, and do it now. Don't wait!See more
Dinosaurs were many herpers' first love, so we're always up for some dino-news.
 In Alberta, a new species of pterosaur was identified by its teeth. From CTV News:
"For a long time we thought it was a little dinosaur jaw and that led us down the wrong path," she said.
"We kept coming back saying, ‘What is this thing?' We thought it might be a fish, a reptile -- anything that had teeth at that time."
Arbour made a breakthrough when she compared the bone against a known Chinese species of pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived during the Cretaceous period that often grew to the size of a small airplane.
"The teeth of our fossil were small and set close together," Arbour said. "They reminded me of piranha teeth, designed for pecking away at meat."
Who doesn't love a beautiful Italian limestone countertop? Add a fossilized crocodilian and I am a happy gal. From National Geographic:
Scientists performed only a cursory examination of the fossils—enough to determine that they belonged to an ancient crocodile—before the slabs were transferred to two museums in Italy.
The fossils sat unstudied until 2009, when scientists decided to examine them again in more detail.
Analysis of the embedded bones revealed a skull and a few vertebrae that belonged to a previously unknown species of 165-million-year-old prehistoric reptile now named Neptunidraco ammoniticus.
For the full article, click here.
Monday, January 17 2011
About two months ago, I posted signs for our baby ball pythons that are for sale in the local pet shop. Each time I buy rodents, I check the sign to see if any of my phone number tags are missing. There are many missing, but no one has called. Saturday, the owner calls me and asks if we still have any left. Heck yes! And as much as I like watching them, they have to go (hubby has a line on an Apalachicola Kingsnake and we need the space, lol).
Of course we're wondering if this is an experienced keeper or a newbie to the hobby. When he calls me, he asks a few questions and I quickly realize he's never owned a snake in his life, and doesn't know anything about them. So while he's there and along with help from the shop owner, we tell him of the basic things he'll need to start.
He shows up at the house all excited, his wife in tow (who's not in the least excited). He's like a five year old at Christmas. He walks into our 'snake room' and stares in wonder. He has loads of questions, some which are silly, but he doesn't know and at least he's asking questions. We answer everything to the best of our ability. We discuss everything he needs to know to keep the snake happy and healthy. He shows me everything he's bought and he's forked out almost $100 for a snake he's paying $25 for. That makes me feel a bit relieved, this isn't just an impulse buy. He's had to fork out a good bit of money.
He's almost jumping up and down for joy, and is holding the snake and loves every minute of it. His wife stands in the back ground, listening, but having no interest in participating. I told her, it will take time, that it did for me.
When they were leaving, I gave them our phone numbers again, and the phone number for our herp vet. I told him any questions, feel free to call me. Just before they leave, his wife asks me, "Are you a teacher?" I hate to say it, but I give her a funny look and tell her no, not even close. "Oh," she says, "maybe that's something you should look in to." I will admit, it made me feel good, to know they thought I was quite knowledgeable on the subject of snakes, but to anyone that knows nothing about them, I do seem to know a lot. There is something new to learn about our reptile friends everyday; even if I keep for another ten years, I still won't claim to be an expert. But I'll keep trying.
By
Mon, January 17 2011 at 15:58
Growing up all I ever wanted to do is work with reptiles. I got my first snake at 6 years old ( ribbon snake) and from that time on, they have always been my passion. I am 22 years old now and been keeping snakes for about 15 years or so. For the past year or so I haven't had any reptiles but that will all change when I get my income tax returns. My passion is the Morelia genus, the carpets and the scrubs along with some others such as the Green Tree Pythons and the Rough-scaled pythons. I have kept Jungles and Irian Jayas but no other carpets. When I get my income taxes back, I plan on buying either a female Jungle Jag and a male Jungle or a female Coastal Jag and a male Jungle. The point of this is too ask any breeders or anyone if they are hiring or need help. I currently live in Michigan but I would move pretty much any where to pursue my dream of working with and breeding snakes. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life and I just want a chance to work with breeders and the reptiles in which I love. Thanks
Justin
By
Mon, January 17 2011 at 13:38
Hello fellas! I've got a new rosy boa from San Gabrielle Mountain. She'a been here about 2 weeks and is showing interest in food but hasn't made the big strike yet. I've also got 2 more rosy boas, a brazillian rainbow boa, and some sand snakes and they all eat great so I know it's not anything that I'm doing. Do you guys have any suggestions on getting a new rosy boa to feed on f/t fuzzies? Any help would be great. Thanks
By
Mon, January 17 2011 at 11:21
This one is for a friend of mine who asked me to touch on this last week.
Let us go over what Flippers, Wholesalers, and Breeders are.
Definitions are somewhat different, and sometimes overlap, but I will try and make it clear enough for you to determine on your own who you know and what to label them as.
Breeders.
You and I know what this means. These are the people who spend the time to raise their breeders, feed them, care for them, and breed them selectively (usually) to produce animals that they feel are good quality and healthy.
They tend to hold on to animals for future projects, and keep records as to who does what when, as well as what they intend to do with animals that they produced. It's a viscous beautiful cycle, and the breeder loves it. That's the passion and the drive that keeps them doing what they are doing.
Animals produced are produced for a reason, and the babies are what they know they are (usually, exceptions being dinkers).
These are the people making the snakes.
Wholesalers..
These guys are the ones that buy excess animals for whatever reason.
Breeders make 100 normals, and although it is awesome to see the babies pop out, they are not needed in future projects, so they are sold to wholesalers or pet stores to supply the pet trade.
Pet stores are somewhat of a wholesaler, but in a different category, in my opinion. They are the ones that are selling to Joe Shmoe, and can (if they have the resources) teach Mister Joe about the care and husbandry that they are familiar with.
Now wholesalers buy up whatever morphs or "leftovers" that a breeder or hobbyist wants to move and sells them for a profit. This is somewhat of a grey area, as this entails not knowing completely the history behind the snakes that they are selling. Some wholesalers care, some do not. The distinction is in the specific person wholesaling.
Do they back up the animal with a guarantee? Depends...
Pet Stores usually do, Wholesalers, it depends.
This is a not so clear area of sellers in the reptile trade. Some are good, some are not so good.
It is up to you to determine what you feel comfortable with.
Flippers...
This is a bad word in some circles of the reptile world. Why? Well, these guys are the people that take animals from breeders and flip them for profit. How quickly? It really depends on the person and the animal, but usually this is only a month or two, maybe even less.
If the animal is sick or not in optimal health, the flipper more than likely doesn't even notice. They are just out to move the animal quickly and for a profit. The longer they have the animal, the less profit they make. Flip it!
Now again, this is a grey area, depending on who you are talking about. Some people actually take the time to care about the animal and where it was produced, what the morph/locality is, etc... Most do not, which is why being a "flipper" is again, a bad word.
Now how do you tell who you are buying from and what you are getting?
Do your homework.
Do they have a good reputation? Have they been around long enough? Does the price seem too good to be true? Can they show you parental lineage? Can they vouch for the health of the animal and how long it has been in their care?
All things you as a consumer/customer have to determine in your own comfort zone where you want to be.
If you don't care that the person selling the animal can't tell you what the parents were, then by all means, buy from a wholesaler/flipper.
But remember this, these people are in it more for the profit than for the animal most of the time.
(I do not want to make generalizations because I know there are some people out there that are not.)
Money is always nice, but for peace of mind, would you rather save $100 and possibly lose the animal and your money, or buy from a breeder that can help you in the future if something goes wrong?
Again, things to think about.
This blog is not meant to sway you one way or the other, as I am trying to be as unbiased as I can under the circumstances.
Like I said before, I have sold to wholesalers, and I still would love to know that my animals, albeit not being sold by me, are getting good homes in the end.
So the final thing to take away from this is, do your homework, try not to just look at the dollar signs. If that is your only focus, you are in the wrong industry.
Have a fantastic day, my friends.
Continue reading "Wholesalers, Flippers and Breeders: The differences"
Sunday, January 16 2011
By
Sun, January 16 2011 at 12:34
Given the current state of our economy, as well as the the Internets role in shopping for goods, it's no wonder that many first time, and even seasoned, reptile enthusiasts get caught up in worrying about getting "the best price" or "a good deal" on a new boa.
The problem with this approach to buying boas lies in genetic diversity as well as future marketability. Unlike many other markets where a certain commodity is identical from one store to the next yet a price disparity exists thus encouraging price comparisons, boas are increasingly seen as less homogeneous and differences in prices should be expected from one breeder to the next. In fact, buyers should expect price variation within the same litter of boas!
I believe that our lack of evolution from out humble beginnings are responsible for a large part of the current state of the boa market. The practice of indiscriminate breeding or, breeding boas simply to produce more animals has long been a standard for this market. Change is overdue!
Indiscriminate breeding has been widely practiced for some time and is likely to be able to trace its roots back to the first people trying to breed boas. I believe that at that time, no forethought was given to the quality of the possible offspring with regards to genetic diversity and/or looks/marketability. However, I give these pioneers a "bye". For one thing, boas were relatively rare and inaccessible at that time. Second, so little was known about the reproductive capabilities or environmental requirements to induce breeding that most people who actually had a sexual pair of boas, simply placed them together and crossed their fingers.
Years later genetic mutations such as Anerythristic, Amelanistic, and Hypomelanistic hit the boa scene and the color variety available to those who loved boas expanded exponentially, along with demand. Laws of economics tell us that when demand increases and supply stays the same (it takes time to produce boas), the market will generally bare a higher price. In an effort to make money (we all love money, don't we?), those in possession of these genetic mutations focused on reproductive capacity, rather than reproductive quality. At this time, a presumably "of age" male would be placed with as many females as possible to coax the maximum number of offspring out of that seasons production capacity. It didn't matter if the male or female was the FUGLIEST boa in existence, the opportunity to produce more boas with the same genetic mutation would not be passed up, especially at the introductory prices of these mutations (well above $10,000 10-20 years ago).
The results of these litters were often not very good, aesthetically speaking. However, in order to "get the genetics" of the litter, consumers would buy them anyway - often times, buying a pair of fugly siblings with the intention of breeding them together. This was common practice because the fugly offspring were slightly or even substantially cheaper (just like today) and provided a less expensive entry point into the market. This allowed someone who would have otherwise been excluded from that segment of the market at the current time to be included and get a head start on his competition. Because back then, the buzz phrase was "just get the genetics".
The practice of buying the cheapest boas you can find simply to breed them has become a plague on our hobby. Indiscriminate breeding results in hundreds and thousands of visually substandard boas each year. To compound this conundrum, buyers often buy siblings with the intention of breeding them to each other. This is understandable early on in a genetic mutations lifespan before varied genetics are available. When working with "normal" boas or established genetic mutations, there is simply no excuse for a lack of genetic diversification. The combination of indiscriminate breeding and unnecessary inbreeding has led to a dramatic decline in prices and slower than normal overall improvement in quality in the boa market. Certainly a case could be made that the overall economy in the US is responsible for the downturn in the boa market. However, I offer this opposing point of view: If the supply in the boa market was cut in half overnight (the fugly boas were removed), would it not make sense that demand would still be the same (those who buy based on price would drop out, but those who look for quality would likely replace them as they would see a more viable market)? Therefore, we go back to the basic laws of economics, when supply is low and demand is high, price stays (or goes) up.
Here are some closing thoughts on the issue. If you're planning to breed your boas, ask yourself "why?" If your pairing will not produce offspring that are in the top 75%, visually, of the market - please pass. If genetically diverse pairings are available, yet your animals are related (immediately or closely) - please pass. If you decide to post your pairing on a couple of forums that you visit and you don't get people sending you messages asking to be on the waiting list - please consider passing. All of these pleas point to a lack of demand for your future product. Producing boas just for the sake of doing it will help no one. It will not improve the market and in fact will work to its detriment. It will likely result in a greater expenditure for you, and you'll likely have to wholesale the litter to a broker for next to nothing - simply to move the animals out of your collection.
However, if you’ve taken the time to acquire the best quality available of a particular type of boa, your boas are relatively unrelated, and demand exists for the offspring – go for it! Additionally, if you have something new, rare, or unusual – go for it!
Best of luck to you all!
- jb
Friday, January 14 2011
By
Fri, January 14 2011 at 11:09
I am very pleased to announce that a tremendous initiative has been taken (and still is largely unfolding) in the state of Wisconsin intended for all reptile and amphibian keepers of the "cheese head" state. This organization and effort is known as the Wisconsin Herpetoculturists Alliance. Although this is our current organization name, we may, at some point in the future, change to becoming a full fledged Wisconsin Association of Reptile Keepers (WIARK) with the guidance of the mighty Andrew Wyatt (president of USARK).
The Wisconsin Herpetoculturists Alliance (WHA) is a science and education based advocacy and trade association for the responsible reptile and amphibian keeping sector and industry of Wisconsin. We support and advocate for sound husbandry practices, quality caging standards, escape and accident prevention/response protocols, and sound, science based approaches to reptile and amphibian conservation. We are a group dedicated specifically to addressing local legislative and regulatory issues surrounding the keeping of reptiles and amphibians in Wisconsin. The ultimate aim of WHA is to help to preserve and re-establish the rights and freedoms of ALL members of the herptile community in Wisconsin. Our primary concerns also include ensuring optimal animal health and welfare, public and personal safety, and maintaining continued environmental and ecological integrity.
WHA has thus far created sample letters regarding herp legislation for both the local and state level, created printable flyers to distribute, created a document library of all applicable laws, ordinances, and regulations pertaining to the keeping of reptiles and amphibians in Wisconsin, and is currently pending a response from the League of Wisconsin Municipalities regarding USARK's sample reptile legislation to serve as a model in the state of Wisconsin. Despite this, much work remains to be done, and WHA believes that education of both the general public and our elected officials, must and will be an ongoing process.
The WHA is asking all members of the Wisconsin reptile and amphibian community to please help support this effort by signing up on our mailing list or consider other WHA involvement. We are asking for everyone’s assistance and involvement in identifying, monitoring, and addressing local legislation relating to the keeping of reptiles and amphibians accordingly in Wisconsin. Please contact WHA should you hear of any local legislation in Wisconsin affecting the keeping of reptiles and amphibians. Furthermore, since WHA is currently a one man operation, we are in great need of other dedicated individuals in the state of Wisconsin to assist in leading WHA and to ensure WHA's continued success. Please PM "EricWI", or email to herpzone@gmail.com to become involved and/or to sign up for the mailing list.
Our website is http://www.specialtyserpents.com/WHA.html *There really is strength in Numbers!" Let's fight the good fight in Wisconsin!!
By
Fri, January 14 2011 at 10:49
Hi All,
I just sent in my letter, please send in your's regarding the Strickland/HSUS backdoor deal on exotic animals and PLEASE circulate this letter AROUND, thank you! This is urgent and a protection of freedom.
http://usark.org/campaign.php?id=21
 As the one year anniversary of the Haitian earthquake rolls around, a sign of healing emerges in the rediscovery of six frog species previously thought to be extinct.
Inspired by The Lost Frogs Initiative, this update comes from Conservation International:
"It was incredible", said Dr. Moore. "We went in looking for one missing species and found a treasure trove of others. That, to me, represents a welcome dose of resilience and hope for the people and wildlife of Haiti."
With large-scale deforestation leaving the country less than two-percent of its original forest cover and degrading most of the fresh water ecosystems Haitians depend on, the cloud forests of the southwest mountains stand as two of the last remaining pockets of environmental health and natural wealth in Haiti. In fact, the Massif de la Hotte has been highlighted by the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) as the third-highest site-level conservation priority in the world, with 15 endemic amphibian species found there and nowhere else.
"A common assumption about Haiti is that there is nothing left to save", said Moore, who also documents his findings as a photographer with the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP). "That is not entirely true. There are biologically rich pockets intact, despite tremendous environmental pressures. Haiti now has the opportunity to design their reconstruction plans around these pockets, and grow them, so they can more effectively act as natural buffers to climate change and natural disasters."
For frog fans, the list of rediscovered species are; Hispaniolan Ventriloquial Frog (Eleutherodactylus dolomedes), last seen in 1991; Mozart's Frog (E. amadeus), last seen 1991; La Hotte Glanded Frog (E. glandulifer), last seen 1991; Macaya Breast-spot frog (E. thorectes), last seen 1991; Hispaniolan Crowned Frog (E. corona), last seen 1991; Macaya Burrowing Frog (E. parapelates), last seen 1996 .
Wednesday, January 12 2011
 Like a thorn in the herp community’s toe, the effort to add nine species to the Lacey Act just won't go away.
The January 8 New York Times features kingsnake.com member Jeremy Stone. The article itself was fair and well rounded, giving all sides the chance to speak:
But it is the first time the government has tried to list animals so widely held as pets. Roughly one million Americans are believed to own snakes of the types listed by the Interior Department, according to the United States Association of Reptile Keepers, and 31,000 were imported in 2008, the most recent year for which the government has data. Trade in these species is big business: more than $100 million annually. Those with rare colors can fetch upward of $75,000.
The move to ban the snakes has set off a swell of anger among aggrieved snake owners and breeders, who have the most to lose financially, as well as a smattering of academic herpetologists, zookeepers and representatives of international conservation groups. When the regulations came up for public review, they flooded the government with objections.
At the heart of their arguments is a critique of the emerging science of invasive species risk assessment. And their response has highlighted the challenges that the government faces as it increasingly moves to protect native flora and fauna not just from current invasive species but also from future threats.
Next up was a New York Times article on the Lacey Act;
Though it is more than a century old, the Lacey Act is neither a well-known nor a well-liked statute. It was passed in 1900 mainly to preserve the native species and plants from overfishing and excessive hunting, but it has since been amended to address imports of non-native species that are either endangered in their own countries or would prove invasive here.
To some critics, the Lacey Act is hopelessly reactive. Others fault it because it has failed to prevent a spectacular number of exotic plants and animals from entering the United States, including the large and hungry Asian carp, which poses a threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Closing out the article was Kristina Serbesoff-King from the Nature Conservency, who basically said these animals should be looked at as guilty until proven innocent. There were also comments from Lyle Vos, who apparently is a Democratic candidate for the Presidency; while I don't think he's anyone we'll be hearing about much, he is very anti-snake (among other things of note found in a quick google search). It's always good when they show us their hand in advance.
Finally, the New York Times followed up today with an article from the perspective of United States Geological Survey scientists Gordon Rodda and Robert Reed, who started this process with their much-disputed risk assessment report:
But the scientists also defend their climate models. They emphasize that the models are not meant to factor in every variable that would affect the ability of the species to thrive, like the availability of prey and human development of the land. In other words, a climate model is not a prediction that the animal will spread to those areas, but an outline of the limits of the areas where they can survive the cold and dryness.
They also argue that scientists who did the alternative climate model incorporated too many variables, far more than standard practice would dictate was necessary, in assessing risk — and that this led them to underestimate the area through which the snake species might spread.
While some pythons have died in winters to the north of the Everglades, Dr. Rodda and Dr. Reddy say, their fate does not necessarily reflect the survival capacity of the species as a whole. Pythons learn adaptive behaviors early in their life cycle, they note, whereas the ones taken from the Everglades had matured without exposure to the cold and therefore might not have known how to protect themselves.
While we may dispute things in each article, this is probably the most encompassing reporting on these issues.
As always, we'll keep watching for further developments.
 Press coverage of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill has died down, but the effects of the spill remain.
A recent report on the Huffington Post had this update:
BP cleanup crews returned to work Monday after a 10 day break, WKRG reports, and they seem to have their work more than cut out for them. Tarballs have been washing up all along the shores of Alabama's Fort Morgan beach.
According to the Press-Register, they range in size from as small as a nickel to as large as a person's palm. The tarballs are so plentiful on the beach that they are seldom more than an inch apart from each other on shore.
In a BP press release, the company says, "We've stated all along that we expect the beaches to be clean by spring break 2011 tourism season. That's been our goal and commitment all along and we are making steady progress towards meeting that goal."
For more information as well as a video, click here. Tarball photo are from National Geographic.
Tuesday, January 11 2011
 A Venice, FL grandmother has spotted and photographed the first known orange alligator.
From Treehugger.com:
She was returning from work on Thursday when she drove by the gator and promptly had to back up for a double-take. Luckily, Sylvia wasn't frightened enough to miss out on a great photo opportunity. "I thought this is great...I'm going to snap a picture and send it to my grandkids so they think I'm one of the coolest grandmas in Florida," she said.
....
After sending the picture to her local news station she also contacted a biologist who believes the gator is really just half-albino. That said, he says he has never seen or heard of one. But Gary Morse from Florida Fish and Wildlife feels the orange color might be from some environmental element.
Regardless, the University of Florida Gators might have a new mascot.
Reptile genetics are a fun thing -- only imagine what this would make in a breeding program.
Monday, January 10 2011
 Vendors at the Reptile Supershow in Pomona this weekend reported that sales, unexpectedly, were up, which could portend a thaw in the cold spell that's been chilling the reptile economy.
Show Promoter Ramy Gurguis also reported that the Saturday foot traffic set a record, despite a slow start under overcast skies. Anchored by the Zoomed and the LLL Reptile booths, the Supershow in Pomona is drawing more out of state vendors, as well as lots of local suppliers, and continues to blossom into one of the larger and better West Coast shows. Held at the Los Angeles County Fairplex (which is also home to the NHRA Museum for all you gearheads), the Supershow has plenty of room to expand into a variety of buildings as needed, some of which were built by the WPA in the 1930s.
Cool things on display at the show included a sharp new line of terrariums, as well as a trick little piece of low tech/high tech egg incubation that fits inside a deli cup and allows air to circulate around the eggs. Also on display were Zoomed's new incubator, which appears to be a pretty solid piece of hardware for hobbyists. Probably not the right incubator if you have, say, a thousand python eggs you need to hatch, but for the small scale hobbyist who has a few clutches of crested geckos or corn snakes, it's the right tool for the job.
To check out all the pics from this weekend's Supershow, go to kingsnake.com's events gallery, or post your own!
Sunday, January 9 2011
 Here is the text of the newly-written ban on exotic animals in the state of Ohio. This ban is already law, but it was passed by emergency order of the outgoing governor and as such expires on April 6. The incoming governor is leaning towards making it permanent, but has indicated he's willing to consider other action.
Please take the time to read this carefully, and, if you're in Ohio, please use the contact information included at the end to make your feelings known.
Those of us with pit bulls are well aware of just how bad the state of Ohio can be on writing sensible, humane legislation about animals. Please don't assume this problem will go away on its own; your action is, your input, is needed. This is especially critical for anyone doing rescue or public education for these species.
Here is the text of the current law:
From the Register of Ohio, Filed on January 6, 2011
(3) Class reptilia:
(a) Order crocodylia: all species of alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and
gharials.
(b) Order squamata:
(i) Family atractaspidae: all species, such as mole vipers.
(ii) Family boidae: anaconda (Genus eunectes), Burmese python
(Python molurus), reticulated python (Python reticulatus),
amethystine python (Morelia amethistinus), scrub python
(Morelia kinghorni), northern African python (Python sebae),
southern African python (Python natalensis).
(iii) Family colubridae: boomslang (Dispholidus typus), twig snake
(Genus thelotornis).
(iv) Family elapidae: all species, such as cobra, mamba, and coral
snakes.
(v) Family hydrophiidae: all species, such as sea snakes.
(vi) Family viperidae: all species, such as rattlesnakes, pit vipers, and
puff adders.
John Kasich, the new governor, will take office Monday January 10. What better way to welcome him to work with letters and emails on this topic? There is currently no email address listed for him, however, a contact form for the Governer can be found here.
Email is great, but letters sent via the postal service make a far larger impact, so do both.
Letters should be mailed to:
Governor John Kasich
Governor's Office
Riffe Center, 30th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-6108
You can also call and fax as well at these numbers:
Phone: (614) 466-3555
Fax: (614) 466-9354
If this draconic ban becomes permanent, it will cause major issues nationwide as we continue to try to fight to keep our reptiles. One state enacting such a ban will only help bolster national legislation. Ohio residents, please act now.
In an emergency order issued Thursday, exiting Ohio Governor Ted Strcikland did what the state was working on doing all year. He temporarily banned the ownership of exotic pets with support from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
From NBC4I:
The order fulfills Strickland's end of a deal brokered by his administration with the Humane Society of the United States, other animal rights groups and Ohio's agribusiness industry. The agreement prompted the Humane Society to withdraw a ballot issue containing a litany of restrictions on pet ownership and treatment and livestock care.
In a statement, he said the agreement "will keep Ohio's vital agriculture industry profitable while appropriately updating animal care standards."
"This rule will help protect Ohioans from deaths and serious injuries caused by attacks from dangerous wild animals held in private ownership," he said.
[....]
"Dangerous wild animals do not belong in the backyards and basements of private citizens," he said. "It's bad for the animals and dangerous for people. This emergency order is good for Ohio, and we look forward to seeing it implemented in the months ahead."
As an emergency measure, Strickland's order is temporary, running through March 6. However, (incoming governor) Kasich said Thursday that he supports the ban in concept.
"We don't want exotic animals here where somebody's bringing something in and then some neighbor gets hurt. So we'll look at it," he said during a news conference announcing three new cabinet directors. "It sounds reasonable, but just let me take a look at it. I would be inclined to say we should continue it."
So what animals are actually at risk with the proposed law? What can or can't be done? The emergency executive order is located here.
Continue reading "The Ohio exotics ban: What it means"
Saturday, January 8 2011
 Two recalls that may effect our reptile community were issued recently by the FDA. Metronidazole (Flagyl) and Triad alcohol products were both recalled.
First up, Teva's Metronidazole recalled for underweight tablets:
Underweight tablets may not contain the full amount of active ingredient within a single tablet, a consumer may not receive the prescribed dose. This may cause the infection the drug was intended to treat to worsen or recur, which could be life-threatening when treating severe infections. To date, Teva Pharmaceuticals, U.S.A. has not received any adverse events associated with the use of this product lot.
Wholesalers and retailers have been previously notified of this recall via overnight notification on 10/25/10 and are in the process of returning this product lot. Consumers who have lot 312566 in their possession are instructed to cease using the product and return it to their pharmacy. Wholesalers and retailers should cease distribution and examine their inventory immediately.
Next, Triad Alcohol Prep Pads, Alcohol Swabs, and Alcohol Swabsticks recalled due to microbial contamination:
Hartland, Wisconsin, Triad Group, a manufacturer of over-the-counter products has initiated a voluntary product recall involving ALL LOTS of ALCOHOL PREP PADS, ALCOHOL SWABS, and ALCOHOL SWABSTICKS manufactured by Triad Group but which are private labeled for many accounts to the consumer level. This recall involves those products marked as STERILE as well as non-sterile products. This recall has been initiated due to concerns from a customer about potential contamination of the products with an objectionable organism, namely Bacillus cereus. We are, out of an abundance of caution, recalling these lots to ensure that we are not the source of these contamination issues.
Use of contaminated Alcohol Prep Pads, Alcohol Swabs or Alcohol Swabsticks could lead to life-threatening infections, especially in at risk populations, including immune suppressed and surgical patients. To date we have received one report of a non-life-threatening skin infection.
Alcohol Prep Pads, Alcohol Swabs and Alcohol Swabsticks are used to disinfect prior to an injection. They were distributed nationwide to retail pharmacies and are packaged in individual packets and sold in retail pharmacies in a box of 100 packets. The affected Alcohol Prep Pads, Alcohol Swabs and Alcohol Swabsticks can be identified by either “Triad Group,” listed as the manufacturer, or the products are manufactured for a third party and use the names listed below in their packaging:
Cardinal Health
PSS Select
VersaPro
Boca/ Ultilet
Moore Medical
Walgreens
CVS
Conzellin
These products were distributed in the United States, Canada and Europe.
Each product has detailed instructions on what to do if you have them. Now I am off to call Triad.
By
Sat, January 8 2011 at 23:22
I have a baby ball python male, a little over 2 months of age and I recently had a problem with it. Ever since I got him two weeks ago he's been eating fine with the adult mice. But, last night I encountered a problem with him and it scared me. He ate the mice perfectly, I left the room and when I came back in two hours he had regurgitated the mouse. I was wondering how long should I wait until I start feeding him again? I heard rumors of 1 to 2 weeks but I wanted an answer from an expert, thanks.
By
Sat, January 8 2011 at 11:40
Among the serious efforts in which I believe every member of the responsible reptile and exotics keeping community need to be actively partaking in and rank with high importance, is the initiation of, and subsequently, the continual education of the general public (especially our elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels) as it relates to our hobby/industry and what it actually is that we do, and what it is that it is not. This is yet another topic in which I feel needs to be addressed by the herp and exotics community, for over many years now, I have noticed many (if not, an increase in) the number of uninformed members of the public posting largely uninformed, oftentimes outright incorrect comments/information on some Internet news article's comments sections, public forum or discussion board, or elsewhere. These individuals are likely those who might not fully understand our hobby, our animals, or the nature of their comments they are posting/stating.
In current times, and seemingly all too often, many members of the public seem to be taking very little to no time at all to research or verify the bits of information that they are exposed to before making a decision (or reaching a particular conclusion), which is, and should be, an important step in gaining the most informed opinion possible on any given subject matter. The reasons, or causes I believe for this have been discussed in further detail in a previous post of mine. Therefore, they will not be discussed in nearly as great of detail in this post. Nevertheless, due to the continued efforts of much of the sensationalistic and irresponsible news and "entertainment" media (Animal Rights Planet, anyone?), the extremist animal rights groups such as P.E.T.A and the Humane Society of the United States (H.S.U.S), or through simple ignorance, much of the public is largely being (mis)-educated, through the use and perpetuating of common misconceptions, or misnomers about the herpetoculture hobby. I am sure that most of us have heard the notion that if a lie is repeated often enough, it becomes truth.
Exotic Equates to Dangerous?
Using Princeton's definition of the word "exotic", the most applicable of their definitions states: "being or from or characteristic of another place or part of the world". Using that particular definition, and that definition only, any animal then that is found outside of your particular locality is "exotic". However, the use and nature of the word quite often has many negative connotations associated with it often due to various individuals or groups following underlying political agendas or ideologies. As a result, much of the public has been incorrectly led into believing that an "exotic" animal equates to being a "dangerous" animal from a foreign country recklessly imported into the United States that are all equally as dangerous and difficult to manage, often failing to realize that their own pet dog, cat, bird, hamster, gerbil, goldfish, or gecko can also be construed to be considered an "exotic" animal.
One case in point is the HSUS's "Exotic pets" campaign. Spending some time on HSUS's PR materials on "exotic pets", one sees quite a bit of mention of animals the public widely fears and misunderstands (and have been involved in rare yet extremely high profile cases) such as big cats, bears, venomous reptiles, and "large constricting snakes". And in a similar fashion to HSUS's TV ads showing abused puppies and kittens in animal shelters and implying that the majority of their donations are spent towards shelter animals depicted in their commercials, the implication here, whether explicitly or implicitly, is that these animals are therefore represent the most prevalent and widely held "exotic pets" in the United States. HSUS then regularly presents this list of animals to the public and to legislators as a "modest", and "reasonable" list of animals to outlaw, a technique which in of itself is among HSUS's well oiled, deceptive, and well funded PR measures, but one which still ignores the published facts and statistics demonstrating that the keeping of those animals presents NO significant threat to the public at large. Lest we not forget HSUS's stated agenda of "putting an end to the entire reptile trade" and to "ban the sale of reptiles as pets to the general public" in their 2001 publication, as Seen Here.
Deadly Invasive Reptiles, Coming to a Northern Town Near You?
As most members of the reptile community and industry have long been aware of, there has also been an unprecedented amount of news and television media hysteria initiated and perpetuated over the last several years (especially in 2008-present) surrounding the Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades as a result of Hurricane Andrew in the early 1990's. Adding even more kerosene to the already raging media bonfire was the tragic and unfortunate death of 2 year old Shauna Hare by an emaciated and improperly kept albino Burmese python in Florida 18 months ago. Even some so-called 'scientists" have participated in this media frenzy by publishing flawed climate maps in conjunction with the USGS projecting that Burmese pythons could inhabit the southern third of the United States in association with climate change. However, these reports have been widely criticized by the scientific community as "unsuitable for the basis of legislative or regulatory policy", and with no less than three independent and peer reviewed scientific papers disproving the USGS maps and report.
Unfortunately, though, widespread and reckless repetition and sensationalizing of this issue by the media has led many ill informed members of the public to believe that a similar "python problem" could occur in their area, since after all, it has occurred in south Florida, and irresponsible keepers could be dumping their pythons anywhere in the US, right?. The obvious flaw with that line of reasoning, however, is that it is largely ignorant of the natural history, biology, and temperature requirements of Burmese pythons, and pythons/boas in general. It is just one fundamental aspect of reptile biology and ecology, that we as responsible reptile keepers clearly need to more frequently explain/educate to the general public, for it otherwise appears to be lacking.
Are We All Now Animal "Hoarders"?
In recent years, the usage of the words "animal hoarding" has gained increasing popularity and exploitation among sensationalistic ratings driven television programming and news media. To quickly recap, the true definition who and what a "hoarder" should constitute as, is someone who habitually acquires and keeps any number of animals WHILE subjecting both themselves and their animals to unsanitary living environments, neglect, and/or lack of appropriate veterinary/medical care and attention. Every reader of this posting should keep that word, "while" in mind. Numbers alone are not, and should not, be a sole indicator of a hording or neglect situation.
However, the term "animal hoarder" has largely become simply another inane media buzzword, exploited recklessly (and without accountability) by media and some television networks to simply generate ratings at the expense of truth, facts, and ethics. As an end result, dedicated and passionate reptile keepers, hobbyists, and breeders collectively have all been perceived, and inaccurately characterized as "mentally deficient animal hoarders" by some segments of the public, while the very responsibility and dedication many of us hold towards caring for our animals, collections, and to the hobby/industry itself is suddenly plagued with the negative stigma or connotation of "animal hoarding" as a result. Many likely do not realize or understand the true meaning of the word and/or how to properly distinguish a true "hoarder" from someone who is a responsible pet owner, hobbyist, or breeder. Nevertheless, if herp keeping and propagation now constitutes as "animal hoarding" of the 21st century, that may well then classify tens of thousands of individuals worldwide as such, therefore rendering researcher's estimates of the scope of this so called "epidemic" to be grossly underestimated!
Most Reptiles still wild caught?
A third and final mis-notion I believe much of the public our hobby and the animals we keep and offer for sale is that we are still harvesting, acquiring and importing most, if not all, of our them from the wild in some "cruel and abusive fashion resulting in widespread animal neglect and suffering as well as depletion of all of our natural resources" (as would the HSUS would have the public believe). Now, wild collection and importation does still occur, and cases of animal abuse or neglect can and do accompany it on occasion. However, I believe that responsible importation practices are still necessary to some degree in order to help continually maintain genetic and bloodline diversity in the animals we maintain in our collections provided all collection and importation regulations are abided by. However, more importantly and to the point at hand, in my opinion, we must also educate and stress to the public about the tremendous advancements we have made thus far (and the importance of) in providing healthy, well acclimated captive bred and born animals for numerous domestic industries and that the vast majority of animals we now offer are (or have been) domestically produced.
Walking the aisles at Tinley Park in IL at the NARBC/Summit show back in 2009 (which was the last time I was in attendance for the show), I was astonished to see how many color morphs of different species of snakes and other reptiles have now been produced, which species were now available as captive bred and born specimens, and the many different products and services now available for keeping reptiles and amphibians. Even at the smaller local shows we have here in Madison WI and Sturtevant WI, I have noticed many of these developments unfolding. Ten years ago, I would only have imagined more than half of the developments I noticed at these shows coming to reality.
Despite this, and in closing, I believe that much of the general public is still largely in the dark when it comes to most of these developments we have experienced and made within our hobby and industry thus far as well as our current scope; the increased prevalence and diversity of captive bred and born animals and color/pattern morphs, the large and small, national and local captive born only shows alike, and yes, Waterland Turtle Tubs (when aquariums or outdoor ponds have long been the only options for keeping aquatic turtles, for example).
Other Thoughts?
|
