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In the world of venom, Paul Rowley is a stellar name. If you don’t know him personally, you should without a doubt know his name and the work he does with venomous snakes. Paul is the U.K.’s premier venom extractor, working at Alistair Reid Venom Research Unit at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool, England. LSTM is known the world over for its’ research and contributions in the production of antivenom.
A normal day at the office for Paul is the stuff of nightmares for some and the matter of dreams for others. Paul is a (normally) quiet, shy-at-first, unassuming type of guy. If you met Paul on the street you would never guess what he does for a living. And for a LIVING, I absolutely mean! Paul’s contributions to the planet are enormous. It’s estimated that he helps save several THOUSAND lives annually all over the globe, especially in notable places such as West Africa. ANNUALLY! The project has been in operation from around 2006 and has, so far, saved around 14,000 lives. And it’s not just human lives that Paul is concerned with. He genuinely cares for his charges at LSTM and they could be in no better hands. I sometimes think Paul takes better care of these venom pumps than he does of himself. Paul gives tours of his venom unit at LSTM to visitors, children, VIP’s and even Royalty! He is no stranger to the camera and his latest venture on film was to help Rom Whitaker in the making of: “One Million Snake Bites” for BBC in July of 2010. Paul is an integral part of “The Family,” and seems continually amazed at his own status!
Paul is the type of guy, who once you get to know, can make you laugh regularly. Sometimes he means to and other times he does something out of left field that you can’t help but snort at! I had the pleasure of taking Paul to Deadwood, South Dakota in October of 2010. During this trip I’m pretty sure I snorted at least a hundred times!
Come with me, back to Deadwood, and meet Paul Rowley.
It’s a beautiful, warm October evening in South Dakota, unusual for this time of year. The sun is setting over the mountains as we drive into the valley that is Deadwood. The smell of pine is heavy in the air. As I drive, I can see Paul looking in every direction soaking up each new sight. I am confident in my ability to find the parking garage downtown (if you know me, you will find the irony in this statement…). As I slowly navigate up the cobbled street, I flick my blinker to indicate we are turning right. I have no problem pulling into a space right in front and I park expertly. Unfolding ourselves from the car and stretching, I tell Paul that I am starving for steak! I look like any other “tourist” in jeans and a T-shirt, but Paul looks like is ready for a safari wearing his khaki long sleeve shirt tucked into his khaki field pants (and his ever present watch!). Walking with a quick pace from the garage out to the street, Paul blinks as he looks at the historic buildings on either side, their lights now coming on illuminating them against the falling darkness. “I just love the old west. I sometimes think I was born on the wrong continent.” He says.
We walk up the small side avenue to enter onto Main Street. We take no time to explore this side of the street and cross over to make the short walk to a fabulous steak house. My stomach growls loudly as we enter and the myriad smells of steak, potatoes and other foods waft around us. Paul glances at me and I laugh as I tell him: “I SAID I was hungry!!!!” Paul nods in agreement and catches the eye of the host. The host greets us and asks us to follow him to a table. I notice Paul’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise and wonder what caught his attention. We take in the atmosphere… wooden tables, padded booths, wagon wheel chandeliers and artfully scattered sawdust as we make the way to our table. Taking our seats, the host hands us our menu’s and tells us the waiter will be right over. Again, Paul looks surprised but I am too focused on the menu and getting food to ask questions. Perusing the menu and the fabulous sustenance offered therein, I glance up just as the young waiter arrives. Setting our glasses of water on the table, he flashes a high beam smile and introduces himself in a sing-song way. I am still looking at him when I hear Paul cough/laugh. I look at Paul to be sure I interpreted the sound accurately. Paul’s face is bright red and it’s obvious he is having some issues. I ask if he is ok in genuine concern. “Fine, fine. No worries!” he manages to blurt between coughs meant to disguise his laughter. The waiter tells us he will give us a few minutes to decide and that his name is “Derrick.” He asks if we would like anything else to drink. Paul decides on a local beer brew and I order a Diet Coke. Derrick notices Pauls’ accent and inquires about it. I am beginning to wonder if Paul is having some sort of stroke when I notice perspiration beading on his now burgundy forehead and note with interest that he can’t seem to maintain eye contact with Derrick… who, having just found out where Paul is from is now regaling us with how much he would LOVE to visit England. Paul’s mouth is executing a fascinating array of positions and it is obvious he is struggling. As the waiter leaves I, again, immediately ask Paul if he is ok. Unable to hold it in any longer, Paul laughs outright. “Did you hear his accent?!” Paul says. “Umm. Yeah. Texas, I think.” I answer. Paul is SO full of absolute mirth that it is contagious and I begin laughing, too. For no reason, this seems to inspire both of us into a fit of laughter, causing all the patrons in the immediate area to glance at us. This causes more laughter on our part and we can’t seem to stop! The waiter brings Paul’s microbrew and my coke over to the table and takes our orders. Paul quickly puts the beer to his mouth, in an effort to cover his laughter. I snort my order at Derrick; steak and a baked potato. Paul, trying gallantly to maintain his dry, English countenance, orders too… a buffalo burger. Derrick flicks a look of suspicion at both of us and suddenly we are again taken with a fit of laughter. Wiping the tears from my eyes as Derrick walks away to put our orders in with the chef, I decide to try to maintain some dignity and ask Paul about himself and his career.
Knowing what Paul does for a living, I can’t help but wonder if he has ALWAYS loved reptiles. I ask him about this. Paul glances at Derrick who is at the next table, and then shrugs his shoulders. Quietly, he answers:
“Reptiles are in my blood… as an infant I was drawn to reptiles, particularly snakes. My first ever memory was seeing some old snake sloughs that my Grandfather kept in a glass “trophy” cup (styled like the sort of sliver 2 handled cup that people are presented with, but made of glass) these where from the Dice snakes (Natrix tessellate) and Grass snakes (Natrix natrix) that my Father kept as a boy. I became fascinated with the fact that snakes could shed their skin in one go. Then when I got to see some live snakes, came the realization of just how much they can achieve without limbs and of course in the case of venomous snakes, their absolute killing power. I was hooked! My interest didn’t go unnoticed by my family and with my Grandmother already working at Chester Zoo it wasn’t long before I was a regular visitor to the wonderful reptile house. At the time, virtually every other cage had something venomous and exciting for me to look at. I pretty much decided there & then that I wanted to work with venomous snakes one day. 40 + years on and that is exactly what I do for a living.”
I nod at Paul, impressed that he has done precisely in life what he set out to do. I slowly stir the ice in my Diet Coke with my straw and tell Paul that my first reptile, when I was 4, was an icon of the American West… a Horny Toad. Then I inquire as to Paul’s first reptile.
“My first snake was a Red-Sided Garter in 1969. I think these where fairly common at the time but this one was given to me by the Curator of reptiles at Chester Zoo, so was kind of special. A few more snakes came my way via the zoo staff… sand boas and a reticulated python to name a few. I also kept slow-worms, wall lizards and terrapins etc.
A funny story though: My parents had a Greek tortoise back in the 1960’s before I was born, given to my Father while in the army by the Brigadier. We also had Pixie our Cairn terrier and she had some “toys” that were actually large beach-stones, pebble shaped but much larger & heavier. Pixie loved nudging these stones around the garden and she would bark for attention if one of her toys fell down a grid or some other such place where she couldn’t push it back out from. Sometimes though, the poor tortoise would receive the same treatment as those rocks and she’d be pushing the poor thing around the garden and we would have to go and rescue it!”
We both laugh at that memory and I become more curious about Paul’s experiences. Noting that he had some exclusive interactions and learning experiences at an early age, I ask Paul if he studied reptiles in school as well.
“I’m sure we covered reptiles in general terms along with natural history. I was the kid who always had their hand up in such classes. It didn’t matter if the topic was mammals, birds, reptiles, fish or inverts, young Rowley always had something to say. Other school children referred to our family home as the “Zoo” due to all the wonderful exotic creatures we had.”
With such a unique background with many animals to choose from, I want to know how Paul chose reptiles as his main focus.
“Yes, I seem to have a natural affinity to a wide range of different animals and I’ve certainly handled / worked with some interesting creatures over the years. I made a list once, it was long!
Reptiles and in particular venomous snakes have always been my main interest, along with crocodilians. Although I had been keeping reptiles privately for 10 years, it was when I took a job at Chester Zoo that I started on my career “path” to becoming a Herpetologist. I actually left school a month early and took days off in order to go and sit my exams. I didn’t go into further education and I certainly don’t consider myself gifted academically, but I do have an inquisitive mind and I learnt some good practical skills. I progressed to the point of being a Senior Reptile Keeper. After spending 14 years at Chester Zoo I was made redundant in 1992 due to a serious drop in visitor numbers. The reptile section went from having a Staff of 4 down to 2 leaving just the Curator of Reptiles and one female senior keeper who also happened to be his partner and it was obvious that he wasn’t going to let his girlfriend lose her job. A few months later the Curator phoned me up to say that there was a vacancy at LSTM in Liverpool. That was 1993 and I’m still here (for now). My “specialization” I guess is the husbandry of a major venomous snake collection held for the purpose of venom research. I hold the distinction within the UK of being the only person routinely extracting venom for research. I am considered to be a skilled snake handler, given the tens of thousands of hours spent doing this work I guess I ought to be eh?
One thing that became obvious last year while at a meeting in London Zoo was just how much freedom I happen to have when it comes to handling snakes. Obviously due to the fact that I am doing venom extractions I need to physically handle the snakes. This is so different to the situation in zoos and safari parks across the UK where zero handling is the norm. The audience were certainly impressed with my presentation detailing various “holds” and procedures, techniques that the Health & Safety do-gooders would see lost to all but myself and private venomous keepers.”
Paul has taught me a lot of handling techniques both outright and vicariously by me watching and listening. Paul trains many specialists in handling techniques and in venom extraction. Some of handling is a natural affinity but we all learn so much more when we can learn from experts. Paul describes one of his mentors:
“I was initially taught to handle venomous snakes by the two keepers (names are withheld due to privacy) who ran the Chester Zoo reptile section at the time. They were about as different as you could get in their approach to handling. One was a perfectionist who would try to plan every move in advance. She had taken 2 bad bites in her time (pygmy rattler and a rhino viper that cost her a finger tip) so was extremely cautious (if not over-cautious). The other, by contrast, was very relaxed and comfortable to the point of being caviler. My style developed as from a mix of the two.
With the move to LSTM came another mentor with a very different style. The Professor wasn’t a “snake-man” per se, so had developed techniques that were influenced by the “safety” of Staff within the Herpetarium rather than the snakes themselves. If a snake was on the floor he would be saying “grab it, grab it” and I’d say “It can’t go anywhere, there’s no rush!” and gently maneuver the snake around. I set about revising methods so as to use a more gentle, kinder way of “handling.” We had also been using a technique favored in Latin America to knock-out snakes such as Crotalus durissus prior to venom extraction involving Dry Ice. A trip to a local brewery where we were invited to “smell the hops fermenting” convinced me that carbon dioxide inhalation is not pleasant, so I set about designing my famous “neck-brace tool” which has proven to be a great success and is routinely used on large Bitis, Crotalids, Vipers.
Although I am pretty well established as a snake handler, I am always open to new ideas and techniques I have worked alongside Mark O’Shea, Tony Phelps and Wolfgang Wuster to name just a few people. They differ in their methods, but this provides for variations in techniques.
Probably one of the most notable stories in connection to my career involves the late John Foden. He was an "old school" snake man who was one of the founding members of the International Herpetological Society as well as Curator of Reptiles at Drayton Manor Park. He was a father figure to many of us younger guys & girls. I first met him when he would visit us at Chester Zoo. He was a larger than life character who always entertained us with his stories and jokes. When I moved to LSTM I had the honor of showing him our collection on several occasions. You could see the excitement in his face as I'd get various snakes out for him to play with. I would visit him at Drayton Manor and here is where the story unfolds. I had been helping him clean out various cages at his house and we had worked through quite a number of snakes until we came to one young Australian Elapid (a King Brown IIRC). John was really struggling with this snake and I was acting as ”back-up handler.” I don't know what came over me but I said "oh, come here" as with one quick swipe of my hook I had the snake back in its box and the lid securely fastened. Proud of myself on my reflexes and hooking skills I looked at John and it hit me like a sledgehammer! I suddenly felt so bad! I had just upstaged the grandmaster, shown-up one of the most respected snake-men I knew. I apologized to John and a broad smile spread across his face. He said: "Paul, don't apologize, don't feel embarrassed. You’re a dammed good snake handler, you’re handling them every day and it really shows. No need to say sorry!" That was a special moment. One I will never forget.
Later when John was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he asked if I would take his snakes when the “time” came. I felt honored that he saw in me someone who cared about snakes as much as he did. On the day following his death I was there at the Park honoring his last wishes. Even that day, he must have been laughing from above as Mark O’Shea and I were sorting through various cages and trap-boxes. Thing was with John’s private collection, none of the cages when labeled. It was a case of “What do you think is in here? Dunno, let’s open it!” Then “jeeeze” as we were confronted by a fairly large King Cobra. We ended up taking 3 Kings that day along with plenty of other interesting snakes. 11 years on and there are a number of those snakes still here in the collection.”
I smile at the affection I hear in Paul’s voice. As with most of us, snake handling and the people in the hobby and profession are not just a way we spend time “at work.” It is a way of life. We eat, breathe and sleep the field of Herpetology. I like the laughter I see in Paul’s eyes when he describes his little “adventure” with Mark O’Shea and it perks my curiosity. I ask Paul about the funniest thing that’s ever happened revolving around his career.
“Hmm, there was the time I was cleaning out the croc pool. It had been a busy weekend and there was all sorts of rubbish that the public had thrown into the pool. I told the curator I was heading off to clean the “empty croc” pool. Because it was empty I didn’t bother taking a broom just a black bin (trash) sac and a pair of litter pickers. Working away quite happily. All of a sudden this croc came flying out of the water at me. Trapped in a corner, shaking a black bin sac at the croc while trying to climb backwards over the wall! I went back into the reptile house and demanded to know why there was a croc in a supposedly “empty” pool. “Oh, they were fighting so we had to separate them, forgot to tell you, sorry!” It’s funny now but not at the time!”
Suddenly, Paul sits straight up with a laugh. He laughs outright as he tells another anecdote:
“Another time that was funny was hearing a terrible scream from the far end of the Reptile house.. I ran down the corridor thinking that the female curator had been bitten by something venomous. I found her at the back of the Rhino Iguana enclosure quite obviously upset. The cause? A banana spider! Not much bigger than our common house spiders! In time we learned to recognize when she had “found” another spider!”
Paul shakes his head in mirth as I laugh. Glancing over Paul’s shoulder, I see the horrified look on the tourists faces in the next booth. I guess some people just don’t appreciate a good spider story. Shaking my head, I glance at several other booths and notice that people are staring in rapt attention. Our conversation has not gone un-noticed. As I am sneaking covert glances at the other tables, Derrick reappears with our supper. The plates are piled high in a breath taking presentation and the warm, intense smell causes my stomach to rumble loudly, again. Paul glances at me and quirks one eyebrow. I smile and delicately shrug my shoulders as I dive in! I am midway to my mouth with my first much coveted bite when my eyes land on Paul’s plate. I freeze. I blink. I blink again. Paul is attacking his Buffalo burger in a MOST British manner; with knife and fork. As this sight soaks in, I begin snorting in earnest. Paul looks at me, surprised, and I can only point to the fork and knife he is wielding. “What?” he inquires. I merely snort again as I take my bite of food and chew thinking I have died and gone to heaven. I watch Paul carefully maneuver the bite of Buffalo to his mouth and watch with interest as he tastes the unique flavor. Paul processes the bite, swallows and nods his approval as he cuts another piece. I snort again and roll my eyes at him. Paul leans forward and says: “What? Do you expect me to actually eat this with my hands?!” The comment is made in absolute sincerity and I respond with: “Well, that’s what we American’s do!” Paul shakes his head at me and continues to cut his burger. My attention slides back to the people surrounding us and their interest in our conversation. Thinking to really give them a good story, I ask Paul about the scariest moment he’s ever had with reptiles.
“Bites obviously rank pretty highly on the list . I’ve never thought that I might die. We had a young Sri-Lankan doctor working with us when I happened to take my second Crotalus durissus bite. Ariarne had helped treat snake-bite victims back home and insisted on accompanying me to the hospital, the poor girl was clearly stressed that I might die or something. I ended up having to comfort and reassure her I was going to be OK.
I had a rather scary moment one morning (July 2008). I was at work early and rushing around as I needed to get down to the West Midlands Safari Park later that day to present a talk.. I worked my way through assist feeding 13 young King Cobras. As I got to the last snake, I suddenly felt ill. It took all my reserves of strength to fight blacking out with a King Cobra in my hand. Somehow I managed to get the snake into a box before collapsing, wondering what the hell had just happened. I carefully examined my hands for any sign of puncture wounds in case I might have been scratched by a fang and then took myself over to the hospital. No sign of envenomation. They thought it might have been dehydration, but I’m not so sure! The scary part was NOT knowing why!
Another scary moment was while out in Cameroon doing some voluntary work for the Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund. My friend Chris ran the project and had invited me out to teach his staff how to handle venomous snakes and crocs at the zoo. I’d find time to wander around on my own looking for herps, but it was a bit too populated with people. Chris suggested that Charles, an ex soldier who we hired as “security,” should take Susan, a pretty Welsh blonde and I out to some remote area so we could search for snakes . After a few hours driving in a battered old Land-Rover that broke down and I helped fix, we arrived at the chosen site. Charles wandered off and spent the time with some army buddies while Susan and I wandered around searching. We found several snakes including a Night Adder. Finally, in late afternoon, we set off back to the house. We related to Chris what we found and where we had been searching. Chris suddenly went rather pale and began yelling at stupid Charles calling him all sorts of colorful names. Seeing the confusion on our faces, he turned to Susan and I and said: “Do you know what that bloody stupid bugger has done? He only sent you pair wandering around an area laden with Land Mines!!!!!”
Another scary moment was seeing a friend put her hand into a cage with a “dead” Gaboon Viper. She reached in with a snake hook and moved the Gaboon first, as you always should. The snake appeared dead to both of us. Neither of us are exactly novices, so we trusted our judgment at that moment. Upon determining the state of the snake (or so we thought) we agreed that the mass should be identified (crudely at this point). We both thought the snake was dead; she was reaching in to palpate a mass on the snake to see if it was an air pocket or solid tissue. She had the entire hind half of this rather large Gaboon in her hands and then he slowly turned his head to look at her. We both jumped a foot and she let go immediately. The snake never tried to strike her but she was very lucky. If you have worked with bitis, you understand how fast their strikes really are. Lesson learnt that day I think….. I would much rather take a bite myself than allow someone I cared about to be hurt (if you are wondering, yes, that was the Venom Angel he is speaking of).
I’m not that scared of dying and I certainly don’t go to work thinking I might end up in hospital or a wooden box! “
The reaction from the surrounding booths is exactly what I had hoped for. There is a range of emotion showing on every single face. Disgust, horror, fascination… but each one staring in rapt attention. I smile my thousand watt smile at people and encourage Paul to keep talking. I ask him what species is his favorite to work with and what is the most difficult.
“Well, I reckon my favorite species is anything with fangs! I really like the variety of working with different species. We have around 26 species at the moment (at LSTM) which is rather low. The most I ever had at one time was 50 species and 350 specimens. I particularly like our eyelash vipers and mambas.”
Paul takes a quick scan around the room and then leans close and says loudly, in a conspiratorial manner,
“I’d also like to try handling a sexy female vampire… they apparently have fangs too… not sure what species they are though!” He then breaks out into laughter and winks at me. I chuckle and encourage him to think about the most difficult species. Paul takes a few moments to think, pursing his lips and letting out a small sigh. As the answer comes to him, he quickly glances up at me and snaps his fingers, saying:
“For sheer bad attitude probably Sri-Lankan Russel’s Vipers, Daboia russelli.
For risk, the Malayan Kraits Bungarus candidus, no antivenom. They are the sort of species I psyche myself up for and take extra care when handling for venom extractions.”
Knowing his contributions in teaching venom extraction, I ask Paul about the people he has worked with and trained.
Some such as John Foden have sadly passed on. Others are now more friends than peers, B.G.F. (Bryan Grieg Fry), David Williams, Mark O’Shea, Rom Whitaker, Tony Phelps, Wolfgang Wuster and the Venom Angel!!! Last but not least are some of my “new” friends via FaceBook.
The venom I have extracted from our snakes has, with the help of our small venom research unit and overseas collaborators, gone on to save thousands of lives across West Africa.
I have, on too many occasions, “taken the call” telling me that someone has been bitten. I have been able to help out and ensure that the person has received the fastest and best possible care. It is really gut retching when it happens but I try my best to stay calm and professional.
Whenever possible I like to help and encourage newer (venomous) keepers or the younger generation of herpers.
I enjoy teaching / mentoring people whenever I can. I also helped to design an accredited snake-handling course for the Home Office (UK government) where I teach students who are going to be working with venomous snakes, generally in relation to University based field work.
I do get to meet a wide range of interesting people through my work, TV celebrities, VIP’s and even Royalty. There have also been opportunities for me to get involved in TV work. Another aspect has been the chance to get involved with field work / research projects in some pretty remote areas, the Sahara and Cameroonian rain forests, India etc.
My least favorite part would be seeing how stupid some novice reptile owners can be, for example snakes that have been burnt by heaters because the rest of the cage is too dammed cold.“
Paul is a vital member of “The Family” and I ask him specifically about that.
“I have always felt a kindred spirit towards any fellow venomous keepers either private or professional and I do care when something happens to anyone of them no matter how well I might know them personally, or not, as the case might be. Over the years I have got to know some of the world’s most influential members of the venomous community and I feel honored to be able to say that some of these people are personal friends.
The concept of the “family” is relatively new to me but I would have to say that getting to know the key member, the one who holds us all together, to become her friend, meet and physically spend time with her are memories that I will always cherish!”
Speaking of family, Paul and I discuss some of the newer members and the herp. community in general. So many changes have taken place over the last two decades in our field.
“Two things really stand out.” Paul says.
“Just how far things have progressed in relation to the amount of help, advice and information that is now freely available via the internet, forums, and magazines. The fact that contact can be made via e-mail, forums, facebook etc. with some of the world’s leading figures within the herp community. That you can be chatting with someone the other side of the world, that is amazing! Maybe some people take this availability for granted and communication (as in snail mail) has lost some of the respect it once had? By far the biggest change is the sheer number of women / girls who are now involved with reptile keeping both privately and professionally. I enthusiastically support this gradual change for the better. I now notice when giving talks, attending shows or meetings that the gender mix is pretty even. I am not one of those blokes who think reptiles, especially venomous are the preserve of men, far from it. I actually prefer working with women. They don’t have the “ego” and are often more gentle and considerate of their animals. Courtney Roles is a good example of a young woman new to the hobby. She works hard and she asks questions from everyone around her that she respects. She doesn’t argue the advice and she puts it into practice. It’s a pleasure sharing knowledge with someone who is respectful and learns.”
Thinking of Courtney, I ask Paul what his advice would be to someone just now starting out in the field.
“It is good to be relaxed and comfortable around venomous snakes but never become complacent! Remember that no matter how long you might have been handling venomous snakes, there are going to be the times when a snake does something different to what you expect...so expect the unexpected!
I honestly can’t think of anything reptile related that I wouldn’t do again…. even being bitten can have it’s positive side in that I now appreciate first-hand what is involved, the pain, shock, stress and treatment. This gives me the opportunity to talk with students and other visitors about the effects of snake-bites. I, in no way, want to encourage anyone to handle venomous snakes without first doing the explicit research involved. This also includes owning nonvenomous snakes and understanding them fully before any attempt what-so-ever is made with a “hot.” My advice here is also to listen to what you are being instructed on and take the advice from experts. They got to be where they are for a reason. If you are going to throw out their advice then you should expect to get a bite and possibly death, not to mention you make a fool out of yourself in the process.”
As our supper comes to and end and the time to go for an evening stroll in Deadwood approaches, Paul shakes his head, coming out of his thoughts. He turns a serious eye on me and tells me what he would really like for the future and how he would like to be remembered.
“There are two things I really want to do and they are inextricably linked ….. I would like to run a public venomous snake display / combined venom lab to provide both education and a valuable product (venom) for research and to have and a wonderful woman as my partner or wife, someone who shares a love of reptiles, who understands the “venomous thing”…. Someone who is just as capable as me and is able to love me for who I am….. If it can only be “one thing,” I guess it would be to meet the (single) woman with her own venomous collection and take it from there.
Funny thing is you never really get to know what people REALLY think about you until you are dead and then it is a bit late!
Someday, I’d like to be remembered as a good snake handler….and someone who did something worthwhile. I guess that will do.”
For further information on the school where Paul works, please see the following site:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
http://www.lstmliverpool.ac.uk
Oh! And what did Paul think about the Buffalo Burger? “I Really enjoyed it, tasted very good!”
Deadwood? “Fantastic place, full of real “History!” Signs gave details of famous events that had taken place on the high street. One highlight was having our photos taken in period costumes… even then I had to carefully check out the cowboy hats to make sure I had “my” style.”
*The Venom Angel would like to salute Paul for his bravery in taking this small trip with me. Paul didn’t scream one time while I was driving and there was ample opportunity for him to do so! “I” even screamed one time at my OWN driving! I lost a hubcap off my car right outside of Deadwood as we were leaving if that gives you any clue. Paul, you are brave to work with so many venomous animals on a daily basis and you are brave to ride in a car with ME driving!
With so many friends and family members spread through the country, I wanted to live stream my talk so they could be here to support me. In fact two of the most important people in my life, my husband and my father, are tucked away in Wisconsin while I was here presenting. The good news is the talk is here for you all to enjoy. This is an ever evolving talk, so if you have more input, please feel free to email me!
So today we had a clutch of spiders hatching. HA thats we we thoguht any ways. No spiders you know what we call that? Bad Odds! Yes it happens. 7 eggs and no spiders. You know what that means someone sold me a spider that is not a real spider! no no no that is just they way it goes. Maybe on aanother clutch this season we will have more favorable odds and score on something big. This is always the fun time of year waiting and watching what comes out of the eggs. Plus it is show season! You all ready for that? Heack we are finally going to be able to start showing 2011 animals. We may have a few in Daytona but most of them all hatch afterwards so Chicago will be the big showing of the 2011 animals. Look slike Mocha Mojaves we will be hatching soon. Keep a look out for them. They are the nicest white snake we produce.
I wish I would have made the David Lazcano talk, I happened to come in at the end and he was funny. Emmanuel Van Heygen was the first talk I caught. Speaking on the North-Western Madagascar and the Phelsuma Geckos he gave a quick break down of each species and its distribution range. Any talk that Emmanuel gives is always accompanied by lovely photos he has taken when in the field. Bamboo sounds as if it is the key to proper husbandry of the Phelsuma geckos. There was a lot of breakdown of each species with photos of them in their natural habitat.
A multi-disciplinary approach needs to be used to look at vet med for endangered species. More than treating the illness but treating the situation and environment. The program that they worked with for the Rio Grande River Cooters targeted the area pollution as well as the water pollution oat the TX-Mexico borders. The compared both pristine as well as contaminated river systems for the research and they used the animals from the Devil’s and Peco’s Rivers as their baseline species.
They did sampling, physicals, blood work, to compare with the Rio Grande population. They also assisted on the Cyclura pinguis project on the Virgin Islands. It was a head start program to help reintroduce the species on the wild. The benefits of releasing head-started animals are obvious, but the drawbacks are issues. They tend to imprint on the birth location, they have a harder time finding hide spots, feeding and basking locations. The project head-started, implanted transmitters and then tracked the animals after release.
NY: Owner of alligator and python seized in May by DEC pleads guilty to owning wild animals
Syracuse, NY -- The owner of Howard the alligator and Sponge Bob the albino Burmese python, two reptiles seized earlier this year from the man's Syracuse home, pleaded guilty today to two counts of unlawful possession of a wild animal, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/07/owner_of_alligator_and_python.html
HI: Police seize ball python from Waialua home
Police seized a snake from a Waialua home today after someone called Crime Stoppers to report it. It is the 13th illegal reptile taken in by state officials since June 29. http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/126043528.html
The post-lunch talks started with Dr. Gary Ferguson on his field work with the Texas Horned lizards. They are secretive, slow moving, and cute. How true that is.
They are opportunistic insectivores however while they will go after anything that moves it appears the ants are what they can only catch/ The common agreements seem to be that they are a longer-lived animal, with the oldest so far tracked at 8 years ago going strong. In Texas they seem to be a species of concern, but their global status is fairly stable.
In Texas, pretty much everyone knows the Horny Toad; they are the mascot of TCU. In captivity, they are very hard to maintain, but it really is possible. The diet seems to be the hardest part of the husbandry. One lizard can eat between 30-100 ants per day. They also have a very large space requirement and for their size they need an exceptionally large cage in comparison. He explained the UV and thermal gradient studies that they did. Sharing a bit of the natural history of their campsite, he went on to describe the techniques. One difference between the sexes is that the males tend to spend more time midday hiding at ground level under the vegetation, but the females, while still staying out of direct sunlight, they tend to climb higher.
Ari R Flagle then spoke on the basking levels of Boelen’s Pythons.
This just hatched out yesterday. Very cool looking. We are just waitiing for them to shed out to see how they really look but so far this is a winner in our books.
CA: Stolen Exotic Pets Brought Back To Lodi Store
GBU Exotic pets said the women who stole the animals apologized in a letter. But owner, Naomi Berry said they won't trust people so easily again. http://www.kcra.com/r/28684743/detail.html
Yes you have probably noticed that we have changed things around here a bit this week. While change can be painful, it is also good and necessary if a web site needs to grow, and once again it's time for kingsnake.com to grow. And as usual it hasn't been without it's bugs either.
As of today kingsnake.com's server farm consists of 16 servers, billions of lines of code, and millions of files. As you might imagine changing all of that out is a massive undertaking, and while the majority of the changes have been implemented it will be weeks before all of our files have been converted, upgraded, or tweaked. I would ask our members to hold off on reporting bugs in the system until Monday to give us a fair chance to find and kill them on our own.
Until then please look around and check out some of the new features. On Monday I will be posting a rundown of what's new to the site and what has changed. And a big thanks goes out to Jerry Kruse for allowing us to use his Zonata image for our new logo!
After many many years of seeing the "Leos" popping up in Peter Kahl's Piebald project, I've finally hatched some "on purpose". I remember seeing a Leo hatchling at Pete's place in the mid 90's. At the time we didn't think much of it.....just brushed it off as one of those "non genetic" Jungles....aka "Classic Jungle"
At that time I had been buying pieds, hets and poss hets to get my own Pied project on the ground. I even produced a couple Leos while producing hets and poss hets for myself.........yep.........I sold them!!! Didn't give them a second thought as being anything "special"..........Pete was doing the same thing. Selling the Leos and Pied Leos as regular hets and Pieds.........
Well, without getting into too much TOP SECRET stuff........the Leo gene was figured out once it hit on a Spider........at that time the gene was called "Jungle"...this was just a name to describe what they looked like........the name "Leopard" was then "agreed on" and now we have a fresh new "pattern chopper" to use in our arsenal for producing crazy pattern mutations.
Getting back to the Leo Spider.......I remember seeing one for the first time and my jaw dropped. That's when I knew the the Leo gene was the "real deal" and I was kicking myself in the ass for not paying more attention to what I was producing from my own stock........I had "Platty Daddy" on the brain!!..........but that's another story..
Soooooo..........after many years I've finally focused on what the heck these things look like and isolated them all in my collection in hopes to start producing some new combos of my own........many breeders have already started the Leo project and have nice established groups to work with.
I know a "secret" about the LEO that not many others do ( it's TRUE POWER! )......aside from the people who have been working very closely with it for many years. A few of you reading this know exactly what I'm talking about........the rest of you can wait!!....HA!!
Anyway..........Kyle and I shot a video clip of 2011 clutch # 3......it was a Leo Pied male bred to a normal female.......in the video we have one female Leopard out. I will post more vids and updates as more hatch out this season.
Is this called "bloggin'"?........I think some loud mouth snake dude used to do that wayyyy back in the day when it was not cool.......back then they told the poor bastage to "get a life"..........now we can't live with out a blog can we?!......Ha!!...........I'm OUT!!!!.......and oh yeah.........as retro as it is..........ROCK ON!!!!!!!!!!.........dot,dot,dot..........
Having survived the Biology of the Rattlesnakes Symposium in Tuscon, we are continuing our road trip. I will be hitting the pavement with Bryan Grieg Fry to make our way to the International Herpetological Symposium in Fort Worth, Texas. We will be making a pit stop along the way, paying a visit to former chat guest Doug Hotle at the Albuquerque Bio Park in Albuquerque, NM.
This year, follow me on kingsnake connect and you will see everything I am doing as it happens.
Are you a regular Twitter user? We have started a hashtag for the event! Post from the show with #IHS to join in on the fun! Not familiar with how hashtags work? No problem! Check out this helpful link for more information.
Safe travels to all on their way to and from the show. If you see me, please stop and say hi!
My original reason for visiting the Albuquerque Bio Park was to see Doug Hotle and his sea snakes, but the prize was the Komodo Dragon. How did I not know there was one there?
After leaving the Chiricahuas early in the morning, Bryan Fry and I headed on our long journey to visit Doug and see his amazing collection. We arrived a bit later than we would have liked, but it worked out in the end as Doug had a slight emergency to deal with in the morning.
After making my first drive in mountains and a very long desolate drive from one side of the state to the other, we arrived at the Bio Park mid-afternoon. Grabbing Doug quickly at the end of the day, we had an amazing tour. Starting with some of the animals in his garter snake program and ending with the sea snakes, it was one of the top venomous collections out there.
The true joy for me came when I turned around in one room and saw the sign on the door. KOMODO. The sheer happiness and excitement that those words put in all of us was epic. But when Doug said we could play, that sent me to insane peaks of ecstasy!
Guiding us in to meet the male, I was very glad I wore shoes that covered my toes. An outgoing man of beautiful shades of turquoise and orange, he slowly took the time to greet each of us. Then one of Doug's assistants made my day offering to allow me to feed him. Snuggling and feeding? Can it get more epic?
Sometimes being the early bird is a good thing, and today was no different. I was up with the sun and stepped outside to get a few shots of the Chiricahua Mountains in the morning light, and behind me came a very well known face planning to do the same thing. While I stayed barefoot on the slab of the lodge, Mark O'Shea walked with a purpose. He wanted to get a clear shot of the fire damage and trotted across the street.
I stood in my jammies taking a few shots and keeping half an eye on Mark as he crossed the street until I saw that well known white shirt drop down. Turning to look, I saw him coming toward me, camera over his shoulder and snake held very securely in both hands. At that point being barefoot really didn't matter; I had to see what he had. It was a Mojave Rattlesnake and the two of us ran up to the lodge and bagged it. Of course this resulted in everyone present being woken up, but hell -- it was a Mojave!
Needless to say, we then started walking a bit more of the grass, Mark, who caught the snake by almost stepping on it in sandals, switched to boots, and I put shoes on and walked the shoulder of the highway. Nothing else was found, but what a way to start a day!
We received today a new Complete Feeder Insect Diet from Repashy call Bug Burger. This is a complete Diet for Crickets, Roaches, and other Insects. INFORMATION: This premium diet feeds AND hydrates insects, eliminating the need for dry feed and standing water. Its nutrient rich formula is fortified with Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamins, and Carotenoids in order to maximize the nutritional value of Insects as feeders. INGREDIENTS: Alfalfa Meal, Flax Meal, Corn Meal, Potato Granules, Brewers Dried Yeast, Pea Protein Isolate, Dried Kelp, Calcium Carbonate, Carrageenan, Konjac, Carob Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Dried Krill, RoseHips, Cinnamon, Calendula Flower, Marigold Flower Extract, Phaffia Rhodozyma Yeast, Paprika Extract, Spirulina Algae, Turmeric, Salt, Potassium Citrate, Magnesium Gluconate, Canthaxanthin, Malic Acid, Calcium Propionate, Methylparaben, and Potassium Sorbate (as mold inhibitors), Lecithin, Rosemary Extract and Mixed Tocopherols (as preservatives), Vitamins (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D Supplement, Choline Chloride, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Beta Carotene, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement). GUARANTEED ANALYSIS: Crude Protein min. 20%, Crude Fat min. 5%, Crude Fat max. 8%, Crude Fiber max. 12%, Moisture max. 8%, Ash max. 10%, Calcium min. 5%, Calcium max. 6%, Phosphorus min. 0.5%. DIRECTIONS: To make a one cup block of product, add ¾ cup of water into a suitable microwavable container, scoop ¼ cup of dry mix, and stir until blended. Microwave until it begins to bubble. (2 to 3 minutes typical). Alternatively, you can heat in suitable container on stove until it simmers. Then remove container, stir again, and let sit until cool. The product can then be cut into cubes, or used as a whole slab. Whatever is not used immediately can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month. If long-term storage is required, it can be frozen. You can use more or less water to increase or reduce gel firmness. MADE IN USA
I, like many of you probably do, spend most of my time hanging around what I call, "civilians" in real life. That is my wife and daughters are little ladies that I open the door for. Though I look a bit like a cave man, I treat my wife with great tenderness and compassion as she is my queen. I attend church regularly. I am friendly with a number of biker types, to use the cliché for guys with plenty of hair and long beards right? I’m not a bar guy at all, though to most people, I suppose I sort of look like one. In fact... I don't even have a single tattoo. Pathetic I know. It's ironic given that many of the people I hang around with in my Boa business and obsession, are the tattooed counter culture type. There are plenty of other regular guys you wouldn’t give a second look if you passed them in the mall. You know what I mean. I get along great with anyone involved in the Reptile business regardless of their own proclivity to have a more attention grabbing appearance or the typical more conformist style. So...
As a guy with a BIG beard, I never really know what most people think about my beard. Now I know that since I am the more masculine type, I would never admit to caring one whit about what anyone else thinks about my beard, but, deep down inside, it is kind of neat when you know a person that really admires the whiskers. Which brings me to the single greatest compliment anyone ever paid me regarding my beard.
It was about a year ago. The beard was a tad shorter than it is now. I was standing at my table at a Reptile show plying my wares, when a little guy came down my isle. He was, oh about ten years of age. A typical looking kid, like I once was a while back. Not that long ago you people that I was just a boy… LOL! He looked up at me with wonder in his eyes and said those words clearly and with great confidence, that I shall never forget, I can hear those words like they were yesterday, he exclaimed, "you have a MIGHTY BEARD!" Might Beard... I’ll take that.
Saturday night, the Biology of the Rattlesnakes Symposium ended with an auction to benefit the Student Grant Program. On Sunday, that was followed up with a wonderful barbecue at the Chiricahua Desert Museum, owned by Bob and Sherry Ashley.
Having watched the museum built from the beginning up, I cannot tell you how excited I was to finally get there. The store itself put me into shopping overload and I couldn't decide what to buy (I got a long sleeved shirt), but the main gallery is an amazing walk down memory lane for the reptile community. Letters from famous herpetologists, artwork, a stamp collection, book collections, kitchy items, pop culture -- amazing, all of it. One of the memories I will hold dear and take home is sharing time hearing about Mark O'Shea's hero and sharing the story of my IHS talk with Mark.
Another memory is meeting one of the more infamous herpers we have ever had grace our site. FR, aka Frank Retes, happened to be there and, amazingly, recognized me. He was not quite what I expected, yet every ounce of what I expected. We had a few long discussions on husbandry and got along like old friends. That is what this community is about, putting aside everything else, sitting down and having a beer together.
Bob and Sherry did a wonderful job and I also want to thank them for their hospitality for the Chiricahua Lodge. Seriously, if you are thinking of somewhere to crash and go herping, you can NOT pass up this lodge.
Well we just produced axanthic pastel mojaves. They are just awesome. Now a new name as the deserve a name for how cool they look. Soon as they shed we will take some pics. Another new morph came out this morning too but we will have to wait for the one to shed first to decide what it is too.
We will be out of the office the 27th, 28th and 29 for the International Herpetological Symposium in Ft. Worth Texas. Our phone will forward to our booth there. No orders will be shipped during these three days. Orders placed after our office closes Tuesday will ship the following Monday.
We at the Bean Farm will be attending the 34th Annual International Herpetological Symposium this week in Ft. Worth Texas.
This is a unique event that brings the Zoological, Private Hobbyist and Institutional attendees together for three days of papers on all the cutting edge aspects of herpetology. We at the Bean Farm have been attending and later vending at this event since 1989.
There is also pre-conference field trips to local places of interest hematological, this year we are going to Tour of Herp collection at the University at Arlington with Carl Franklin, then tour the Dallas World Aquarium.
On Friday we will go for a tour and picnic at the Fort Worth Zoo.
On Saturday we have a closing banquet, talk and auction.
This is a great event and something very different than reptile show you should check it out. It moves to a different city and zoo every year.
When talking about coming to Arizona, there was one single animal that was the cream of the crop for me to see in the wild, the all mighty Gila Monster. I love these little tenacious creatures; they remind me of bulldogs with their stocky thick build and big ole smiles.
We headed out in a group caravan after grabbing a quick bite to eat. Hitting yet another location with rocky hills, I didn't fare quite as well as the previous night, taking one amazing tumble and rolling my ankle, spraining it. Unfortunately I sprained it fairly early in the hike, and, well, the Gila were calling. Luckily my girl Linda from the CHS stayed behind and took the slow walk with me.
Our first find was a road kill frog, however we followed that up with a lovely tarantula.
Finding the girl was amazing. Bryan Fry sexed her out as a sub-adult female on look. Smiley stunning girl with that big old grin sillouetted in the moonlight (and, of course, our lamps and flashlights). Tonight we may head out after the banquet for the other goal species, the Sidewinder, but for now, I am a happy girl and can leave Arizona satisfied. BTW, did I mention Chip is a rockstar herper?
Today is a sad day in Norway and around the world. A lunatic named Anders Behring Breivik, allegedly, blew up a bomb in downtown Oslo killing a number of people, and then went to a popular island vacation spot, where he killed as many people as he possibly could, over the next hour and a half. Most of these vacationers were defenseless children that he hunted like shooting ducks in a barrel. The latest count is over 90 fatalities due to this madman.
He seems to be a self proclaimed conservative, and according to his Facebook page, identifies himself as a "christian". In fact the Norwegian police have identified him as a "right-wing fundamentalist Christian". He was known to be an outspoken critic of some of what he saw as threatening policies that the Norwegian government has taken. He was also a member of the Norwegian Masons. Was. You see the Mason have expelled him from their group following this senseless act of barbarism. The right wing can't expel him. Christians can't boot him either. Oh, if they could they would, but they cannot.
There are no partying right wingers of any particular religious belief anywhere partying in the streets after this cowardly act. No Christians of any stripe will be celebrating the terrorist act perpetrated by this monster in masses or church services tomorrow. There will not be a Masonic Lodge anywhere looking to wrap their arms around this booted member, ever. There will not be crowds of white people anywhere on the planet celebrating what this murderer has done. No riotous people celebrating this act of barbarism will occur anywhere on the planet. Least of all anyone that calls himself or herself a Christian.
The fact is, that you can count on virtually every white person, every person that considers themselves "right-wing", every individual that calls himself or herself a Christian, every Mason and yes, every Norwegian in Norway and around the World, will universally stand up and in the strongest possible terms will condemn what this terrorist has done. In fact, the pulpits in Christian Churches all around the world will offer up prayers for the hurt, the hurting and their families. Offerings will be taken in financial support of the victims. Hundreds of volunteers who claim the name of Christ, will put action to their feelings of empathy in helping.
I list these types as that is what the media seems to have used in a description of Anders Behring Breivik, as if any of these have anything to do with what this horrific individual has done. This is a singularly despicable act, of what so far seems to have been a single individual has done. This is NOT a movement of "like minded" individuals who seem to have been maligned by much of the media as if they too are some sort of similar threat. Ridiculous. In fact individuals of similar description used in the news articles I have read today, are far more likely to desire that the book be thrown at Anders Behring Breivik for the crimes he has committed.
How about an honest reporter detailing how exactly the opposite Breivik’s actions were to everything the right wing fundamentalist Christians beliefs would have them do? How about a piece about how profoundly abhorrent those actions were to “right wing Christians” the world over? Can we read an article like that please?
After getting up at the crack of dawn to head down to Tucson to attend the Biology of the Rattlesnakes Symposium, the last thing I wanted to do was be awake for 23 hours -- but herping called. I managed to invite myself along with a few guys who were going to look for Crotalus willardi and Crotalus lepidus klauberi, both Holy Grail finds to herpers.
For those who know me, you know I am not the most physically fit. I wasn’t really prepared for the walking we did or the vertical climbs we made on the hillsides. I am also not the most graceful, but I survived a long night hike, climbing dead trees, rocky hills and crossing barbed wire fences. We did a little mild road cruising on our way up and our first find was a fresh hit checkered garter snake. Several DOR garters and gopher snakes lay ahead but our first venomous find was a Mojave rattlesnake. YAY! There really ARE rattlesnakes in Arizona! Heading to an area where Chip, one of our guides, did a lot of his research, the road was pretty quiet. Although I was highly amused when we had to stop the truck to allow a heard of cattle to cross.
My new friend Ron loaned me his headlamp. While very useful, I was annoyed by the fact that it seemed to attract every single bug in the state of Arizona to my face. What was even more frustrating is that they would get underneath my glasses, effectively blinding me while I was trying to watch out for rattlesnakes and watch my footing.
Unfortunately, we may have spent a little too long cruising up to the spot, but we did manage both target species. Crotalus klauberi was first and we found the willardi not to long after. What was really kind of fun was watching Chip, our uber guide, do his research notations. We also came across some bales of marijuana and a rotting cow body. Other than that, the walk was pretty quiet. On the ride home a night snake and a DOR Crotalus atrox were our new finds -- or at least, the last things I remember before I fell asleep. Getting back to the hotel with four hours to sleep before I needed to be up, I am definitely hoping to have another successful night tonight as we head out for Gila Monsters. With Chip as my guide, I think it will rock.
We started off today with a quick continental breakfast at the Marriot and then a short bus ride to the Sonoran Desert Museum. All our talks today for the Biology of the Rattlesnakes Symposium will be here.
We got here early enough -- crack of dawn, actually -- to spend the morning hiking. Bill Love and I took turns taking pictures of each other taking pictures, but my highlight was seeing a Ctenosaur similis male sitting proud and big on a rock. I managed to grab a quick coffee and head to the talks at the end of William B. Hayes talk on niche partitioning on living environments. One of the points from the talk was that niche differences do not appear to result from partitioning. It also seems to show that it is related to pre size. The research primarily compared the living environments of helleri and Southern Pacific in California.
Matt Holding spoke next on the effects of short distance translocation on the Northern Pacific rattlesnakes. All images are Harry Greene approved. One thing we need to look at to deal with human and rattlesnake interactions is the biggest thing is we need to observe the location of translocation; however, we also need to train people to properly handle the animals. Long distance translocation is often extremely bad resulting in a high mortality rate. The downfall with short distance, though, is the animals often will return.
Corticosterone is a hormone that, mobilizes energy stores. Chronic rises in CORT can be very detrimental to the health of the animal. What the study looked at was how they can control and adjust handling to adjust the chronic stressors to reptiles. The study also focused on adult males. They took two different blood samples of both baseline and stress sample. To get the stress blood sample, they took baseline, held the animal in a secure bucket and then drew again. When they compressed the data at the end, when the baseline was taken at both initial and final, the baseline levels were equal however the stress level was greatly increased on the second stress induced test. The testosterone levels, however, did not seem impacted in the initial capture, however in final capture; there was a huge drop of testosterone at the final stress testing.
The conclusion is that rattlesnakes seem to bounce back with short distance relocation. Although there is a difference it doesn’t appear to cause long term health issues.
Beatrice NE: Council strikes down request for unusual animal permits *EricWI's note: Does not involve herps, but could affect the way permits for herps may be issued by the city of Beatrice NE.
The Beatrice City Council stuck down three exotic animal applications at its Monday meeting that would have allowed three unusual animals to be kept within city limits as pets. http://www.beatricedailysun.com/news/local/article_13c3e002-b1b2-11e0-8b71-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story
HI: Snakes threaten Hawaii's fragile island ecosystem
But the recent capture of escaped pet snakes -- illegal in Hawaii -- and the infestation of Guam by brown tree snakes, which could easily make it here via cargo ship, have alarmed wildlife and agriculture officials. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9OJENO01.htm
Next weekend we are having the grand opening sale at our new, 4th LLLReptile store in San Diego located at 6628 Mission Gorge Road next to Qualcomm Stadium. Our new store is in a fantastic location making it much easier for people in south San Diego County to come see us! At our grand opening we will be having huge sales, give-aways at the door, raffles and animals out on display to feed and pet. If you are in the Southern California area - head to San Diego for the weekend and stop by the new LLLReptile! www.LLLReptile.com
This is my first KS blog, so forgive any potentially awkward composition.
Two years ago, I obtained a beautiful young adult corn that was captured in 2007 in South Carolina. I bought it with the hope its phenotype would reproducible, and this year, I was excited to hatch more of these beautiful mutants in F2 productions.
They obviously resemble leucistic mutants found in other serpent species (overall white and pigment-less coloration with silver/blue irises), with the exception of the random displays of color. It appears that there are several different expressions of color (some color splashes are not relegated to individual scales, some scales exhibit one color that is confined to that scale, some scales have a smoky gray "shadow" margin, and some scales have many colors that appear to be expressed in more than one way). The latter-mentioned scales exhibit heavily color-saturated specks with sharp profiles, while - often in the same scale - color smudges have indistinct and fading profiles. The random distribution of color areas renders a pleasing and interesting aggregate. Of course, shocking white serpents with dark eyes have always impressed most snake lovers.
The hatchlings average 5 grams in weight, and 8.9" (23cm) in length -- the extremes of which are 8.1" to 9.6" (21-25cm) and 4-6 grams. Scale counts are more appropriate for the Cornsnake Pantherophis guttatus species than the only other suspect species found in South Carolina, the Black Rat Snake Pantherophis obsoletus - though these two cousin species have some overlapping scale count zones. Head shape is not like that of the Black Rat - in that the jaw/neck intersection is not pronounced. Demeanor of the hatchlings - as well as that of the only known adult - is remarkably and utterly mild, in so much as not one single specimen has ever struck or otherwise shown any human intolerance (the opposite predominant temperament of the Black Rat species). Other features that distinguish the Palmetto as being a pure corn snake are semen color and a cross-cut body profile more cornsnake-like, regarding its more rounded ventral keel. There is no doubt in my mind that the demonstrated characteristics of all the Palmettos reproduced (and of the only adult specimen) point to this mutation being purely cornsnake. The odds of a NEW leucistic rat snake variation consistently exhibiting so many color anomalies existing in the wild OR in captivity is rare enough, but the notion that such a heretofore unseen and unique mutant variation suddenly entering herpetoculture in the form of a cornsnake, surely decreases the likelihood of this being an inter-species hybrid between Black Rat Snake and Cornsnake. The seven people that I know have handled the adult all instantly discounted the possibility of it being a rat snake. I only emphasize these observations because hybridization between species (and genera) in our hobby is so prevalent lately, it is inherent for someone to suspect that ANY new snake phenotype that is dramatically atypical for one species - could be a man-made, inter-species (or inter-genera) hybrid.
Suffice to say, we're excited about this latest - and most unusually colored - cornsnake mutation, and we hope you will agree that the Palmetto rivals even the most astonishingly beautiful boa and python mutants in herpetoculture.
The Centers for Disease Control announced yesterday that it is still investigating an outbreak of salmonella typhimurium associated with African Dwarf Frogs bred at Blue Lobster Farms in California:
This nationwide outbreak is ongoing. As of July 18, 2011, a total of 241 individuals infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Typhimurium have been reported from 42 states since April 1, 2009. These infections are associated with African dwarf frogs–a type of water frog–and water from their habitats (e.g., tanks or aquariums).
Epidemiologic, traceback and laboratory findings between 2009 and 2011 link this ongoing nationwide outbreak of human Salmonella Typhimurium infections to a single African dwarf frog breeding facility in Madera County, California, Blue Lobster Farms. The owner of Blue Lobster Farms voluntarily stopped shipping African dwarf frogs in late April but resumed shipping the frogs in early June. These frogs may be found in pet stores, educational stores, toy stores, fairs, carnivals, from online retailers and other venues.
Public health officials with the Madera County Department of Environmental Health are currently working with the owner of Blue Lobster Farms to conduct interventions and ongoing testing and monitoring of the frog breeding facility. At this time, the effectiveness of these interventions is unknown, and reports of ill persons infected with the outbreak strain are continuing.
Included with the update were guidelines on how to avoid infection for keepers of water frogs:
1. Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water right after handling anything, including water, that comes in contact with water frogs or from inside their habitats (e.g., tanks or aquariums). Since the water from inside their habitats can carry the same germs as the water frogs themselves, following proper hand washing practices is very important. Adults should assist young children with hand washing.
2. Kitchen sinks should not be used to empty or wash the frog’s habitat. If possible, empty and wash the habitat outside of the home, using disposable gloves. If bathtubs are used for cleaning the frog’s habitat, they should be cleaned thoroughly and disinfected with bleach. Young children should not be allowed to clean the frog’s habitat.
3. Be aware that Salmonella infections can be caused not only by water frogs, but by other amphibians and reptiles, such as turtles. More information about how to enjoy pets safely can be found on the CDC Healthy Pets Healthy People Website.
The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) has signage intended to be used as a display in pet stores where water frogs are sold that includes the CDC's guidelines to safe handling of the pets. It can be downloaded here.
A complete account of the ongoing investigation is on the CDC website.
I wish I would have made the David Lazcano talk, I happened to come in at the end and he was funny. Emmanuel Van Heygen was the first talk I caught. Speaking on the North-Western Madagascar and the Phelsuma Geckos he gave a quick break down of each species and its distribution range. Any talk that Emmanuel gives is always accompanied by lovely photos he has taken when in the field. Bamboo sounds as if it is the key to proper husbandry of the Phelsuma geckos. There was a lot of breakdown of each species with photos of them in their natural habitat. 
The post-lunch talks started with Dr. Gary Ferguson on his field work with the Texas Horned lizards. They are secretive, slow moving, and cute. How true that is. 
Is it upgrade time again? Already? 
My original reason for visiting the Albuquerque Bio Park was to see Doug Hotle and his sea snakes, but the prize was the Komodo Dragon. How did I not know there was one there? 
Sometimes being the early bird is a good thing, and today was no different. I was up with the sun and stepped outside to get a few shots of the Chiricahua Mountains in the morning light, and behind me came a very well known face planning to do the same thing. While I stayed barefoot on the slab of the lodge, Mark O'Shea walked with a purpose. He wanted to get a clear shot of the fire damage and trotted across the street.
Saturday night, the Biology of the Rattlesnakes Symposium ended with an auction to benefit the Student Grant Program. On Sunday, that was followed up with a wonderful barbecue at the Chiricahua Desert Museum, owned by Bob and Sherry Ashley. 
When talking about coming to Arizona, there was one single animal that was the cream of the crop for me to see in the wild, the all mighty Gila Monster. I love these little tenacious creatures; they remind me of bulldogs with their stocky thick build and big ole smiles.
After getting up at the crack of dawn to head down to Tucson to attend the Biology of the Rattlesnakes Symposium, the last thing I wanted to do was be awake for 23 hours -- but herping called. I managed to invite myself along with a few guys who were going to look for Crotalus willardi and Crotalus lepidus klauberi, both Holy Grail finds to herpers.
We started off today with a quick continental breakfast at the Marriot and then a short bus ride to the Sonoran Desert Museum. All our talks today for the Biology of the Rattlesnakes Symposium will be here. 
The Centers for Disease Control announced yesterday that it is still investigating an outbreak of salmonella typhimurium associated with African Dwarf Frogs bred at Blue Lobster Farms in California:
