January 1992
Biblical herps
The Newsletter of the North Carolina Herpetological Society
is among the most humorous and interesting newsletters CHS
gets. I liked it so much that I've bought a subscription
for myself now that I won't be on the mail tree for the CHS
exchange newsletters. (As a note to other editors, if
there's something you'd like mentioned in this column,
please be sure to send it to me. Phone messages
about stuff in your publications won't get you quoted
anymore!) This issue, they reworked a 1974 Utah Herp.
League article about reptiles in the Bible which apparently
contains 140 references to reptiles, 103 in the Old
Testament and 37 in the New. Most references are to snakes,
several refer to lizards and crocodiles. The most widely
disputed passage "The voice of the turtle is heard in our
land" (Song of Solomon 2:12) is believed to refer to a
turtle-dove, and a word that appears as "tortoise" in
Leviticus 11:29 was translated from the Hebrew "tsav," which
actually means "lizard." If you'd like to join the NCHS,
write them at the N.C. State Museum of Natural Sciences,
P.O. Box 27647, Raleigh, NC 27611. Membership is $10.00 per
calendar year.
Wildlife Wars Workshop
Special Agent John Brooks, Division of Law Enforcement, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service will lead a workshop about illegal
wildlife products at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Sunday, February
23, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.. Hands-on experience with confiscated
products will show the difference between legal American
alligator products versus poached crocodile. Agent Brooks
has been on the front lines of the wildlife wars,
experiencing the powerful and the poignant every day.
Adults only, LPZ members $5.00, non-members $7.00. Call
their Education Department (312) 294-4649 for information on
how to register.
Eggs-cuse me!
A keeper at the Shedd Aquarium was surprised early one
Sunday morning as he surveyed the Cayman Island rock iguana
exhibit and found a small clutch of eggs strewn around the
enclosure. Four of the 3-inch-long eggs were flattened, one
had been laid under a heat lamp and was boiled, the last was
in good shape and placed in an incubator, but it was
infertile. The iguanas are captive-bred and are a little
young for this sort of thing, but the Aquarium has high
hopes for next year. The exhibit will be fitted with nest
boxes soon. [WaterShedd, September, 1991, contributed by
Nina Saulic]
Loch "Tass" Monster
The news agency of what used to be called the U.S.S.R., Tass,
reports that residents of a remote Siberian village have
described a giant green snake with the head of a sheep
patrolling their local lake. Tass announced, "Dozens of
people have seen this green monster, which has the girth of
a large tree trunk and is around 6 or 7 yards long. One of
them even managed to photograph it. It swims along with its
head high in the air." The critter seems to get out of the
water, too. Tracks, similar to sled grooves, have been
described from the grass along the shoreline near the
village of Sharipovo. [The Arizona Republic, November 21,
1991, contributed by Tom Taylor]
British Lizard Rustlers
The sand area in Dorset, England is home to the recently pet
shop popular sand lizard. The only other areas in the U.K.
where they are known to breed in the wild are small areas in
Merseyside and the New Forest. Ashley Leftwich, a biologist
working on the Dorset Heath said, "As rare creatures, they
are highly collectable, especially all the black ones, known
as melanics." The lizards (I'm guessing Lacerta agilis) can
grow up to six inches, can live 20 years, and the males have
emerald green bellies making them even more attractive as
pets. Under British Law, illegal collectors can be fined up
to (pound sign) 2,000. The lizards can sell for up to
(pound sign) 300. Lizard wardens have been posted on
Canford Heath in a special effort to stop the reptile
rustling. [The Guardian, London, England, June 7, 1991,
contributed by Robert Sprackland]
BBC shows snakes as dinner
Dr. Frederic L. Frye contributed an interesting article from
Turning Point Magazine (Summer ?, 1991). "Snakes as TV
Dinners. [Rattlesnake] Roundups are quite disgusting but
conceivable when you consider some attitudes endemic to the
American South. You might think and hope that such
atrocities would never be accepted by the people of Britain.
But if a popular BBC TV program presented by one of our
country's most renowned comedy actors is anything to go by,
you'd be way off the mark. In episode five of the BBC TV
series `Around the World in 80 Days,' Michael Palin enters a
restaurant in Canton which specializes in snake meat. He
chooses a live snake and then watches as the gall bladder is
ripped out of the living animal, the snake is then skinned
alive and its head is ripped from its body. Palin then eats
the cooked meat and comments, `it's great, lovely.'...As
part of a campaign to persuade the BBC to remove the snake
restaurant scene before a repeat showing of the series (on
the grounds of unjust depiction of cruelty to snakes) the
Reptile Protection Trust and many of its supporters asked
the BBC repeatedly whether such a sequence would have been
presented had the animal concerned been a cat or a dog. To
date, the BBC has evaded this and many other important
questions...Despite over a hundred letters of protest to the
BBC's Director General, from MP's [Members of Parliament],
animal welfare organizations, naturalists, celebrities, and
the public, not to mention several articles in the press and
an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons, the BBC went
ahead with a repeat screening on August 11th, 1991... A
formal complaint has now been registered with the
Broadcasting Complaints Commission. Judging by the number
of letters of concern, it seems people in this country are
not all prepared to accept as entertainment a program
entailing extreme cruelty to an animal." If you'd like more
information write The Reptile Protection Trust, College
Gates, 2 Deansway, Worcester, WR1 2JD, United Kingdom.
Nobody's always Politically Correct
Naturalists have long revered Izaak Walton (1593-1683) for
his outlook on the wild and conservation thereof. However,
this quote from The Complete Angler goes to show that even
our idols can err: "Thus use your frog: put your hook, I
mean the arming wire, through his mouth, and out at his
gills, and the with a fine needle and silk sew the upper
part of his leg with only one stitch to the arming wire of
your hook, or tie the frog's leg above the upper joint to
the armed wire; and in so doing use him as though you loved
him. [Contributed by P.L. Beltz]
Reptile repellent tested
Dr. M.J. McCoid of the Division of Aquatic and Wildlife
Resources on Guam writes: Gordon Rodda sent me a photostat
of a page from the October 1991 issue of the Bull. Chicago
Herpetol. Soc. On this page, was an article extolling the
virtues of Dr. T's Snake-A-Way. As you may have heard,
there is a substantial problem with the introduced brown
tree snake (Boiga irregularis) on Guam. The product was
brought to Guam late last year by a pest control company and
has subsequently been touted by this company to be highly
effective in repelling brown tree snakes. This claim was
also made by the manufacturer in a press release. We
embarked on a series of tests to evaluate the product. The
net result being that the product is totally ineffective in
repelling brown tree snakes..." He enclosed the details of
the testing. They knew of and sourced Harvey Lillywhite's
report that was the basis of my last mention of this stuff,
and conclude: "In light of previous behavioral
investigation, this conclusion [that the gunk doesn't work
on Boiga] is not surprising as the product is highly
volatile and B. irregularis has been demonstrated to be
visually oriented and does not respond to volatile cues."
More information on the alleged repellent will probably
appear on these pages, but let me state that personally
it is highly unlikely that I would ever buy or tout this
product for purchase by others. If anything, I'm hoping
someone will develop a snake attractant!
Zoovival - one reader's view
Recently, this columnist received a letter from of
Greenville, TX. I found it so interesting (and so sad) that
I'm reprinting it complete: "Dear Ellin, Enclosed is
additional information on Zoovival, note the $35.00 fee. I
did join, fortunately I didn't take advantage of the three
year reduced fee. I bought snakes from them, overpriced if
condition is considered. The pair of rat snakes was 2
females, the pair of boas were in really poor health, the
male was emaciated. I was supposed to get a partial refund
and keep the snakes. They'd had them six weeks after
receiving my check, the female was supposed to have had a
cold and the male was eating up a storm. He was not only
emaciated but regurgitated the first few meals. It was
touch and go for a while but I'm happy to say that they're
both doing well now. I've had them over a year and needless
to say I never saw a refund. I never spoke to Cunningham
[the director], but to the man that was in charge of the
reptiles. He said he had his own collection at home, so I
believed him when he claimed the pair of boas was in good
shape. I do know his name, but who's to say he was "that
employee"? [One Zoovival employee allegedly stole money and
animals which allegedly led to Zoovival's bankruptcy. eb] I
do know that during the six months I was in touch with them,
they moved several times. They kept the same P.O. Box
number and phone numbers, but had different street
addresses. Those that lost deposits could be fortunate. It
could have been worse, they might have received animals that
looked like mine. I thought about shipping them back, but
after what I went through over the phone, I was afraid I'd
never see my $850.00 refund. I know now, but I wouldn't
have since the animals were sent to me in the fall of 1990.
I wish I could say Zoovival was the only outfit that took
advantage but they aren't. There's services and
publications that you receive an issue or two, which are a
big disappointment, and you never hear from them again.
I've had that twice. I won't subscribe to anything now
unless I check it out first. Club memberships are the best
investment possible. I was not aware Zoovival split or that
Biosurvival Inc. went under, too. I now know I'll never
see a refund. I'd given up looking for it anyhow. Thanks
for printing `Zoovival extinct.' Sincerely Janice V. Mead."
Horrible wetlands bill
House Resolution 1330 is considered by most
environmentalists to be a disaster in the making. Some
members of Congress are beginning to hear from wetlands
supporters. Five reps recently withdrew their
co-sponsorship from H.R. 1330, sending a clear signal to
their colleagues that something is not right with the bill.
Representative James Hayes (D-LA) originally entered the
bill titled "Comprehensive Wetlands Conservation and
Management Act." Anti-wetlands groups have lobbied
lawmakers to support the bill through "horror stories" that
purport to show that overzealous application of current
wetlands protection is terrorizing farmers, oil tycoons,
small business owners and agribusinesses. Write your
Congresspeople! U.S. House of Representatives, Washington,
D.C. 20515. As them to withdraw co-sponsorship (if they
are) and ask them to oppose H.R. 1330. Currently, Illinois
has 1,254,500 acres of wetlands. If the tougher definitions
of wetlands are passed, Illinois would lose 800,000 acres of
wetlands (63%) at the stroke of a pen. Wisconsin would lose
79%, Missouri 65%. Interestingly enough, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service was unable to provide figures of acreage
impacted for well-known environmentally aware states such as
Arizona, California, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, New York, and
Vermont. Do you smell a wet rat? I sure do. [Developed
from National Wildlife, Enviroaction, November 1991, and
U.S.A. Today, December 3, 1991 contributed by Jill Horwich]
And now, a message from the columnist...
As you can read, this column is significantly shorter than
those of recent months. Why? Not because I don't want to
write nice, long columns, BUT because this column
incorporates everything I received up to the moment I wrote
it that hadn't been used before. This is a reader supported
column. What you send is what I use. Please, if you see an
article send it along with the date, the publication and
your name attached to me. Thanks to the folks that
contributed this month. And thanks to Bill Burnett, Bea
Briggs and Mary Johnson for articles that had been used
previously or elsewhere in the Bulletin. I'm looking
forward to hearing from more of you!...
February 1992
Quote of the Month
From a cartoon from the door in the offices of a government
department in Florida: "I like the looks of frogs, and
their outlook, and especially the way they get together in
wet places on warm nights and sing about sex. - Archie
Carr."
Giant holdup for construction
Thamnophis gigas (aka Thamnophis couchi gigas), the giant
garter snake endemic to California, was formerly found as
far south as Bakersfield and north into the Sacramento
Valley. Now, its range is limited to eleven isolated valley
areas including the Grasslands district near Los Banos in
Merced County. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will
accept public comments on the proposal to list the giant
garter snake as and endangered species until February 25,
1992. They may schedule public hearings after the written
comment period. Do not let the date cut-off stop you from
writing your local Fish and Wildlife office with a request
that they forward it for you. It is extremely important to
let both the local and national offices know that herp
people are interested in what they do. The proposed
endangered listing may stop major construction projects in
California's Central Valley including a housing project of
140,000 residents on 13,000 acres of land currently used to
grow rice in southern Sutter County, 19,000 acres of
proposed development near Sacramento Metropolitan Airport,
stream channelizing, road improvements, 11 unspecified
residential developments in Laguna Creek-Elk Grove, new
cities proposed for San Joaquin County, and Federal flood
control projects under way in Merced County. The giant
garter snake was listed as a threatened species by the
California Department of Fish and Game in 1971. The decline
of the snake can be attributed to the Central Valley's loss
of wetlands. Originally covering 4 million acres, wetlands
now occupy about 250,000 acres - of which only about 88,000
acres support Thamnophis gigas habitat requirements.
Federal officials say the largest remaining swath of snake
habitat, in the large flood basin near the confluence of the
American and Sacramento rivers, could be wiped out if the
Army Corps of Engineers proceeds with ambitious flood
control plans. [From the Sacramento Bee, January 3, 1992,
by Michael Doyle. Contributed by Bruce Hannem.]
Next, treat humans rattily?
Charles Richey, a U.S. District Judge, has ordered the
Agriculture Department to reconsider its 20-year-old policy
exempting rats, mice, and birds from rules requiring humane
conditions for experimental animals. The department claims
adding birds, rats, and mice to its regulations would double
or triple the inspection workload. Does anyone know the
status of reptiles and amphibians in Department of
Agriculture rules? [Chicago Tribune, January 9, 1992.]
Turtles win again.
The National Marine Fisheries Service recently ruled that
vacuum-like hopper dredges that killed up to 500 loggerhead
sea turtles and up to 50 Kemp's ridley sea turtles at ports
between North Carolina and Port Canaveral, Florida can no
longer be used. Other types of dredges not affected by this
ruling move more slowly and are noisier, giving turtles a
chance to flee. [Orlando Sentinel, December 13, 1991.
Contributed by Bill Burnett.] Next, I presume, the
offending machinery will be sold to some third world
country and will be used for years to come.
Head start #1,000,000 in Brazil
Funds for the ambitious Brazilian sea turtle head start
program, come from governmental agencies and local corporate
sponsors. One of Brazil's top soap opera stars, Cristiana
Oliveira, poses in chic sea turtle shirts. The one
millionth hatchling is expected in February, marking
a fantastic milestone for the 11-year-old Project Tamar.
Brazil is also playing a key role in a worldwide campaign to
put an end to poaching and avert the extinction of sea
turtles. Five species next on Brazilian beaches
(loggerheads, leatherbacks, hawksbills, green and olive
ridley sea turtles). In 1991, Mexico banned the taking of
sea turtles and Japan promised to phase out purchases of
turtle shells and leather by the end of 1992. The only
remaining major harvesters are in Indonesia, Cuba and
several Pacific islands. Indonesia is developing a program
for turtle conservation. In
1989, 55,000 sea turtles were drowned in U.S. shrimp nets in
American waters. Firm figures for 1990 and 1991 are not
available, although Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) are now
required on all shrimp boats. The success of the Brazilian
project is partially the result of good human socioeconomic
outreach. Local people are involved in saving that which
they formerly exploited and are making money from the sale
of turtle souvenirs and tourism to make up for the loss of
turtle product money. [The New York Times, December 17,
1991, contributed by Nina Saulic and P.L. Beltz; the
Leesburg, FL Daily Commercial, December 22, 1991,
contributed by Bill Burnett]
India versus turtle poachers
The Indian Coast Guard (east) has launched an unprecedented
operation against poaching of endangered olive ridley sea
turtles off the Orissa coast. Four boats, two aircraft and
160 personnel are guarding the seas to crack down on
poachers. About 500,000 females arrive every year on the 35
kilometer stretch of Gahirmatha beach in the Cutack district
of Orissa to lay about 50 million eggs between late November
and January. The turtle meat is processed at Calcutta and
shipped to Japan and the west - primarily Italy. Last year
the Coast Guard apprehended 17 trawlers poaching and an
undetermined number of egg collectors. [Indian Express,
March 11, 1991, contributed by the Madras Crocodile Bank,
Tamil Nation, South India]
Goal = no net loss of habitat
Floridians will have 45 days to comment on a preliminary
environmental report on a Sumter County site for a new
Federal prison. At risk are gopher tortoises (Gopherus
polyphemus) and eastern indigo snakes (Drymarchon corais
couperi). Don Wood, the endangered-species coordinator for
the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, said there
are four options for building on land occupied by threatened
and special-concern species: 1.) not building; 2.) building
around the animals; 3.) building on the animals' habitat
after relocation; 4.) building on the animals' habitat after
killing them. Options three and four require special state
permitting. [Leesburg, FL Daily Commercial, contributed by
Bill Burnett]
Exotic animals hottest pet fad
Gordon Gallup, a psychologist at the State University of New
York who studies human attitudes towards animals said, "More
and more people are sick of common pets. They want
something different." Animal dealers are filling that need
with hundreds of highly inappropriate animals species.
Unwanted pets clog shelters or are released into streams and
fields where they do not belong. Parrots and macaws from
Central America are naturalizing in South Texas, various
reptiles are breeding like natives in southern Florida and
other parts of the country. Kinkajous, capuchins, oscars,
wallabys, conures, potbellied pigs, spider monkeys and
caimans are among the exotic animals turning up in animal
shelters. Wallace Swett, the manager of a nonprofit
sanctuary for unwanted pet primates near San Antonio, Texas
said, "People who want to get close to these animals should
just buy some binoculars and watch the Nature Channel."
Illegal smuggling is also on the rise. 700 baby boa
constrictors were found in an illegal shipment. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service's senior resident agent at Kennedy
International Airport said, [venomous species are] "becoming
popular in some social circles." Another FWS agent, Robert
Onda, summed up the trend for exotic animals, "It all comes
down to uniqueness: I have one and you don't." [The Wall
Street Journal, December 2, 1991, contributed by P.L. Beltz;
and Animal Transportation Association, Volume 14, Number 3,
August 1991, contributed by Barbara Daddario, New York
Turtle and Tortoise Society]
Scaly wish comes true
Make-a-Wish Foundation provides terminally ill children with
special events they long for recently arranged a meeting
between a 5-year-old Davis, CA boy suffering from leukemia
and a 24-year-old alligator, pet of a Carson, CA resident.
The child had become interested in reptiles by watching
nature programs on television. Make-a-Wish said this was
one of their most unusual requests, typically children want
to go to Disneyland or meet celebrities. [The Los Angeles
Times, December 29, 1991, contributed by Greg Naclerio]
Recession and glut lower skin prices
Alligator farmers and ranchers have worked hard to bring
gators back from the brink of extinction, hoping their
efforts would be rewarded by high prices for captive raised
skins. But the recession, an oversupply, and a perception
that the animal is endangered have reduced sales. Prices
are down to about $12 per foot from $24 per foot a year ago.
Farmers are holding skins off the market. Annual
production is about 300,000 skins, 28% of which are tanned
in the U.S., the balance are finished overseas. [Chicago
Tribune, December 15, 1991]
Chicago Turtle Club news
For those interested in turtles, a $5.00 payment to Jan
Spitzer, 1939 West Lunt, Chicago, IL 60626 will get you on
the mailing list of the Chicago Turtle Club. They hold
monthly meetings at the Emmerson Park Fieldhouse and publish
a semi-regular newsletter. About 30 of their members are up
for renewal (if you're one, please send your 5 bucks) and
the treasury is down to about 100 dollars. Your help will
be greatly appreciated. [From The Chicago Turtle Club
Newsletter, Fall, 1991]
Thanks to everyone who contributed this month. It was
heartening to come home from vacation to a mailbox full of
clippings and contributions from members who like to read
this column. Remember, this column uses only material found
by the writer or sent by the readers. If you see clippings
you think would be interesting to our readers, please be
sure to include the date and publication along with your
name so I can give you credit for being sharp of mind and
quick with scissors. Curious bits from old books, strange
herp postcards and other odd items are also appreciated.
Please send your contributions to me.
March 1992
Weird mail...
In cleaning out my file cabinets to turn the contents over to
the new C.H.S. Membership Secretary, Mr. Steve Spitzer, the
following gems from years past emerged. To the best of my
knowledge, none of the writers ever joined. "I was hoping I
could send the money later, and get the monthly magazine
now. I'm still waiting to see if my brother is going to
join." "Dear Sir: Would you please send me everything you
have on herps." And, the most delightful, "Can you get me a
subscription to your newsletter for free? $17.50 is too
much since my python eats $20 of rats every month." Other
people sent letters asking for information, and forgot to
put their address anywhere on the letter or the envelope.
However, the most interesting piece of mystery mail was a
change of address card, carefully addressed to C.H.S. and
completely blank! The only clue was a Missouri postmark.
We never did find out who moved. Please, if you correspond
about membership, send complete information and always
include a telephone number in case we need clarification.
Too near to miss
The next joint meeting of the American Society of
Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, The Herpetologists'
League and the American Elasmobranch Society will be held
June 4-10 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Advance registration until March 16 is $90, after then $115.
Contact Lawrence M. Page, Illinois Natural History Survey,
607 East Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL 61820 for more
information. Lest anyone think that this will be a boring
meeting, at the last ASIH meeting I attended in Ann Arbor
the fishy-ologists kept our dormitory fully awake until 3:00
for three nights in a row as they sang themes from old t.v.
shows. Of course, there were interesting speakers and
posters, too. Unfortunately, the SSAR is meeting separately
this year in El Paso, so you won't be able to see the
Dennis-Juterbock slide shows or the famous auctioneering of
Joe Collins at Champaign. I hope to see a lot of you there.
Are you chelonian tonite?
Earthwatch is seeing volunteers for three herpetology
programs this year. 1.) Dr. J. Whitfield Gibbons of the
University of Georgia and Savanna River Ecology Lab will be
weighing, tagging and measuring terrapins among the dunes,
forests, marshes, and lakes of Charleston, SC. 2.) Ralf
Boulon of the U.S.V.I. Division of Fish and Wildlife needs
help walking St. Croix (Virgin Islands) beaches at night to
locate nesting mothers measure nest temperatures, and
chaperone hatchlings to the sea. 3.) Dr. Sedat Herli of
Haceteppe University in Ankara, Turkey is looking for
volunteers to help research loggerhead sea turtles along a
12 kilometer beach on the Aegean Sea. For more information,
contact Project Coordinator Janet Hamilton at (617)
926-8200, extension 183, or write Earthwatch, 680 Mount
Auburn Street, P.O. Box 403N, Watertown, MA 02272.
"Slithering ingrate!"
With such a catchy title, you know what's coming is another
snake bashing tale. According to the article from the
Philadelphia Daily News [January 22, 1992], a woman in
Clayton, NC was feeding hamsters to her 12-foot python, and
the python swallowed her hand with a rodent. She called 911
as her arm disappeared into her pet. When the rescue squad
arrived, she insisted that the snake not be harmed, and then
managed to get her hand out of its mouth before the
veterinarian arrived. While this article is interesting in
and of itself, I enjoyed Rick Reifsnyder's cover letter even
more than the clipping: "While this article is written in a
humorous vein it does present one of the problems that can
occur while feeding large and potentially dangerous
reptiles. Hungry herps, especially when they are stimulated
by the presence of food, can be counted on to have a problem
distinguishing between a food item and the keeper. I am
sure everyone that has ever been involved in keeping snakes
or other reptiles can attest to that fact through personal
experience. Therefore, it makes me wonder at this woman's
choice of food for her python. Unless long forceps or tongs
are used, there is no easy way to present a hamster to a
hungry snake without also offering it an opportunity to
sample the `hand that feeds it.' Let's face it, hamsters
don't even have a respectable tail that can be used as a
handle. When I first read this article I immediately
developed an absurd image of this woman extending her hand
and offering up the hamster on an open palm. While I am
sure this was not in fact the case, the selection of such a
small rodent as food probably made it more difficult for the
snake to differentiate between the meal and the presented
appendage. I also wonder exactly how many hamsters a
12-foot python could consume at one sitting? Probably more
than the woman had on hand which would explain its
interest in other sources of nourishment. Maybe some of
your other readers might want to speculate on how many
hamsters it would take to satisfy a snake of this size?" If
anyone knows who this woman is, would they please photocopy
the section from the C.H.S. Care-in-Captivity handbook
about feeding rodents to snakes?
People unclear on the concept, II
A resident of Tempe, Arizona decided to feed a live chicken
to her 6-foot, 50-pound pet snake when the terrified bird
escaped. The python grabbed the woman's chicken-scented
hand and began to wrap her up in its coils. Her 3-year old
was screaming while she dialed 911 with her other hand. The
rescue squad arrived to find the snake wrapped around her
arm. They forced the snake's jaws open and plopped him back
in his cage. The paramedics caught the chicken and fed it
to the python. The 23-year-old owner plans to keep the
snake, but feed it on dead chickens as she had done every
time before this incident. [Tempe Daily News, January 30,
1992 and Tempe Tribune, February 3, 1992, contributed by Tom
Taylor]
Y prospero ano nuevo!
The Christmas card received this year from Dr. Dagmar
Werner, Fundacio'n Pro Iguana Verde, shows two iguanas
planting a tree while an armadillo, a deer and two doves
supervise. The sentiment is lovely and green: "Sembremos
un a'rbol de Navidad para que ilumine al mundo." (We plant a
Christmas tree to enlighten the world.) As regular readers
of this column know, the Foundation for the Green Iguana
farm raises Iguanas with the help and co-operation of local
people in Central American countries. Integrating Iguana
management into agricultural practices requires the saving,
or planting, of rows of trees for lizard habitat. Rows of
trees are good for other things, not the least being erosion
control. If you'd like to contribute to this ongoing good
cause, please send checks to: Fundacio'n Pro Iguana Verde,
Apdo. 692-1007, San Jose', Costa Rica.
If you can't beat `em, cook `em.
The island of Guam is bedevilled by an ever increasing
population of the accidentally introduced
brown tree snake, Boiga irregularis.
The snake is eating its way through the local fauna, so
returning the favor seems in order. Guam's Division of
Aquatic and Wildlife Resources has suggested a campaign to
encourage snake collection for food. They have recipes for
brown tree snake meat in coconut milk, deep-fried snake and
sweet-and-sour snake. Biologist Michael McCoid said, "I
haven't eaten it personally, but people who have say it's
tasty, like chicken." C.H.S. member, Gordon Rodda, of the
Arizona Co-operative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in
Tucson, has tried to build a better snake trap. He said,
"If you put out 100 traps with quail bait, you find six
snakes in them, but with white mice you find 25 snakes out
of 100 traps." However, Thomas Fritts, another well-known
herpetologist and wildlife biologist pointed out, "we don't
really want to import a million white mice to Guam." A
bounty was suggested, but Guam officials concluded that it
would only encourage enterprising entrepreneurs to start
raising snakes commercially. [The Wall Street Journal,
December 12, 1991, contributed by P.L. Beltz] Perhaps the
tourist board of Guam could encourage residents of
Sweetwater, Texas to vacation on their island!
Titanium turtle turned loose
A loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta whose shell was
crushed by a boat and had floated for two weeks unable to
eat was rescued and treated with a new technique by Robert
Schoelkopf of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. I saw
this animal in late August and am really happy to have
received a clipping that permits me to tell you about Bob's
technique. The shell had been driven partway into the flesh
of the turtle and fiberglass would never have brought the
two halves together. So, two titanium bars were bolted on
to the shell, parallel to the fracture lines, with bolts
through them. The shell was tightened a lot at first, then
adjusted to bring the two halves together. On such a large
animal, with such severe damage, fiberglass would never have
worked. The work was performed by a surgeon who has pinned
humans (including Bob). The turtle was tagged and released
in the waters off Carolina Beach, NC. The front flipper
tags are numbered PPX 924 and PPX 925. Anyone with any
information on these tags is asked to contact the Stranding
Center: P.O. Box 773, Brigantine, NJ 08203 (609) 266-0538.
Contributions to support the Center are always encouraged.
[The News and Observer, Raleigh, NC, October 25, 1991,
contributed by Jo O'Keefe and Steve Spitzer]
Draco-nian laws proposed
The Hawaiian Department of Agriculture has asked that
state's Legislature to grant it authority to obtain District
Court search warrants in order to go onto private property
to confiscate or capture illegal animals. Since the only
two legal snakes on the island are housed at the Honolulu
Zoo, any reptiles found in such surprise searches would be
illegal. At present, search warrant cannot be obtained to
confiscate animals. In 1991, 22 snakes, two alligators,
several other reptiles and a young cougar were found to have
been smuggled onto the islands as pets. The Department
fears that imported animals could become established on the
islands, posing a risk to native animals. They feel being
able to enter any land, building vessel or aircraft without
warning would greatly enhance their enforcement against
restricted animals and prevent individuals from
intentionally releasing the animals into the wild once
discovered. [From an Associated Press release by Bruce
Dunford, dateline Honolulu, early 1991, contributed by
Fredric L. Frye, D.V.M.] I wonder what the framers of the
U.S. Constitution would have thought of this proposal.
Famous reptiles...
Joseph A. Wasilewski, C.H.S. member and well known animal
handler, has a stunning new brochure available from his
company, Natural Selections. It shows six species of herps
in living color and is a better looking product than 99% of
all the brochures I've ever seen. Joe has provided animals
for television, films, commercials, lectures and school
shows for 18 years. Send a self-addressed, business sized
envelope with $.29 attached to him, 14316 S.W. 142 Avenue,
Miami, FL 33186 for your copy.
Unbelievable, but true
Robert Guthrie of Mobile, Alabama has entered a conditional
guilty plea on charges he plotted to wipe out the Alabama
red-bellied turtle in the wild so he could get a federal
grant to reintroduce the species. [Norinform news service
by way of an unnamed Toronto, Canada newspaper, dated
December 19, 1991, contributed by Jim Harding] If anyone out
there finds more on this story, please send it ASAP!
Where have we heard this before?
A 7-foot Burmese Python was recently adopted by the Detroit
zoo after its teenaged owner skipped town and left it behind
at his grandmother's house. She called animal control who
removed the animal and cared for it until the zoo could make
arrangements to get it. Sandy Wetmore, Animal Control
Officer for Trenton, Michigan eloquently said: "People let
their kids buy these snakes as babies, and they don't
realize how big they get. Once they reach a certain size,
they aren't as attractive and people dump them in fields or
sewers or streams. It's a real problem." [From the
News-Herald Metro Detroit edition, August 14, 1991,
contributed by Cheri Hosley]
Roundup season starts
Whigham, Georgia had their annual January event and received
front page Chicago Tribune coverage on January 27, 1992.
One snake hunter was quoted as saying "a bunch of jerk-leg
government bureaucrats who ain't got nothing better to do
than sit around aggravating people" and environmentalists
oppose the event. Ken Darnell who works for Bioactive Inc.,
a Virginia company that sells snake venom to pharmaceutical
companies for use in cell research attended to buy live
snakes for $6 a foot. The Whigham animals are shipped to
Alabama where they are milked again. Whether they are
killed after the second milking was not disclosed in this
article. [contributed by Mike Gascoyne]
Dolphin safe, no kidding!
The United States Customs Service has begun enforcement of
an embargo on imports of yellow fin tuna from 20 countries
where processors use fish caught by methods that drown
dolphins, sea turtles and other marine life. Fishermen use
large encircling nets then ship the catch to other countries
for processing. The embargo list read like the who's who of
the environmentally incorrect, covering imports from
Britain, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Panama, Singapore,
the Marshall Islands, the Netherlands Antilles, Spain,
Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. [The
New York Times, February 3, 1992, contributed by P.L.
Beltz] What Commerce would not or could not accomplish,
Customs has begun. Perhaps we could get them to enforce the
TEDs rules, too?
Thanks to those who contributed articles, clippings,
brochures, cards, letters, and miscellanea to this column.
Other members are invited to become contributors as well!
Please be sure to include the publication name and date if
at all possible and mail to me.
April 1992
Query from Hong Kong
The following letter reached me in a round about way.
Hopefully, those of you who may have an answer for Dr.
Brown, will write him. I'd appreciate copies of your
letters when you do.
"This is an informal query to a technical welfare problem.
I would be very grateful for your advice but more
importantly any references you can give me or...
photocopies of relevant articles. My specific question is,
do snakes have pain receptors, particularly in the region of
skin opposite and around the gall bladder? My reason for
asking this is at present theoretical. However, in a court
of law, this may become an important point in an animal
welfare case. You may be aware that it has long been
Chinese practice to remove the gall bladder from a living or
very recently decapitated snake. The operation, without
anasthetic, is very fast, the wound incision small and I am
told the snake can live for as long as a fortnight after
it. I have seen the procedure performed on recently
decaptiated snakes. With regards to the procedure on a live
snake, common sense and my experience of snakes tells me
this is cruel. However a defense lawyer may ask for
evidence that the snake feels pain. In the class of
mammalia, some receptors are recognized to be specific for
pain and different from thermo receptors, pressure
receptors, touch receptors, etc. What scientific evidence
is there for snakes having the same receptors? I fully
realize that snakes are very sensitive in the ventral area
and having injected one or two in dorsal muscle blocks, I
realize they can feel there and respond quickly and with
some force. However, it would be very helpful from a
prosecution case to have good evidence of pain receptors
rather than sensory receptors being excessively stimulated.
Few of the books I have consulted go into much detail on the
welfare regarding cruelty to snakes or their physiology
related to pain or suffering. Any good information on this
will be well appreciated... Looking forward to your reply,
Richard A.L. Brown, MJc MRCUS, Flat 4, 4 Caldecott Road,
Kowloon, Hong Kong, home fax 7283255."
Urgent request
Harry Andrews of the Madras Crocodile Bank wrote... "We've
got a sea turtle survey going in the Andaman and Nicobar
islands, where 4 species of sea turtles occur and use these
islands as their nesting grounds. Currently these nesting
turtles are being tagged with plastic tags. So far they're
are holding on and Satish Baskar who is in charge of the
survey has been getting 100% returns for tagged turtles
re-nesting on the same beach and other beaches 2-3 times
within intervals of 10-15 days. However, we are a bit
concerned as these tags have never been used on sea turtles
before and we're not sure whether they'll hold out until next
year. Also we only have 200 tags... I was wondering if you
could put out an urgent S.O.S. in the next CHS Bulletin
stating that we are in desperate need of Titanium or Monel
metal tags. These are not available here and we just don't
have the kind of money to get them from overseas. In fact,
we just managed to scrape up sufficient funds to support a
3-month survey, and fortunately lady luck came along and it
now looks like we will have funds to go on until the end of
1992... Aside from this, I'm currently floating a big
proposal to support a 5-year survey and study of sea turtles
in the Islands... We have a researcher doing a 9-month
survey of the mugger in Tamil Nadu and work is going well.
With the results of her survey we hope to be able to
convince the government about reviving the restocking
program of mugger crocodiles in the wild." So, if you just
happen to have a few or a few hundred titanium or monel
metal sea turtle tags collecting dust in your closet, please
send them to: Harry Andrews, Madras Crocodile Bank, Post
Bag 4, Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu 603 104, India. Fax (91-44)
491-0910, attention CROCBANK.
Bone again reptiles
Scientists from the Research Institute of Archaeology of
the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences discovered an oracle
bone and tortoise shell pit at the Yin Ruins in Anyang City,
Henan Province, central China. Dating to the Shang Dynasty
(1600-771 B.C.) inscriptions on the tortoise shells
constitute the earliest known written form of the Chinese
language. [Beijing Review, February 17-23, 1992,
contributed by P.L. Beltz]
Swiss researchers unearthed the first complete dinosaur
found in Wyoming. Fortunately for the U.S., "Big Al" was on
Federal land. If he'd been on private land, he'd probably
be out of the country by now. Surprisingly, the U.S. has no
laws protecting paleontological finds from export. Big Al
will end up reassembled in the Museum of the Rockies in
Bozeman, Montana after being completely removed from the
late Jurassic Morrison Formation. [The Wall Street Journal,
February 7, 1992, contributed by P.L. Beltz]
The T. rex that most museum visitors to the American Natural
History Museum in New York will remember is the famous mount
of the monster looming over a trio of Cretaceous menu items,
a Triceratops and two Trachodonts. Mr. Rex is retiring for
a remount until 1995, and in his place, the museum has
brought in a 49-foot Barosaurus. Visitors to New York are
encouraged to visit the museum which has much of interest to
herpetologists even while the famous dinosaurs are away.
[The New York Times, February 10, 1992, contributed by
Francis X. Nolan]
Bones of a crocodile ancestor were unearthed in Colorado,
providing a rare glimpse into ecology of hundreds of millions
of years ago. Dinosaur eggs were discovered first, but then
the croc bones were found. Researchers suspect the
crocs were egg thieves that raided dinosaur nests. [The
Grand Junction Daily Sentinal, February 10, 1992,
contributed by Larry & Donna Valentine]
Venomous mystery uncoils
A pastor of the Church of Jesus With Signs Following and his
wife are facing each other in an Alabama courtroom trying to
solve the puzzle of "did she get bitten by a rattlesnake
attempting to pick one up to kill him - or did he force her
hand into the cage in an attempt to kill her?" [Akron, Ohio
Beacon Journal, February 13, 1992, contributed by Steven L.
Frantz]
True teenage mutant turtles
Dr. Frank J. Schwartz, a professor at the University of
North Carolina has reported that four loggerhead sea turtles
at his Morehead City laboratory transformed from female to
male as they became literal teenagers. The turtles were
hatched 14 years ago as part of his research on temperature
dependent gender selection. Four of the turtles identified
as females in youth began to exhibit male characteristics,
and began trying to mate with a female turtle. Other
researchers are skeptical. [The News & Observer, Raleigh,
N.C., December 6, 1991, contributed by Jo O'Keefe and Steven
Spitzer]
Sell mouse traps to South America
An article in the Palm Beach, FL Post (February 2, 1992)
details a pet store owner's opinion that the Argentine
Horned Frog is the hottest pet right now. Ron Dupont sells
three to six of the frogs locally every month, but
wholesales hundreds to Germany and England. He said,
"They're important where they come from (in Argentina)
because they take care of a lot of rodents." [Contributed
by Rob Streit]
Beam me up, spotty
A few Japanese red-bellied newts will blast off in the NASA
Space Shuttle's Microgravity Lab II. Female newts will be
hormonally stimulated to drop their eggs, which a male
astro-newt will then fertilize. Development of their
offspring will take place in a gravity-free environment and
the offspring will be studied to see if they have difficulty
adjusting to earth's gravitational pull. [Technology
Review, February/March, 1992, contributed by Mike Dloogatch]
Good class to cut
The Shedd Aquarium is offering a class in "Family Frog
Dissection," billed as an event in which "family members
[have] the opportunity to work together as amateur
scientists in dissecting a frog." The illustration that
accompanied this short in the Chicago Reader's City File
column shows a family of frogs dissecting a human. [March
5, 1992, contributed by P.L. Beltz]
How many hamsters can pythons stuff?
A return letter from Rick Reifsnyder... "Thank you for your
encouraging response to the article and letter I submitted
recently...Initially, I was just going to sent (that article)
in with a brief comment on the dangers of feeding large
snakes but I got carried away and couldn't resist
speculating on the feeding technique selected. I guess
there is a little hamster in all of us... I have
received some input concerning how many hamsters a 12-foot
python could conceivably consume at one sitting. An
associate of mine once worked in a pet store and he
described for me the method used there for handling an
abundance of unwanted rodents. Apparently, people used to
donate pet hamsters and gerbils that were no longer loved to
this establishment in hopes that they would find a good
home. As you probably know, hamsters and gerbils are not
the friendliest animals when it comes to socializing within
their own species and so the store would have to house them
separately to prevent these bellicose creatures from rioting
and killing one another. Occasionally, they would run out
of available cages which would force the employees to seek a
new solution. In this particular case, the solution
happened to be a nine-foot rock python that was the resident
store mascot. It was reported to me that this snake once
ate 48 hamsters and gerbils at one sitting, setting a new
record for ophidian gluttony at this shop. At 5.33 rodents
per foot, a 12-foot snake should be able to stomach at least
64 of these furry little guys!"
Promiscuity in snakes
The Associated Press reports that researchers presented
evidence that female snakes have multiple sex partners
during their reproductive cycles to guarantee a higher
proportion of their offspring being born alive. Since
female snakes can store sperm for months before ovulating,
females can create a lottery situation within themselves in
which the best-performing sperm from a variety of males
compete to fertilize the eggs. [The Grand Junction Daily
Sentinel, contributed by Larry & Donna Valentine]
CHS member pleaded guilty
William Gillingham, a CHS member and compiler of the Fauna
Classifieds, is better known as a teacher at Tokay (no
kidding) High School in Lodi, California and proprietor of
the Great Valley Serpentarium. Recently,
however, Mr. Gillingham ran afoul of the federal Lacey Act,
which prohibits the importation of protected species without
governmental approval. Federal authorities say he brought
Baja Mountain kingsnakes into the United States from Mexico
when he came back from vacation. The Baja Mountain
kingsnakes had been feared to be extinct. Eleven
defendants, including Mr. Gillingham pleaded guilty to
violations of the Lacey Act as a result of investigations
into the improper importation of snakes and lizards into
the state of California. Many of the animals including the
Baja Mountain kingsnakes were offered for sale. Under a
plea-bargain agreement, Mr. Gillingham was fined $2,500 and
placed on probation for 25 months. U.S. Attorney General
for Sacramento, Miguel Rodriguez said, "We feel strongly
that these people are profiteers who take reptiles and
resources of another country for their own private enjoyment
or commercial use. They are depriving another country of
their natural resources." Mr. Gillingham said, "We brought
a few back with us (from Baja). Lots of people bring snakes
and lizards back. It's a common practice... People bring
fireworks back... In the '60's we brought in some iguanas
and no permits were needed then, I guess they are really
tightening down on this." [The Stockton Record, February 8,
1992] I would remind all CHS members that ignorance of the
law is never an excuse for breaking it. In Illinois, taking
of reptiles and amphibians for commercial purposes is
completely prohibited, and obviously, the taking of a
species feared extinct is poor form in any state, country or
continent. Call your local herp researcher if you find a
rarity, don't take it to sell it.
Thanks to everyone who contributed clippings! There were so
many that I've held a few over to use next month, so if you
know you sent something, and you don't see your name - don't
panic. A special thank you to Wayne Hill and Roxanne Moore
who've emptied their files of older clippings and sent me just
scads of stuff which fits right in with the rest of my collection
of clippings. It may interest you to know that I have a
four drawer file cabinet 2/3rds full after only five years.
Herps are in the news a lot... As always, if you see
something herpetologically related, please clip it out and
send it to me.
May 1992
Iguanas implicated in salmonella poisoning
Phyllis Ruther sent in two clippings. One from the Chicago Sun-Times [February
17, 1992] briefly outlines a report from the federal Center for Disease Control
in Atlanta which cited iguanas as a possible carrier of the salmonella bacteria.
The second item was from the Massachusetts Medical Society Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report [January 24, 1992] which outlines two cases of
Salmonella infection in infants. Both babies lived in homes where the only
indoor pets were iguanas. The iguanas were bought from different pet shops, but
were apparently purchased from a single importer. The strain that infected both
infants was S. marina. The report concludes: "Persons in contact with iguanas
should practice strict handwashing after handling these animals of their
environments, particularly in households with infants or elderly persons who may
be highly susceptible to infection. The report also notes that stool samples
may not show S. marina and that cultures should be taken from cage surfaces as
well to prevent false negatives.
Legislation of interest
The Endangered Species Act is up for reauthorization in 1992. Billed as the
"fight of the century" by the National Wildlife Federation, environmentalists
and their opponents are gearing up to support or defeat the crown jewel of
environmental law. A reauthorization and amendment bill being supported by the
Center for Marine Conservation and the National Wildlife Federation is House
Resolution 4045. In fiscal 1991, American taxpayers lost $250 million on
below-cost timber sales from national forests. Only $102 million was spent by
federal agencies on endangered species. [The Wall Street Journal, February 4,
1992, contributed by P.L. Beltz]
Congress is considering bills limiting the sale and importation of exotic birds.
House Resolution 2541 and Senate Bill 1218 seek to phase out import of wild
birds as pets within 5 years by substituting captive breeding programs to
satisfy consumer demand.
A bill which would have given private property rights supremacy over
environmental and other regulations was removed by a House-Senate conference
committee from the surface transportation bill. However, Senator Symms' (R-ID)
proposal is also tagged into a bill creating a Department of the Environment.
The proposal misinterprets (or redefines) Constitutional law as prohibiting the
enforcement of environmental laws that may decrease a property's value or make
development impossible. The proposal would give the Attorney General virtual
carte blanche to veto or indefinitely delay any federal regulation on any issue,
no matter how badly needed to protect clean air, health, safe food, endangered
species and other issues.
Your letters are needed on these issues. Write your Representatives and
Senators expressing your opinions! Every letter counts. Call (312) 939-INFO if
you need their names and addresses. [Sources: National Wildlife Federation
EnviroAction, February 1992 and Action Alert, Center for Marine Conservation,
February 1992.]
Life in the slow lane
The Las Vegas Valley Water District has suspended issuing new water commitments.
They're waiting for a Fish and Wildlife Service review of a Bureau of
Reclamation proposal to give southern Nevada the remainder of the state's share
of Colorado River water. [Las Vegas Review Journal, February 21, 1992,
contributed by Bob F. Pierson]
The Department of Energy announced that it will place "Caution Tortoise" signs
beside roads on the Nevada Test Site as well as on land set aside for the
proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. According to
the press release, the signs will warn truck driving workers to be careful in
tortoise territory. The press release says the test site "has a long history of
supporting research and work with endangered species." The Test Site began
operations in 1951, detonating more than 700 atomic bombs until now. About 200
were set off in the atmosphere, and after the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty, 500
more have been exploded underground. Large amounts of uranium, plutonium,
tritium, krypton and other radioactive materials are present in the test site
topsoil. [The Las Vegas Review Journal, February 19, 1992, contributed by Bob
F. Pierson.]
Rattlesnake featured in new book
Thomas Palmer has written an interesting book titled "Landscape with reptile:
rattlesnakes in the urban world" (Ticknor & Fields, 340 pages $19.95) that was
reviewed by the Wall Street Journal [February 27, 1992]. The subject is
Crotalus horridus which live on stony crags on the Blue Hills a few miles
outside of Boston. Palmer reviews the history of the animal with stories of
local lore, medical reports, Puritan writings and native American legends.
[Contributed by Rob Streit]
Misinformation reigns
Jim Zaworsky contributed a copy of Hank Parker's Outdoor Magazine [January,
1992] wherein is written: "the rattlesnake is the easiest to avoid getting into
trouble with, they make a noise before they bite...Everyone should carry a snake
bite kit in your tackle box...Black, yellow and red markings alternating are the
markings of a coral snake. The king snake has similar markings but in different
patterns. Don't try to remember which is which; just avoid these snakes like
the plague."
National Guard knows snakes
Sgt. Marc Desparois, a preventative medicine specialist with the Texas Army
National Guard, gives classes in dangerous wildlife to new recruits. His advise
for snakes? Leave it alone, he says, "95 percent of all snake bites occur when
a person is trying to catch it, kill it, or is handling it in captivity. Snakes
want nothing to do with humans. They first rely on camouflage, but if agitated,
may bite." [National Guard Magazine, February, 1992, contributed by Steve
Frantz]
Sweetwater's foul statistics
Kay Berryman, the administrative assistant of the Sweetwater Chamber of Commerce
and secretary to the Jaycee's, was interviewed by a reporter for The Dallas
Morning News: "We bring in more poundage than any other roundup. our average is
7,000 pounds per year, but we have brought in as much as 18,000 pounds." They
estimate that 100 tons of rattlesnakes have been collected from a 150-mile
radius of Sweetwater. Berryman did acknowledge that not everyone likes
rattlesnake roundups. She said, "For the past three years, we have had to
provide places for those people to protest. They have their rights to feel as
they do, and we have our rights. Texas A and M University did a study that shows we
are not doing anything wrong." The program director of the roundup, Bill
Ransberger, said, "We teach the people what to do if they get bitten, and how to
keep from getting bitten." Ransberger has been bitten more than 40 times.
[March 1, 1992, contributed by Andrea Allen. Chicago Tribune, March 8, 1992,
contributed by Ilene and Paul Sievert] I also received an article about the Opp
Jaycee Rattlesnake Roundup which claims the Jaycees won't accept snakes that
have any signs of being gassed. [Montgomery, AL Advertiser, March 1, 1992,
contributed by Rick Dowling]
How things have changed
Brian Bankowski was cleaning his closet when he came across a 30 year old price
list from Ross Allen's Mail Order Department, dated June 15, 1961. Brian wrote:
"I thought it might be of interest to the membership not so much for the prices
but for the species offered and how many are protected or considered endangered
in 1991. It sure gave me some food for thought and I'd like to share it." All
prices were given post paid, assume for one animal unless specified, slightly
abbreviated from original: "10 assorted salamanders $6.00; amphiuma 3.00; ten
dwarf sirens 15.00; greater siren 5.00; florida snappers per pound .30; chicken
turtles 2.50; gopher tortoises 1.00; texas tortoises 1.50; Barbour's map turtles
2.50; five mud turtles 3.00; alligator snappers per pound .75; Florida or
peninsula cooter 2.00; four assorted cooters 5.00; Suwannee Cooter 2.50; Florida
Red-bellied turtles 2.00; box turtles 1.50; baby alligator from La. farm 5.00;
baby brown caiman 3.50; Texas horned lizards 1.00; glass lizards 3.00; small
green iguanas 4.50; small tegu lizards 18.00; basilisk lizards 7.50; rainbow
snakes (rare) 15.00; indigo snakes 15.00; everglades rat snakes 7.50; Florida
king snakes 7.50; pine snakes 7.50; garter snakes 1.50; southern ribbon snakes
1.50; scarlet snakes 8.00; and boa constrictors from 5.00 for a baby to 50 for
an eight-foot specimen."
People eat crocs
The African nation of Zimbabwe is leading the way in conserving wildlife through
"sustainable use," conserving a promoting its wildlife by making animals of
economic value to local people. The pioneer project is proving that people can
live with wild animals, protecting them even if those same animals threaten
lives and crops. Crocodile farming started in Zimbabwe in the early 1960s after
hunting had ravaged the croc population. It has become an economic asset.
Local people are paid $1 for each egg found. Two percent of farm hatched crocs
are returned to the wild, a better survival rate than if the eggs hatched by
themselves. The crocodile population on Lake Kariba is the highest on record,
an estimated 30,000. Sale of the crocodile hides and meat from the farm earned
about $3 million for Zimbabwe. Crocodile farming has spread to Ethiopia, Kenya,
Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana and Madagascar. Jonathan Hutton,
the executive director of the Crocodile Farmers Association of Zimbabwe said
that they hope to avoid the pitfalls encountered by U.S. reptile farms which
overproduced alligator skins in a time of falling demand. He also said that
only Italy and Singapore are still buying illegal crocodile and caiman skins
regularly. [Daily Herald, January 3, 1992, contributed by Amy K. Fischler]
Michigan stings turtle nappers
Van Buren County District Judge Steve Hamlin, sentenced three men for flagrant
violations of laws protecting turtles. The men were arrested in a sting
operation conducted by Michigan State Conservation Officers and a Special Agent
of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Officers seized 34 snapping turtles, 154
painted turtles, 10 musk turtles and two threatened eastern box turtles at the
home of two of the defendants. The
violators possessed sport fishing licenses, but were way over the possession
limits. Box turtles are illegal with or without a license. The defendants
confessed they had planned to sell all the turtles to one man. Officers
permitted the sale to take place and then arrested the buyer at his home where
they seized 284 more turtles: 194 painteds, 40 three-toed box turtles, 19
eastern box turtles, 23 musk turtles, 10 spotted turtles, eight Blanding's
turtles and one snapper. The man has been in the business of buying and selling
amphibians, reptiles and other animals for about seven years without proper
commercial licenses. All three were fined and sentenced to short jail terms.
[Michigan Out-of-Doors Magazine, March, 1992, contributed by Jim Harding]
Japanese willing to talk
The Japanese Government has promised to phase out purchases of endangered sea
turtle products by 1993. However, some environmentalists feel that a phaseout
may only lead to stockpiling carcasses before the ban goes into effect,
nullifying any immediate benefit to the turtles. Another 7,000 sea turtles are
expected to be killed before the ban is complete. Protests were scheduled in
more than a dozen U.S. cities, Mexico and Thailand in mid-January.
Members of Earth First! were uncharacteristically calm when attempting to
deliver a message to the Japanese Consulate in Chicago. When security guards
blocked their way, they asked a regular delivery man to carry the package inside
for them. A few minutes later, Ko Kodaira, consul and director of the Japan
Information Center at the Consulate, arrived in the lobby.
Through a translator, he read a statement
that the 1993 deadline was chosen so that new materials could be found to
replace the Hawksbill turtle shells. This is intended to save the jobs of 2,000
Japanese craftspeople involved in the $4 to $5 million-a-year industry. Kodaira
promised to forward the protest package to Japanese embassy officials in
Washington. [New City, January 30, 1992, contributed by P.L. Beltz]
Special thanks to everyone who submitted articles this month. I also received
materials from Larry Valentine and Bill Burnett. Diane Fick just about made my
month in a phone conversation when she said, "I live for my Bulletin." It's
statements like that which are so rewarding. If you see a reptile-related
clipping, please send it along with the newspaper's name, location and
publication date to me. You too will see your name in print!
June 1992
Our tax dollars at work
According to an article in Winnetka Talk, April 2, 1992,
"Carp, bullheads and other `undesirable' fish will be
exterminated with a natural chemical and the Skokie Lagoons
will be restocked with game fish to restore the lagoons to a
viable recreation area." The "natural" chemical is
Rotenone. David McGinty, assistant superintendent of
conservation for the Forest Preserve District said,
"[Rotenone] is a chemical that is used to kill fish and to
kill fish only. You could jump in the water, swim, you
could swallow the water." The chemical will cost the county
$60,000 and is supposed to degrade within two weeks.
Dredging of accumulated sediments and algae, carp culling,
and restocking efforts will cost $6 million. Funding has
been provided by the Cook County Forest Preserve District,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the North Shore
Sanitary District and the State of Illinois. Cynthia Gehrle
who sent the clipping, also photocopied pages from a book,
"Pesticides and Human Health" by William H. Hallenbeck and
Kathleen M. Cunningham-Burns (Springer-Verlag, New York).
Rotenone is on page 122. The account says that it is
derived from derris root, and is used to kill insects and
fish by inhibiting the oxidation of NAD and blocking
oxidative phosphorylation and nerve conduction. The list of
acute, chronic and suspected effects on humans fills the
rest of the page. Does anyone out there know of the effect
of rotenone on amphibians and reptiles? If you'd like to
write Mr. McGinty about this project, be polite, and send
your letters to: Forest Preserve District of Cook County,
536 North Harlem, River Forest, IL 60305.
Turtle trade prompts ban
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency [TWRA] recently
approved new regulations which make it illegal to possess,
collect, buy or sell native live turtles and turtle eggs.
TWRA spokesman, Gary Cook said, "As a result of numerous
calls from turtle dealers...[we] assembled a working
committee to evaluate the commercial impact on native turtle
populations...and review regulations in Tennessee and
neighboring states." The neighboring states of Alabama,
Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri all have regulations
governing the harvest and sale of turtles. The sale of three
species (the common snapper, smooth softshell and spiny
softshell) for food in Tennessee is still legal. [Tennessee
Farm Bureau News, c. April 1992, contributed by Jim L.
Crownover]
Python gets his man
A pet keeper in Toronto was apparently asphyxiated by
"Yasser," his 10 foot, 35-50 pound Burmese python. Mark
Nevile of Brampton was found dead in his basement apartment
shortly after noon on April 3, 1992 by his upstairs
neighbors. Workers from Metro zoo captured Yasser (who was
loose) and two other caged pythons and transported them to
the zoo where they still reside. [Toronto Star, April 6,
1992 and Toronto Globe and Mail, April 7, 1992 both
contributed by Michael Burger]
They even banned the circus
Reacting to reports that a topless dancer was being cruel to
her Burmese python and other exotic animals, the Toronto
City Council on March 23 voted to ban exotic animal acts,
including circuses and theater or stage shows that use such
animals in their productions. Even the Ringling Brothers
and Barnum & Bailey Circus can no longer perform in Toronto.
Business leaders are joking but worried. The vice-president
of the Toronto Skydome remarked that he worries about
booking the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Bears, musical groups
like the Monkees and the Turtles - not to mention the
hometown Toronto Blue Jays. However, the ban will cost the
Skydome lots of loonies (Canadian dollar coins). Animal
rights activists point out that Montreal's famous Cirque du
Soleil is very successful and has no animals other than
humans in its acts. [Chicago Tribune, April 26, 1992,
contributed by P.L. Beltz]
Boa-d of education
A biology teacher at DuSable High School in Chicago has an
innovated method for getting students to attend his classes.
He has obtained many animals not usually seen in the inner
city, including a macaw, a goat and a boa constrictor.
Students have lab twice a week and in addition to working on
assigned projects are able to brush up their math skills by
calculating the number of rats needed to feed the boa.
Attendance is up, truancy is down, and one assumes the snake
is plump. [The Reader, May 1, 1992]
Snake bite treatments
An article in China Today [May 1992] discusses the
lifelong study of snake venom treatment by Dr. Shu Purong.
Shu, now 60, has trained 3,000 students and treated
innumerable patients. He is chairman of the China Snake
Bite Prevention and Snake Source Development Study Society.
China has 173 snake species, of which 57 are venomous, and
10 are considered highly dangerous. Most are in south China
where the climate is warm and humid. About 25,000 people
die from snake bites in China every year. It is considered
impractical for rural medicine agencies in China to store
antivenom. Most have no electricity for refrigeration and
no hard currency to buy antivenom. Shu worked with
traditional Chinese medicine practitioners to develop the
Qinglong Snake Tablet. In a study of 441 people in nine
hospitals treated for cobra, green bamboo and four other
highly venomous snake bites, 400 recovered and only one
died. In the United States, Dr. David Hardy is recognized
as an expert in snake bite treatment. In a 1990 article in
the Tucson Herpetological Society Newsletter
[3(3):24-28], he recommended the following for pitviper
bite: 1.) the victim and helpers should remain calm; 2.) the
extremity should be put at rest with a splint and be kept
below heart level; 3.) physical activity should be decreased
as far as possible; and 4.) the victim should be transported
to a medical facility as quickly as possible. The following
are not recommended: 1.) incision with suction; 2.) multiple
incisions with suction and venous tourniquet; 3.) venous
tourniquets; 4.) lymphatic tourniquets; 5.) ice or cold pack
application; 6.) ice water immersion or cryotheraphy; 7.)
suction without incision; 8.) squeezing the bite site; 9.)
compression/immobilization; and 10.) stun gun electroshock.
An study after the wide publicity given the stun gun, and
its sale under the "Snake Doctor" label prompted the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration to forbid advertisement or sale
of stun guns for treatment of snakebites in humans or other
animals. As Marty Rosenberg once said so succinctly at a
C.H.S. meeting, "The best treatment for snakebite is a set
of car keys." [China Today article contributed by P.L.
Beltz]
Philosopher discusses rattlesnake roundups
An article in Conservation Biology (6(1):116-127, March
1992) by Jack Weir, Professor of Philosophy at Morehead
State University in Kentucky discusses ethical and
conservation questions concerning rattlesnake roundups with
an emphasis on the Sweetwater Jaycees roundup. It is
must reading for anyone with an interest in rattlesnake
roundups. [Contributed by K.S. Mierzwa]
Yuck of the month
Tom Taylor of Tempe, Arizona sent in a photocopy of a page
from Sportsman's Guide Catalog. This stuff is just too
disgusting to paraphrase, so I quote from page 25: "The
Beauty and the Beast Lamps bright the outdoors into your
home or office. Not only different and unique, these lamps
utilize neutral colors that go with almost any decor...So
lifelike...so realistic you'd think they were still alive.
Beautiful pen-raised Bobwhite Quail is standing atop a stump
with bleached baby's breath as a backdrop. Farm-raised 40"
Diamond-back Rattler, commonly found in the Western United
States, is freeze tried and poised in striking
position...Get a pair of quail for the living room and a
pair of rattlers for the den." Each lamp is priced at
$149.99. The same page has the usual freeze dried
rattlesnakes, ceramic buffalo skulls surrounded by freeze
dried rattlesnakes, rattlesnake head key chains and the most
horrid, a baby gator head transfixed with a bowie knife. The
Golden Valley, MN company has a 800 numbers for orders:
voice 800-888-3006 or fax 800-333-6933.
Shaggy snake story resurfaces
John Tashjian of San Marcos, CA sent in a copy of the March,
1991 Oakland Police and Fire Retirement Association titled
"Accidents in the Home." To quote from the newsletter:
"According to statistics, more accidents happen in the home
than any other place. I am beginning to believe it after
talking with my neighbor's wife and how her husband suffered
a broken arm. According to him, he broke his arm while
giving an arm signal in his car while the window was up.
But she has an entirely different story. It seems the wife
brought some potted plants inside that had been out on the
patio all day. A garter snake had crawled into one of the
pots and later slithered out across the floor where the
wife spotted it. The husband in the bathtub heard her
scream and thought she was being murdered, jumped out of the
tub to go and help her and didn't even wrap a towel around
himself. Upon entering the room, the wife screamed,
`there's a snake under the couch.' He got down on his hands
and knees to look for the snake, whereupon their dog came up
behind and `cold-nosed' him. He thought it was the snake
and fainted. The wife thinking he had a heart attack and
called for an ambulance. The husband was still `groggy'
when the ambulance arrived, so the attendants lifted him
onto a stretcher to carry him out. While they were crossing
the room, the darn snake came out from under the couch and
frightened one of the medics. He dropped the stretcher on
his end and that's how the husband broke his arm. So you
see that's why I made a rule around my house to keep all
plants outdoors, keep a muzzle on our dog when he is in the
house and never get down on my hands and knees anymore." I
always enjoy these "suburban legends." Perhaps this
actually did happen, but it will appear again and again in
the press, always as an "it happened to the cousin of a
friend of mine" story. At least, if it did happen, we know
it was prior to March of 1991! John wrote, "I have KNOWN
from SCIENTIFIC evidence (enclosed) for about a year now
that the genus Thamnophis is a lot more dangerous than
heretofore believed. The preponderant evidence proves
conclusively that the mere presence of a small specimen can
cause a broken arm in a full grown man especially when it is
encountered in combination with an ophiophobe and a dog with
a cold nose..." Do I sense a forked tongue firmly in cheek
here?
Draco-nian laws, part 2
Gordon Rodda wrote, "I couldn't help but note the
unintentional juxtaposition of three related articles in
HerPET-POURRI March 1992 (p. 73). In "Where have we heard
this before?" the cited article talks about people dumping
unwanted snake pets in field or sewers or streams. "It's a
real problem" noted the article. In "If you can't beat
`em, cook `em" the article mentions the damage the
accidently introduced Brown Tree Snake has done to the
native birds, bats, and lizards of Guam. Biologists are
gravely concerned that this cycle of devastation will be
repeated next in Hawaii. And finally, in "Draconian laws
propose," you decry the severe measures that the state of
Hawaii is taking to make sure that snakes do not get
accidently introduced to an island whose fauna has evolved
in the absence of snakes. It is a difficult situation, but
realize that among the animals that may be protected by
Hawaii's actions are beautiful geckos and skinks."
DEAR GORDON
Believe me, little in this column is unintentional. I
have a low regard for irresponsible people, whether their
interests be mammalian or reptilian. Since our membership
is formed of a core of long term members, and a group of new
members who may not understand the impacts of accidental (or
deliberate) release, I try to discuss releases at least
every two to three months.
However, some of the most spectacular impacts on local
fauna have not been amateurish accidents, but rather the
result of deliberate introductions by people who - in
hindsight - should have known better. In 1934, 102 cane
toads (Bufo marinus) were exported from Honolulu to
Australia. Since then, cane toads have spread widely and
had an impact on native fauna. Incidentally, they had
little or no effect on the organism they were
supposed to eradicate, the cane-eating gray-back beetle.
Now, some are recommending that Xenodon snakes be
imported from South America to control the toads. So far,
the government of Australia is resisting such suggestions.
The Brown Tree Snake you mentioned was reportedly
accidentally introduced to Guam by U.S. military forces
which shipped men and materials to that island during and
following the second world war. It apparently arrived in
military vehicles and equipment crates.
The carp was introduced to the U.S. at the urging of
Spencer Fullerton Baird, then director of the National
Museum (Smithsonian), because he felt it would be an
excellent food fish for the poor. Senators and Congressmen
fought for the privilege of having the carp introduced in
their districts.
The "triploid grass carp" is still being introduced in
ponds around the state of Illinois at the urging of some
workers in the Illinois Department of Conservation as a
biological control for pond weeds.
The highly destructive mongoose was deliberately
introduced around the world as a purported biological
control on snakes. Goats released on islands result in
ecological destruction on a grand scale and have been
implicated in the loss of snake species on Round Island
among many other places. European rats decimated the
ground-nesting birds of New Zealand.
Feral cats and loose pet cats are responsible for the
deaths of large numbers of native fauna worldwide. This
problem has been studied and published on in England, but
occurs everywhere an owner lets a cat out the door.
Additionally, the impact on native fauna of introduced
plants should be considered. In only one example, pineapple
plantations cover vast areas. The methods used to
maintain cultivation (including plowing and chemical
additives) are inimical to wildlife.
I could probably continue to list the effects of
non-native species on native species for several pages. I do
not disagree with you that released pets cause problems, but
I
do disagree with the METHODS of the Hawaiian law.
The fourth amendment to the U.S. Constitution states:
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons,
houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches
and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall
issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or
affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be
searched, and the persons or things to be seized." The
newspaper reports of the Hawaiian law said that the searches
were authorized to be performed without warrant. That seems
to violate the fourth amendment.
What will result from this law? I suggest that the first
person whose reptilian pets are seized who has the desire or
the means may pursue this to the U.S. Supreme Court.
While the issue is on appeal, Hawaii will be unable to
enforce the law. This effectively creates a situation of a
one-shot enforcement effort, similar to that created by the
Illinois "Dangerous Animals Act" reported on in this column
previously.
I would suggest that a much better means of keeping
non-native animals from being kept in Hawaii would be
an education effort. Teach schoolchildren why it is wrong
to keep non-native fauna on the island. Begin an effort to
spay or neuter dogs and cats on the island. Ban further
importation of all non-native fauna, not just reptiles and
amphibians. I know it's easy in an enforcement position to
regard everyone not "us" as "them," but wouldn't it be more
productive to make more "them" into "us" though education?
In the conterminous U.S., habitat loss from development
is usually cited as a major contributor to the decline of
wildlife. Perhaps Hawaii could lead the states with laws
regulating development impact on native fauna. After all,
Section One, Article IV of the Constitution states: "Full
Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public
Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other
States." This is the law under which "precedent" in legal
cases is established. I'd really like to see developers
required to redevelop land which has already been wrecked
before they are allowed to chew up every last bit of
undisturbed real estate into more shopping centers, housing
developments and roads.
Thanks to this month's contributors. In addition to those
mentioned above, Lynda Kaplan sent some cute cartoons, Bill
Burnett sent photocopies of articles and Larry Valentine
sent one of the nicest python pictures I've ever seen. If
you see a reptile or amphibian related clipping, please take
a moment - cut it out, put the date and publication on it,
and stuff it in an envelope addressed to me.
July 1992
Snakes do feel pain
Regular readers of this column may recall Dr. Brown's
letter from Hong Kong requesting information.
Richard C. Goris, President of the Herpetological
Society of Japan wrote, "I saw you letter in the
Bulletin of the Chicago Herp Society. By way of
introduction, I teach anatomy and physiology of the
senses at the School of Medicine, Yokohama City
University, Japan... Our laboratory specializes in
neuroanatomy. We can assure you that pain, or
nocicption as we call it, is one of the most
primitive of the senses. No living organism could
exist without the aid of nociceptors. The so-called
"higher animals" have pain receptors because they
have inherited them from the organisms from which
they evolved. Specifically, pain is transmitted by
the nerve fibers called C fibers, and is mediated in
a large number of cases by the neurotransmitter
called substance P. In the course of our research we
have identified both C fibers and substance
P-containing nerve fibers in snakes. One of our
group, now a full professor of physiology at the
University of the Ryukyus, has identified and marked
specific pain-receiving neurons in the trigeminal
nerve system of a large venomous snake, Trimeresurus
flavoviridis. As for the specific area you mention,
it is risible to even think that a snake would not
have pain receptors in such a vital area of its
anatomy as the abdomen around the liver. I am well
aware of the procedure you mention, as well as other,
far crueler procedures of the practitioners of
Chinese `medicine' with regard to reptiles, and I
roundly condemn them all."
Jeffrey R. Jenkins, D.V.M. also responded to Dr. Brown's
request for information on pain in reptiles, "Quite a bit of
work has been published on pain in reptiles and other `lower
animals' in the last 3 to 5 years, and this [what he sent]
is just what was within easy reach. The two best resources
are the Scientist Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW) and the
National Agriculture Library Animal Welfare Information
Center." Hopefully, a few more of the 1,800 or so people who
receive this publication will be able to help Dr. Brown
with information. The reason he was asking was to prepare
materials for a court hearing on whether the snakes
eviscerated live on the infamous "snake alley" are in pain.
If the court rules that the snakes are in pain, the process
will be halted under strict Commonwealth cruelty to animals
laws. Thanks to Dr. Jenkins and Dr. Goris for taking the
time to reply.
Cobra kills owner
A 25-year-old resident of Emmitsburg, Maryland died in late
May after being bitten by a pet cobra. Brian Leslie West
had been keeping 50 snakes, about half of which were
venomous, in cages in his basement. His father said that
the venomous animals were kept in locked cages in a room
designed to contain the snakes. The 6-foot-long black
Indian cobra was delivering eggs when it began to have
difficulty, according to West's father. He said his son
had taken the snake to a veterinarian and injected it with
medicine to help the delivery progress at home. About an
hour later, the snake suddenly bit the victim on the toe of
his left foot. He managed to put the cobra in its cage
before rescue workers arrived. He went into cardiac
arrest within ten minutes of being bitten. He was
remembered at his memorial service as a man who loved nature
and wildlife, who was dedicated to educating others about
misunderstood wildlife, and who served on the same volunteer
emergency ambulance corps that responded to his call.
He was vice president of the Western Maryland Herpetological
Society. His snake collection will be placed with zoos or
other herpetologists. [From The Washington Post, May 30,
1992, The Frederick MD Post, May 30, 1992 and June 1, 1992,
contributed by D. Curry]
Bet she re-mambas that night!
A University of Natal freshman shared a couch with a 1.7
meter green mamba for two hours before it slid down
inside her shirt. She said, "Every now and then I would
feel something moving and I would hit down on the
cushions...I felt something... and just saw the tail of the
snake which was... slithering on to the couch." Rangers
from a nearby snake park removed the animal. [African Herp
News, November 1991, contributed by G. Rocco, Freehold, NJ]
TED battle continues
An alert from the Center for Marine Conservation, dated
April 24, 1992 reported that the Turtle Excluder Device
(TEDs) regulations were being held up in the Office of
Management and Budget and were not yet published
by the Department of Commerce for public comment and final
approval. A second alert, dated June 8, 1992, said
"Thanks to you [environmentalists] the regulations were
released." The next step is public comment.
TEDs are trapdoors that are added to shrimp nets which
permit turtles and finfish to escape. If they can't get out
they drown. Without TEDs, shrimpers may drown as many as
55,000 sea turtles each year, according to a May 1990 study
by the National Academy of Sciences performed at the request
of TED opponents in Congress. TEDs are a cheap and easy
solution to sea turtle drownings. All sea turtles are
endangered species. Herpetologists and environmentalists
have fought for more than five years to have the
TED regulations passed and enforced. Your letters are
needed. Write Dr. Nancy Foster, Director, Office of
Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1335
East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Please be
polite, but firm. Without TEDs sea turtles, most especially
the Kemp's ridley, are at risk.
Another way to save turtles
Dr. Michael Klemens, Director of the Turtle Recovery
Program, recently gave a wonderful presentation to CHS
members at a general meeting at the Field Museum of Natural
History. If you've not yet attended a meeting in the new
auditorium, you're missing out! The audio-visual is
perfect, there are lots of seats, sloped so everybody can
see without 25 heads in the way, and the speakers lined up
by CHS Vice President, John Murphy, are just superb.
Michael gave a talk about various turtle species in trouble
around the world and discussed the recovery plans and
programs in place to help them survive in the wild. You can
help. Write him at the American Museum of Natural History,
Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192
for a copy of his new brochure that will tell you how you
can participate in this joint venture between the American
Museum and the International Union for the Conservation of
Nature-World Wildlife Fund.
Las Vegas Tortoise News
Bob Pierson has been an unceasing contributor of clippings
about desert tortoises from the Las Vegas Review Journal
including the following: 1.) Fifty-four desert tortoises
were displaced by construction in the Las Vegas area. About
1,200 people have offered to adopt them. Reno Turtle and
Tortoise Club President Darlene Pond said her group received
700 letters, 500 telephone calls and one videotape from
people who want to adopt the tortoises. [May 22, 1992] 2.)
The presence of five desert tortoises has halted development
of a 90-house subdivision in southwestern Utah. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service ordered the developer to stop
altering the habitat until biologists can determine whether
the project will harm the tortoises. [May 23, 1992] 3.) The
Air National Guard flew 40 tortoises to Reno, Nevada from
Las Vegas to be placed for adoption through a tortoise
welfare group. [May 13, 1992] 4.) Local governments in the
Las Vegas Valley are required to preserve 400,000 acres of
prime tortoise habitat on federal land, prohibiting grazing.
Developers are required to find and remove any tortoises
found at construction sites. However, the number of
tortoises turned in by developers are very short of what had
been projected. Some people suggest that just before this
agreement was reached, a flurry of bulldozing was done.
This may contribute to the low numbers of tortoises being
turned in now. A reptile biologist with the Nevada
Department of Wildlife said, "Unless we come up with a dead
tortoise, see bulldozer tracks and find a person sitting on
a Cat[erpillar tractor], we're going to be hard-pressed to
find a violation of the Endangered Species Act. They're
treated like murder cases. You can't just go on hearsay
evidence." [May 18, 1992]
Kew-ute bug zappers!
Tropical lizards seized by Great Britain's Department of
Customs and Excise were given to the Kew Gardens. The
ancient botanical garden released the lizards into their
greenhouses and conservatories in hopes that they will eat
cockroaches and other arthropod pests. The lizards were
imported into Britain without the necessary papers and were
seized because they are listed on Appendix 2 of the
Convention on Trade in Endangered Species, which means trade
is strictly controlled. The Gardens are at risk of becoming
a menagerie since a consignment of African clawed frogs will
soon be released in the newly restored Water Lily House.
[The New Scientist, March 21, 1992, contributed by Rick
Reifsnyder]
"Reptile Man" arrested
A television show, titled "America's Most Wanted," features
uncaught suspects and viewers can call in if they think
they've seen the alleged malefactors. Recently, Donald F.
Verbridge was arrested after his story was shown. Verbridge
was wanted on federal warrants for the alleged fraudulent
use of credit cards. He is alleged to have taken the
carbons from credit card receipts and used the numbers to
buy expensive reptiles, including snakes. The reptiles
were then sold to pet stores at a profit. After
Verbridge was arrested in St. Joseph County, Indiana, his
car was searched - very carefully - by county police. No
snakes or other reptiles were found, but $2,000 and books
on snakes and birds as well as other items were discovered.
[The South Bend IN Tribune, June 2, 1992, contributed by
Garrett Kazmierski]
House Resolution 5013 "dangerous"
Allison McNeill, President of the New England Herpetological
Society, sent a letter about House Resolution 5013, the
"Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992." She writes: "On the
surface, HR 5013, does not seem that dangerous... you need
to know its history. Last year, two bird bills were
introduced to the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The first, HR 2541, was the product of careful work and
cooperation by the World Wildlife Fund, Conservation
International, the American Federation of Aviculture, and
the pet industry... In response to this... animal rights
organizations wrote a counter bill, HR 2540. This is an
extremely restrictive bill that would seriously hamper
captive breeding. Its aim appeared to be not only to end
importation of birds, but birdkeeping and breeding as well.
When the first session of Congress ended, neither bill had
been acted upon. This year, the House Subcommittee on
Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment
decided to try to combine the two existing bills, and wrote
a horrible bill, HR 4958. When this bill was presented for
public comment, the subcommittee received a lot of
complaints, so they rewrote the bill as HR 5013. In the new
version, all the objectionable parts have been replaced with
the phrase "the Secretary [of the Interior] shall prescribe
regulations as are necessary and appropriate to carry out
the purposes of this act." Some of the objectionable items
included a reward system for informers who turn in people
with illegal animals, a search and seizure with or without a
warrant, seizure of any animals believed to be illegal, and
a clause that animals bought in good faith and their
offspring will still be illegal, and a phrase that these
regulations may be applied to other flora and fauna at any
time. Ms. McNeill continues, "...all the above measures, or
even worse ones, will be implemented. I don't know about
you, but this reminds me of everything I was ever told was
bad about communist Russia... to squash this bill, it is
imperative that everyone write [or call their]
representative now!... Feel free to contact me
[1-617-789-5800, P.O. Box 1082, Boston MA 02103] for more
information." The address for the House of Representatives
is given in the paragraph on TEDs, above.
Ad targets snakes
An ad from CCI, a manufacturer of bullets and other
"sporting" equipment says "If you shoot .22's, finding
targets is usually not a problem. You've got your
varmints... small game and snakes..." CCI also announces in
the ad that it is an official supplier of the USA
Olympic Biathlon Team and lists a toll free number to call,
although it doesn't say why to call: 1-800-627-3640. Their
address is P.O. Box 856, Lewiston, ID 83501. [Sports
Afield, June, 1992, contributed by W.P. Meyer of Mokena,
IL]
USDA targets predators
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will spend $25.8
million this year to protect millions of sheep, goats and
cattle from predatory and nuisance animals that are said to
cause millions of dollars in losses to farmers and ranchers.
According to USDA records, more than 2.5 million animals
were killed by Animal Damage Control last year, including
more than 1.5 million blackbirds and 768,678 starlings.
Also killed were American alligators, nine-banded
armadillos, weasels, wolves and at least one bald eagle.
[The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, CO, contributed by
Larry Valentine]
Another iguana with salmonella
Shawn P. Messonnier, D.V.M. at the Paws and Claws Animal
Hospital sent a note "...thought you might be interested in
this case report..." Titled "Abscess in a spiny iguana" it
reads: "A client came in for examination of his 1-year-old
male spiny iguana. He complained of a lump he noticed on
the outer surface of the left hindlimb. The lump had been
present for one month and was getting bigger. History
revealed a diet consisting of store-bought crickets and
fruit cocktail, both offered daily. The environment was an
aquarium with sand as the bedding; a heat lamp and a hot
rock were also part of the housing. Examination revealed a
small, hard lump on the left hind limb. Surgery was
recommended to diagnose and treat the condition...the lump
was open and solid, white material was removed from the
area; the wound was flushed with an antibacterial solution
and sutured closed. A culture of the material was sent to
an outside lab, and the iguana was started on injectable
antibiotics. Laboratory confirmation revealed a Salmonella
bacterial infection and confirmed the iguana was receiving
the proper antibiotics. Two weeks later, the owner reported
that the wound had opened up..." Another operation removed
more material, but the animal still didn't do well, and
finally died. Dr. Messionnier continues, "There are several
important points about this case. Most lumps in reptiles
are abscesses versus tumors. Aspiration of the abscess with
a needle and syringe (as is commonly done in other animals
and people) is non-diagnostic in reptiles and birds; pus in
reptiles and birds is solid rather than liquid, so no
material is aspirated. Diagnosis is made surgically...
This iguana was on a very poor, nutritionally deficient
diet... The housing was also incorrect... Finally a UV
light to act as an artificial source of Vitamin D is
required." The requirements mentioned by Dr. Messionnier
are also given in the CHS publication "Care-in-Captivity" in
great detail. He concludes, "This iguana's death was due to
the infected leg as well as to an incorrect diet and
environment. Treating animals that are nutritionally
deficient is much harder than treating an otherwise healthy
animal... Like all exotic pets, reptiles hide signs of
disease until they decompensate and can't pretend to be
healthy any longer. Early disease detection is critical in
order to ensure the best chances for a successful
treatment... all reptiles should be seen by a qualified
reptile veterinarian on a yearly basis to screen for early
signs of disease."
Snake swallows man again
Cayman Veterinary Associates on Grand Cayman in the British
West Indies forwarded a clipping from the May 6, 1992,
Caymanian Compass newspaper. The clipping is about the
rubber tapper allegedly killed and eaten by an anaconda that
was previously reported in the United States in the Weekly
World News and other "reliable" sources. Seeing this story
surface again reminds me of a classic Ogden Nash poem about
a similar occurrence:
"The python has, and I fib no fibs,
Three hundred eighteen pairs of ribs.
In stating this I place reliance
On a seance with one who died for science.
This figure is sworn to and attested;
He counted them while being digested."
Thanks to everyone who contributed this month! Without
contributors, there can be no column. Join the ranks of the
greatly appreciated. If you see a reptile or amphibian
related item, please clip it and attach to it the name of
the publication and the date it was printed and your name.
Send it to me.. Looking forward to hearing from
you.
August 1992
Caiman soon to a pond near you
For the second time in two weeks, Chester County, PA, police
have captured a loose caiman. The first had wandered into a
backyard in Strafford; the second was captured by the side
of a road near an elementary school. The police officer who
captured it originally thought the caiman was an alligator.
He said, "Not being an anthropologist or whatever, I'd have
a hard time recognizing this sort of thing." Both
caimans were transferred to the Elmwood Park Zoo in
Norristown. Zoo Director, Steve Jagielski said: "This is
the time of year when, if people have pets they don't want,
they try to release them... I don't know what these people
think - that it's going to walk to Florida or Georgia?
That it's going to acclimate itself to Pennsylvania weather
in November." The second caiman was claimed by its owner who
explained that a burglar had released the animal during the
robbery. Quite a few people tried to claim the other
caiman. Jagielski explained, "People out there think it's a
thrill to have an animal that is considered wild... They
want them as conversation pieces. It's a macho type of
thing." [Daily Local News, West Chester, PA, July 11, 1992,
contributed by Mark Witwer]
Turtle lovers featured in NY Times
Members of the New York Turtle and Tortoise Society (NYTTS)
and the New England Herpetological Society [NEHS] were
featured in a NY Times story that also went out on the
wires. It was picked up by the AD-dition [July 8, 1992] and
sent in by Sandra Schumaker. Regular contributor to this
column, and board member of NYTTS, Allen Salzberg was
featured. He shares his home with his wife and 20 turtles.
He mentioned the effect of the Ninja Turtle craze: "Pet
stores were selling four-inch red-eared slider turtles
called Leonardo for under $10. People don't realize that
these cute little turtles can grow to be one foot long.
Once they're that big, their owners get nervous and throw
them in the nearest body of water." He says he's seen them
swimming in the Central Park Reservoir. Anita
Baskin-Salzberg married Allen without being a turtle-lover,
too. She's presently writing a book called "Confessions of
a Turtle Wife." Debra Pietrowski of Grandy, MA, a member of
both the NEHS and the NYTTS, said: "People are really crazy
about snakes, but they can't compete with turtle lovers."
For those who would like to attend a NYTTS meeting, merely
call the American Museum of Natural History for room and
time. The Society meets the third Sunday of each month from
October to March.
Maybe it was an emissions monitor
A 6-foot Asian water monitor lizard was discovered wrapped
around the engine of a car in Miami, FL. The owner of the
car called state game authorities who called Todd Harwick of
Pesky Critters Nuisance Wildlife Control. The lizard was
sedated and part of the engine had to be removed to extract
it. [Sacramento Bee, July 9, 1992, contributed by Bruce
Hannem.]
But she toad `em to shut up
Tom Taylor of the Arizona Herpetological Society sent in a
piece from the Tempe Tribune [June 29, 1992] that has to be
one of the weirdest amphibian tales of all time. It seems
that a resident of Tucson, Ms. Ruth Likewise, faces a
hearing with possible fines of up to $1,000 because of a
citation issued by Pima Animal Control Center officers.
The ticket was an "excessive toad noise warning!" It seems
as though a neighbor of the woman is bothered by the sounds
of toad courtship coming from desert toads calling in Ms.
Likewise's decorative pond. She said: "I thought this was
kind of funny the first time around, but now it's just
getting ridiculous. These toads are wild animals, and I
don't see that it is my responsibility to catch these things
and take them away every time it rains." Art Ruff, director
of the Animal Control Center, said: "What happened,
essentially, is that a noise was emanating from a residence,
and it apparently disturbed the complainant [Frank Over]...
Based on what the complainant has observed and documented in
terms of the length of times of croaking... it meets the
necessary standards to go to the next process, which is an
administrative hearing...Creating an environment in which an
animal can thrive can also be construed as harboring.
Apparently this pond environment attracts toads and allows
them to thrive long enough to create a noise problem."
Desert tortoises stop construction
Bob Pierson of Las Vegas is one of the most dedicated
clipping collectors contributing to this column. His most
recent contribution is from the Las Vegas Review-Journal
[June 29, 1992], and details how five tortoises have halted
construction of a 90-home subdivision in Utah. The
tortoises appeared at the site in early May of this year,
but cannot be removed from the area. The developer is
understandably upset and claims he stands to lose his $1
million investment in the project.
As easy as eating ducks in a pond
Police officers in LaJunta, CO are trying to capture a
25-pound snapping turtle which lives in the city park lake
and has developed a taste for baby ducks. Police Chief
Chuck Widup said: "We've had prior reports about the turtle
eating duck eggs. This year, though, the baby duck
population has been seriously depleted and we think it is
this turtle doing it. If captured, the turtle will be
released into a local river. [Grand Junction, CO Daily
Sentinel, June 5, 1992, contributed by Larry Valentine]
National Jaycees unclear on the concept
The infamous Sweetwater rattlesnake roundup was named the
nation's top Jaycee project at the annual United States
Jaycee convention held in Portland, OR in the last week of
June. The award, named the Dr. Jerry Bruce Memorial Award,
was presented to the Sweetwater Jaycees on July 16.
According to the 1992 chairman, the roundup was documented
in a 200 page project book which was submitted for the
award. [Abilene Reporter-News, July 1, 1992, contributed by
Bob Sears]
Unusual art
Natalie and Richard Surving displayed their unique ceramic
tile art featuring designs from nature at the recent Chicago
Tile Expo. Frogs, lizards, turtles, fish, plants, snakes,
and sea shells are the base motifs for hex-shaped and square
tiles. The centerpiece of the exhibit was a swamp mural
with life-sized alligators and turtles. If you'd like to
decorate with some of their products, write them at Surving
Studios, R.D. 4, Box 449, Middletown, NY 10940 or call (914)
355-1430.
Snake population explosion reported
Residents in areas of Phoenix and Tucson, AZ may notice more
snakes than usual this year. Phil Jenkins, biologist and
assistant curator of the University of Arizona's Herbarium
said: "Because of the mild winter and all the rain, there's
been a bumper crop of everything in the desert, including
snakes. There's a lot for them to eat, and because of their
large numbers they're going off looking for new
territories." [Arizona Republic, April 18, 1992,
contributed by Bruce Hannem]
Way cool reptile exhibit displays bad husbandry
A window exhibit at the Emerald City Surf'n Sport shop in
Coronado, CA, excited comments - both favorable and
unfavorable. It seems that the owner had several snakes in
a tank in the window and he left whole families of mice in
the cage for the snakes' supper. People stop and watch the
snakes grab, squeeze and eat the mice. One woman said:
"[It's] absolutely disgusting. It is the most tasteless
[sic] window display I have ever seen." Others, including
young men with skate boards remarked that it was "way cool."
After exciting comment in this sea-side town, the surf
shops owner returned the snakes to their owners and
redecorated his window. [Los Angeles Times, June 29, 1992,
contributed by Larry Krajkowski] As an aside to those who
do not know: 1.) it is not recommended to keep more than
one snake per tank; and 2.) it is not wise to put live food
in the tank with a snake. The Chicago Herpetological
Society's publication Care-in-Captivity recommends
feeding snakes pre-killed, frozen and re-thawed rodents.
This will limit the possibility of the snakes getting
parasites or other little nasties from the mice as well as
preventing mouse attacks on the snakes. One of the most
disgusting pictures I've ever seen was shown by a vet at one
of the CHS meetings. It showed a snake whose eye had been
chewed open by a rodent.
Law may prompt pet slaughter
Owners of "illegal" pet animals in Thailand may be
slaughtering their animals to avoid the penalties of a new
law designed to protect endangered species. The 1992
Wildlife Conservation Law brings Thai legislation in line
with provisions of the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna which Thailand
signed in 1984. Pat Corrigan of Wildlife Fund Thailand
said: "The 1992 law does have many good elements but it was
rushed through parliament and there are problems. The
temporary facilities for keeping the animals are very poor
but they cannot be reintroduced to the wild because animals
raised by humans lack basic survival skills and they are
often infected with diseases you don't find among wild
populations. The problem of owners killing their animals
rather than registering them or handing them over is a real
possibility but it is very difficult to monitor." Animals
seized by police raids include tigers, Asiatic black bears,
crocodiles, simbar, barking deer and many species of birds.
[New Scientist, March 7, 1992] Contributor Rick Reifsnyder
attached a letter to this clipping which said in part: "I
have had the opportunity to visit Thailand on business and
know first hand that many of the richer citizens of this
county maintain private zoos as symbols of wealth and
status. In fact, the only live Komodo Dragon I have ever
seen was in the private garden of a gentleman with whom my
employer does quite a bit of business. Needless to say,
this magnificent monitor falls into the category that could
result in it being sacrificed to avoid prosecution. It has
been some time since my visit and I can only hope that this
animal has not suffered due to regulations designed to
protect it."
Is it or is it not in trouble?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed declaring
the giant garter snake (Thamnophis gigas) an endangered
species in the Natomas basin in California. The 55,000-acre
Natomas basin runs from the American River north into Sutter
County east of the Sacramento River. However, a former
federal wildlife researcher, Roy Leidy, claims there are more
of the snakes today than there were 20 years ago. He said
in testimony at a public hearing: "It's very clear that the
[proposal] is grossly deficient in its conclusion that the
giant garter snake is endangered." In 1970, there were 16
known localities, but 72 more have been found,
according to Leidy. The hearing was the last before the
Interior Department will decide the status of the snake.
The giant garter snake can grow up to 5 feet long, lives in
ditches and watery rice fields and eats frogs and fish. It
is itself food for skunks, hawks, and egrets. It was
declared a threatened species by the state in the 1970s. A
group of landowners who plan to build on 30,000 acres have
put forward a plan for 90,500 new housing units surrounded
by 26 miles of canals and ditches intended to support the
snakes. It is interesting that Leidy is now employed by
Beak Environmental Specialists which was hired by
the landowners who are backing the development. [Sacramento
Bee, c. June, 1992, contributed by Bruce Hannem] I would be
most interested in more information about this situation.
1992 election reminder
This year, voters of all persuasions and from all sides of
every issue will have a great opportunity to influence the
course of the U.S. Government for the next four years.
Almost everyone knows that either George Bush or Bill
Clinton will be elected President in November, but some may
be unaware that many Representatives and Senators are also
seeking reelection. It would be a good idea for herp
societies, breeders, keepers, and interested individuals to
call or write the candidates in your area asking for
information on where they stand on the re-authorization of
the Endangered Species Act and other environmental
questions. Most serious candidates have written position
papers on the environment and other major issues. Voters
can use this information to make informed decisions on the
candidates. Personally, I have not been pleased with the
programs and emphasis of the executive branch under its
self-proclaimed "Environmental President" or the
dilly-dallying in Congress on the Endangered Species Act. I
urge all interested herpetologists to become aware of the
candidates and the issues, register to vote in plenty of time
before the election, and to vote for what you believe
in come November.
Thanks to everyone who contributed this month. In addition
to the items I used, Eric Thiss and George Heinrich sent
copies of articles about the Crutchfield conviction (see
David's column), and Mark Witwer sent a clipping on the
Maryland fatal cobra bite and other articles about the
plague of caimans in Pennsylvania. All contributions are
welcomed. This column is a little shorter than usual this
month due to the volume of material received (or not
received) in time for its preparation. See your name in
print, contribute clippings with the source and date
attached to me. I look forward to hearing from you.
October 1992
Column mechanics
Greetings to all after the one month absence occasioned by
the CHS Bulletin having too many articles! Is every
newsletter editor in the country jealous, yet? However, one
effect of this one month hiatus is that the column you are
reading now, in the end of October, was written one hot and
steamy August day. In publishing, that's called lead time
and to readers that can be called confusing. That long lead
time will most probably continue for future issues. So, if
you send in a clipping, now (and I do hope you do), it will
be published or acknowledged in January of 1993! Please
don't stop contributing even if it does seem that it takes
forever to get published. Send your contributions to me.
Report from SSAR
This year the annual meeting for the Society for the Study
of Amphibians and Reptiles was held separately from
Herpetologists' League (HL) and American Society of
Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) at the University
of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Carl Lieb and Jerry Johnson,
the UTEP profs who organized the event deserve praise from
all attendees. As is customary at herp events, only about
half of the people who came registered in advance, so
neophyte organizers Carl and Jerry were swamped with
unexpected numbers of folks who had just decided to show up.
Nonetheless, even though there was only food or beer for
half, a good time was had by many (probably the first half
to get to the food and beer.) The auction was a roaring
success and innovations introduced by Mrs. Johnson will
probably be copied at future SSAR auctions. The live animal
display provided by the Chihuahuan Desert Herpetological
Society was impressive and complete to all species of
rattlers, the Gila monster, the horned toads and all the
other reptile and amphibian denizens of that great and
unique area. I would have liked to have described the
regional herp societies symposium that was held on the last
day, but I was recovering from a road-running experience
that made it impossible for me to attend. Next year's
meeting will be in Bloomington, IN. Plan to be there. SSAR
is a heck of a lot more fun than HL or ASIH, and Bloomington
is only a short drive. As members of a regional herp
society, you don't have to be SSAR members to attend. For
more information on SSAR, write Doug Taylor, Miami
University, Oxford, OH 45056.
Turtle soup - not
Seven turtles which were intended to be served for food at a
Toronto, Canada Chinese restaurant were saved at the U.S.
border by Customs Canada officials. The Florida softshell
turtles were aboard a truckload of live fish en route from
Tinlun Food Market Inc. in New York City to the Toronto Live
Fish Company. Officials of both companies pleaded guilty to
illegally shipping wildlife and agreed to pay $1,000 fines.
The turtles were sent to the Staten Island Zoo in New York.
[Albany Times-Union, July 23, 1992, contributed by Larry
Krajkowski]
Sea turtle repaired and released
A large female loggerhead turtle was returned to the sea
after neurosurgeons repair her smashed skull. The turtle
was 3-feet long and 33 pounds when she was found near death
on a rocky beach in west Cyprus early in July. Officials at
the government Turtle Conservation Center and Hatchery
rushed her to Nicosia General Hospital and a team of
neurosurgeons who usually treat people, performed a delicate
operation which saved her life. The lead surgeon said that
her skull had been smashed by a blow and commented,
"Fortunately the brain was undamaged, so we fixed the skull
with a piece of acrylic plastic." [July 12, 1992 Sunday
Advocate, Baton Rouge, LA and Houma Daily Courier,
contributed by Ernie Liner]
Seven-legged frog
A frog with three more than the usual number of ambulatory
appendages was found at the Des Moines Water Works Park by a
child fishing for tadpoles. Bonnie Callan, life science
curator at the Science Center of Iowa, said frogs are able
to reproduce injured limbs and that she believes one of the
frog's legs was cut as it matured from a tadpole. She said,
"As it was growing, each part of the leg-forming tissue that
was slashed would grow into its own leg." [Detroit News,
July 26, 1992, contributed by Cheri Hosley]
Mud wrestling
A man who had gone under his house to jack it out of the
mud, encountered an 8- to 10-foot alligator and ended up
with over 200 stitches. He said, "It was just as big as I
was, and I think he wanted to fight. I knew I was in
trouble." [Grand Junction, CO, Daily Sentinel, Tuesday,
July 28, 1992, contributed by Larry Valentine] Larry also
sent one of the funniest newspaper herp photos I've ever
seen. It showed a police officer, in full uniform, standing
on top of the hood of his police car because an alligator
was nosing around the tires of the car. Apparently the
officer was responding to a nuisance alligator complaint.
He found out just how much of a nuisance alligators can be,
I reckon.
Range extensions
Two self-employed auto mechanics captured an
alligator-shaped animal while fishing in a stream in Tacony
Creek Park in the heart of Philadelphia! The Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals received the creature
which they identified as a caiman, and speculated that it
had escaped from captivity or released by its owner. Three
months ago, the same brothers found a non-native copperhead
within the city limits. They keep it in a fish tank with a
plastic and screen pet shop lid, according to a picture that
accompanied the article. [Philadelphia Inquirer, July 29,
1992, contributed by Rick Reifsnyder]
Stolen iguanas recovered
Fifty-one iguanas were stolen from a private owner/breeder
along with a trash can that may have been used to transport
the stolen saurians. Police were notified and alerted local
pet shops. Sure enough, two juveniles were arrested with
the reptile victims in their possession, after trying to
sell them to a pet shop. [Houma, LA, Daily Courier, July 3,
1992 and Times-Picayune, July 4, 1992, contributed by Ernie
Liner]
Hawai'i law, round three
Gordon Rodda, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wrote
recently to clarify a point in two previous (March and June)
HerPETpourri columns. He writes: "It is my understanding
that Hawaii forbids the importation of all wildlife
considered an ecological threat (many enumerated fish,
birds, herps, mammals, plants, etc.). The search provision
is only for the recovery of specimens that were imported
illegally." If any of our readers can obtain the actual
law, proposed law, clarification of the law, or anything
that might make this issue more understandable vis a vis the
keeping of reptiles and amphibians, I would appreciate it if
they would send it.
Second World Congress News
Michael Tyler (frogs), the organizer of the Second World
Congress of Herpetology, to be held at the University of
Adelaide from December 29, 1993 to January 6, 1994, is
sending out final conference brochures, and has available
very cute (frog) postcards hyping the Congress. To receive
a supply (probably 10, assorted two designs) of cards and a
brochure, send $7.00 U.S. and a self addressed large (9"
x12") envelope to him at the U. of A., Department of
Zoology, Box 498 GPA, Adelaide, South Australia 5001,
Australia. For those so inclined, the second congress
promises to be an exciting and inspiring event. Hope to see
you there!
Brochure review
The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
has prepared an 11" x 17" bifold brochure titled "Careers in
Herpetology." While it is a definite improvement on any
previous brochure of this title, even the one published by
SSAR, there are some careless errors, most notably "Musuems"
in bold face, front page. The selected readings have little
to do with careers in herpetology, but are merely a
selection of books written for the general public. The
excellent "In search of reptiles and amphibians" by R.D.
Bartlett is an obvious ommission. People interested in
obtaining a copy of this for themselves can contact:
Business Office, A.S.I.H., Department of Zoology, Southern
Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-6501. I'd be
interested in your feedback after you've read it.
PIT tags show promise
BioSonics is a company that sells PIT tagging systems.
PIT tags are little electronic transponders about the size
of a long-grain rice kernal that are implanted through a
special needle into an animal by a veterinarian. The
transponders all have different numbers, require no
batteries or replacement, and by merely waving a special
portable reader (about the size of a carphone) over the
animal, the number is revealed. If all the animals in a
large collection were so marked, then if the collection or
part of it was stolen, positive identification of the
animals could be made by the owner or enforcement officials.
The reader can pick up about a foot away from the animal, so
pet shop animals could be tested without necessarily having
to remove the animal from the tank. Additionally, PIT
tagging might be an excellent way of proving provinance of
captive-bred animals if all offspring were implanted with
transponders. P.S. It's not cheap, but the system is not
outrageously expensive, either. For more information
contact: Jeff Condiotty, Manager Imaging/Tagging Products,
BioSonics, 3670 Stone Way North, Seattle, WA 98103.
Cobra starts Indian riot
A five-foot black cobra nested in the branches of a fig tree
in Hapur, India last February. However, the land on which
the tree grows is a no-man's land between a Muslim slum and
a Hindu untouchable caste slum. The owner of the land was
Hindu and sold to a Muslim for building lots. The snake
appeared, and the Hindus proclaimed a miracle and demanded
to build a temple on the site. Muslims charge that Hindu
activists bought the snake from a local charmer and staged
the miracle. However it got there, trouble started, the
police arrived and a four-day standoff began. The police
tried to negotiate a compromise, but when the police
superintendent arrived with armed officers to clear the lot,
the Hindus hurled stones and homemade bombs as well as
shooting at the police with pistols. The police tried their
nightsticks and tear gas to quell the riot, but were finally
forced to use firearms. Four Hindus were killed and many
were wounded. Meanwhile other Hindus entered the Muslim
quarter and began killing innocent people there. Even
though the state government is run by Hindu revivalists,
the mob was quelled and peace returned to Hapur. The cobra
disappeared at the height of the rioting and hasn't been
seen since. [Washington Post, February 26, 1992, contributed
by Kathryn Bricker]
St. Tammany snake blues
Recently St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana officials planned a
law making it illegal to own, keep or sell any venomous
snakes. Only zoos, zoological parks or performing animal
exhibitions or circuses would have been allowed to
possess venomous snakes and certain non-venomous snakes
such as boa constrictors and anacondas. The proposal was
prompted by the move of snake
collector Terence Dillon to the town of Sun from Metarie,
after officials there had confiscated 31 venomous snakes
including cobras and rattlers from his home. He reclaimed
his animals after the move was complete, but jittery
neighbors complained the Police Juror of Sun. However,
other snake owners in St. Tammany Parish organized "The
Great St. Tammany Parish Snake-In." About 20 people showed
up with slithering pets and spent the afternoon showing them
off to passers-by. Officials agreed to compromise. The ban
was limited to venomous snakes, but permits foreign
non-venomous snakes. The "Snake-In" must have had some
effect on how officials felt about snakes. The Police Juror
didn't even flinch when he opened his agenda book and was
confronted by a black rubber snake planted there by a
devious fellow juror. [Times-Picayune, April 25, 1992,
contributed by Ernie Liner]
Thanks to everyone who contributed this month! Other
contributors included John MacLeod, Bruce Hannem and Mark
Witwer. This is a reader-supported column. Hope to hear
from you soon.
November 1992
Bucks and fins sought for herps
The Illinois Department of Conservation, Non-game Wildlife Conservation
Fund is accepting donations - even if they don't come in with an
Illinois income tax form. The Non-game Wildlife Fund is, as its name
implies, not about deer, ducks, and fish. It funds many conservation
projects and populations studies in Illinois every year, including a few
for reptiles and amphibians. When choosing to donate money (even $5.00
or $10.00 would help), please be sure to mention your interest in
amphibians and reptiles. If the Department becomes aware of the vast
interest in the slimy and slithery by receiving checks marked like this
is it possible that they will be more interested in funding
herpetofaunal studies. Send your checks to: Non-game Wildlife
Conservation Fund, Department of Conservation, Natural Heritage
Division, 524 South Second Street, Springfield, IL 62701-1787. People
who don't live in Illinois may not be aware of the extreme state budget
crisis, the potential loss of many D.O.C. projects, and other
difficulties we're experiencing. You don't have to live in Illinois to
contribute.
Frogs in space
In early September, the space shuttle Endeavour blasted off with a
Chicago doctor and a bunch of zoology experiments including some clawed
frogs which were injected with hormones to induce ovulation. Two
produced 600 eggs which were drenched with sperm. One hundred fifty
tadpoles hatched from the eggs during the flight and were observed
cavorting in weightlessness. Seven other tadpoles that had been hatched
in orbit, but fertilized on the ground will be included in the studies
of the effects of space on development. NASA discovered that gravity is
unnecessary for frog ovulation and fertilization. Incidentally, this
was the first space flight to include a married couple, but no one is
saying if they were part of these vertebrate zoology experiments. NASA
is quick to say that they worked opposite shifts and saw little of each
other in space. [Chicago Tribune, September 15, 1992, contributed by
P.L. Beltz; The Daily Sentinal, September 14, 15, 16 and 21, 1992,
contributed by Larry Valentine; other clippings by J.H. Schoenfelder.]
The space frogs will be studied upon their return to earth by Dr. Ken
Souza at the Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA. If anyone hears
what he finds, please let me know.
But is it better than just one?
A 2-inch two-headed Pseudemys scripta elegans was found on the deck of a
house along the Homosassa River in Homosassa, FL. He took it for an
x-ray at a local animal hospital. The turtle is in good shape and may
grow to the size of a dinner plate according to J.P. Garner of
Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park. [Suburban Daily Herald,
Palatine, IL October 8, 1992, contributed by Holly Collins]
"Send an herpetologist to Springfield"
So said part of a mailing I received from Mike Corn, who has been a
professor at the College of Lake County for the past 22 years.
Apparently upset about the so-called "dangerous animal act,"
particularly as it applies to herps, Mike has decided to run as state
representative for the 61st district as a Democrat. By the time you
read this it will be known whether or not he won. If you know Mike, you
might want to drop him a line. Write: Committee to Elect Mike Corn,
3567-B Grand Avenue #322, Gurnee, IL 60031.
People unclear on the concept
A man called Rusty Grimpe, director of the reptile department at the
Tulsa, OK zoo, last February complaining of a snake. Grimpe said, " He
said this thing was coming out of a hole in the ground and that it was
moving very slowly." From the rest of the description, Grimpe was
stumped. He said that the cold weather would account for the slowness,
but February is a bit early for snakes. Also, the man had said that it
had a brown, wrinkled head and that it had a white neck. The man said
he had captured it in a big jar. When he and it arrived at the zoo,
Grimpe positively identified it as a morel mushroom. "I told him to
take it home and fry it," said Grimpe. He added that 1992 has had a
unusually high number of snake hysteria calls to the zoo. [The Daily
Sentinel, Grand Junction, CO, July 19, 1992, contributed by Larry
Valentine]
Lost turtle found in Arctic
Zoologist Per Pethon said that a 730-pound leatherback turtle apparently
made a wrong turn at the Gulf of Mexico and ended up in a Norwegian
fishing trawler's net near the Arctic Circle. Arild Olsen, skipper of
the Traenahavet trawler said, "I couldn't believe my eyes." Scandinavian
conservation groups are investigating ways of saving the turtle,
including getting it an airplane ride home to Mexico. [The Daily
Sentinel, Grand Junction, CO, contributed by Larry Valentine] If anybody
out there hears what becomes of this turtle, I'd be interested in the
follow-up story.
Weird snake stories
First, police in Carleton, MI are telling residents not to worry about a
14-foot python that escaped Saturday from a home in that town. Police
say that no one is actively searching for the snake, because it is not
much of a threat. [Toledo, OH Blade, August 2, 1992, contributed by
Kathy Bricker]
A 10-foot Burmese python that was presumed missing in Fremont, OH was
found in its own second floor apartment. Apparently it never left home
since it was discovered crawling out of a closet. [Toledo, OH Blade,
September 1, 1992, contributed by Kathy Bricker]
A man reportedly suffered a snake bite was the focus of a massive search
and rescue effort from Butte County and Plumas County, CA residents.
Helicopters were called in as workers tried to locate the Oroville man
who had been out hiking when the attack reportedly occurred. Finally,
after 12 hours, the man was found and rushed to a hospital in Quincy
where doctors decided that he had not been bitten but had suffered a
head injury when he fell down after being startled by a snake.
[Sacramento, CA Bee, August 15, 1992, contributed by Bruce Hannem]
Freak of nature
Deidre Warren, a 20-year old Old York (Canada) resident found an odd
toad in her yard. She originally thought the toad just had his eyes
shut, but when he opened his mouth, she found out that his eyes were
actually inside his mouth. Ok, so this sounds like National Enquirer,
right? Actually the first clip on this was from the front page of the
Hamilton, Ontario Spectator [September 3, 1992], complete with color
photograph. Jim Bogart, a professor at Guelph University examined the
toad (now named "Gollum," by his discoverer after the character in the
Tolkien book, "Lord of the Rings") and said, "This is an extremely rare
find." He said the toad is a male Bufo americanus, perhaps about two
years old. Bogart said, "His eyes have developed upside down," and
pointed out that the skin and membrane on top of the head are where the
eyes should be. He said that in his work he has seen abnormalities
including extra hands or feet, frogs with six legs and frogs with legs
growing out of their stomachs. Warren hopes to become a veterinarian is
an accomplished odd animal finder. Previously she found a frog with
extra toes and a dead two-headed snake. Makes you wonder what chemicals
are floating around in Old York, doesn't it? And you're not the only
one. The toad has drawn the interest of Christine Bishop, a wildlife
toxicologist with Environment Canada's Wildlife Service. She was
involved in a study of the effects of pesticides in amphibians in the
Holland Marsh area. She said, "I'd like to meet the girl who found it
and have a look at the pond on the property, any tributaries in the
area, that sort of thing... Maybe I could monitor some of the eggs in
the pond next year and try to determine if it is genetic- or
pollution-related." Planners for the Old York area said there are no
records of dumps on or near the property, but pointed out that road-side
dumping was common in rural areas. [The Spectator, September 4, 1992,
both from Brian Bankowski]
First clipping received from Kenyan paper
Fred Janzen, at the University of Chicago, sent two pages of the
Nairobi, Kenya Daily Nation newspaper from July 25, 1992. In addition
to what he highlighted about snakes, the rest of the paper was a
fascinating view of a country about which the average American knows
little. It seems as though Kenyatta University is having a snake
problem, due to overgrown grass and bushes. The article says, "an
increasing snake population seemed to be enjoying the ecology as evident
from the number of snakes killed on footpaths and roads." Otherwise the
place sounds just like an Illinois state university, no money, too much
administration, top heavy with people who know people, not people who
know how to run a school. I just wish we had snakes on the footpaths at
my school.
TEDs interim final rule summary
The Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration has finally released the "interim final rule with request
for comments" that TEDs supporters have been trying to get issued for
over two years now. Of course, the Quayle council on competitiveness
(the "God Squad" that decided that cutting America's last old growth
forest is more important than saving that ecosystem) weighed in against
the regulations. To quote directly from a Center for Marine
Conservation (CMC) release dated September 2, 1992: "Yesterday's
interim final rule reaffirms that TED requirements remain in effect for
all vessels 25 feet or longer in the U.S. Atlantic waters year round.
Smaller vessels in offshore and all vessels in inshore waters can either
use TEDs or adopt 90-minute tow times. As of November 1, these tow
times will be further restricted to no longer than 75 minutes.
Furthermore, today the National Marine Fisheries Service is expected to
reopen public comment on the proposal made in April." Deborah Crouse,
Ph.D., Director of the Species Recovery Program at the CMC said, "While
the interim final rule is good news for sea turtles in the Atlantic, it
fails to address adequately the continued sea turtle drownings occurring
the Gulf and inshore waters. Against the recommendations of agency
technical experts, the President's own top Commerce Department
officials, and the National Academy of Science, the Council and Office
of Management and Budget have squandered an opportunity for better
marine conservation and allowed politics to rule the day over science
and public opinion." Even the federal government (a different branch)
recognizes the need for TEDs as an integral part of the recovery plans
for Kemp's, green, and loggerhead sea turtles - all of which are
endangered species. So much for reading the lips of the kinder,
gentler, environmental president. [CMC release contributed by Kathy
Bricker]
Mommy, is it alive?
Zoo administrators near Detroit, MI were astonished to find out that
visitors to the "Dinosaurs Live!" were upset and wanted their money back
because the dinosaurs were really computerized models, not live animals
as they had been led to believe by the title. Ann Ball, a zoo
vice-president said, "In a way, it's amusing. People have watched too
much Fred Flintstone." [Detroit News, September 13, 1992] Contributor
Cheri Hosley wrote a note with this clipping: "I've seen the dinosaur
robots...Terrific! (and horrific to tiny kids) As the dinosaurs moved,
blinked, roared and growled the young tots and preschoolers would
scream, cry and claw at their parents. These robots were built to the
actual sizes of the real dinosaurs... Some real big ones had really bit
teeth and eyes. It was great! Wish I had them in my year. I loved the
exhibit. It was better than rollercoasters."
Thanks to this month's contributors! Blessed are those that contribute
to the column, but even more blessed are those who put the date slug
from the top of the paper with the paper's name firmly attached on the
clipping with their name also firmly attached. I opened a couple of
envelopes today (no I won't tell you whose) and the phone rang. I
dropped the envelopes and the clippings all tumbled out. So I had to
sit down on the floor and play "match the typeface" and "which clippings
were whose." I think I finally succeeded, but if your clipping is
credited to someone else (above), please understand what happened!
Also, there were a lot of repeats of previous articles in the mail this
time (probably because of the one-month hiatus). Ernie Liner, Bruce
Hannem, Stacey Miller, and Eric Thiss all sent things that had been used
before, but are appreciated none-the-less. It is always interesting to
me the different spin put on stories by different papers. Special
mention should also be made of Steven J. Ragsdale's contribution of
about 20 articles and 25 cartoons, some of which I'm saving for next
month. You can contribute, too! This is a reader-supported column. I
use 99% of what I receive. Send your contributions to me. Allow one or
two months before you see your stuff used. We have a long lead time.
December 1992
Be Santa Claws...
The biology teacher at St. Gregory High School is requesting donations
of any type of science equipment, from simple to complex. Cherie
Breffeilh tells me that they have only one balance and little else in
the way of materials with which to excite young minds to the wonders of
biology. Give her a call if you have anything to contribute. Tax letters are available.
Help save turtles and their habitats around the world! Sign up as a
sponsor of the Turtle Recovery Program. Led by Michael Klemens, who
gave such a lovely talk at our meeting earlier this year, the program is
working with governments and international organizations to curb illegal
trade, establishing turtle sanctuaries, creating projects to monitor and
conserve turtles, and working with zoos to initiate captive breeding
programs for critically endangered turtles. Nearly 30 projects are
underway, another 18 await funding. Turtle lovers are asked to shell
out for their favorite critters. Please make checks payable to
"AMNH-IUCN-TURTLE," and mail to the American Museum of Natural History,
Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192.
Contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is looking for more dead herps. Stephen
Busack, the Chief of the Morphology Section of the National Forensics
Laboratory, asked me to ask our members to consider contributing dead
animals for their collection of comparative material. Whenever
questionable dead animal parts are seized by FWS, they are sent to the
lab for analysis. Obviously, the lab is not going to go out and buy
various monitors, caimans, boas, pythons, and so on just to put them on
ice for the next time they might need a specimen. So, Steve appeals to
us, the amateur community, for contributions. Call him if you have
anything you think he could use (503) 482-4191. He will pay shipping
and send you a letter acknowledging your contribution. In some cases,
the value of the dead animal may be tax-deductible; you'll have to check
with your accountant. People wishing to make anonymous donations are
encouraged to send the deceased animals directly to the lab: 1490 East
Main Street, Ashland, Oregon 97520. If you have any questions about how
to ship or preserve, you can call the lab and ask without having to
leave your name.
Pet shop peeves? Tiny turtle tales?
If you notice illegal reptiles or amphibians at a Chicago area pet shop,
please give Sheila O'Connor a call at 708-746-2854. Officer O'Connor
works for the Enforcement Division of the Illinois Department of
Conservation, 701 North Point Drive, Winthrop Harbor, IL 60096. To
remind everyone who was a member last year, and to inform everyone who
joined since then, the state of Illinois has a law which states quite
firmly that there is to be no collecting of local amphibians and
reptiles for commercial purposes. Also, Federal law prohibits the sale
of turtles with a carapace (top shell) less than 4-inches long. Also,
illegally imported animals, or illegally collected animals that cross
state lines violate the Lacey Act on Interstate Transport which is also
a Federal offense. The local office of the Fish and Wildlife, Division
of Law Enforcement is located at 10600 Higgins Road, Rosemont, IL 60018,
phone 708-298-3250 or fax 708-298-2642.
Where did they learn natural history?
David Sutton sent in an ad from the "Sportsmans Guide," which says they
have "Genuine PYTHON Boots." It continues to say that "there are several
different species of Pythons. Some of them are Boa, Anaconda, Carpet
Snake, Indian Python, Reticulated Python and Rock Python." They claim
"The snakes used for our boots are the beautiful Rock Python from
Indonesia. They are so plentiful in Indonesia that they're considered
pets." And adds, "However, the harvest of these snakes is regulated by
the Indonesian government." David wrote a letter commenting on the ad
copy, "Dear Ellin: I have seen a lot of snake product ads, but this one
really takes the cake! ... First of all, boas and anacondas are not
species of pythons, as we all know. Also, they claim that the snakes
used are Rock Pythons from Indonesia. Again, we all know that Rock
Pythons come from Africa. They then go on to say that they are `pests'
in Indonesia, when they don't even come from there! But, that's not
all. If you look at the photo of the boots, they appear to be made of
Boa Constrictors from South America!" We all must remember that this
same company sells "voodoo" rattler head keychains, freeze-dried
rattlesnake lamps, and other rattlesnake products from "farm-raised
rattlers." Their toll free order number is 800-888-3006, the fax number
is 800-333-6933.
Indian government bans snake-catching for performances
The subcontinent of India has many local people who capture, tame and
rear snakes for performances, the so-called "snake charmers." This
profession has been around for at least three centuries, but is being
imperiled by government regulations that ban the taking of snakes for
other than scientific purposes. Snake charmers are wrapped in legends
and myths. They believe that Lord Vishnu created a human being from mud
and water and named him Gorakh Nath. Another god, Lord Shiva adopted
him and asked Nath to worship snakes as a deity. Shiva is often
depicted with snakes wrapped around his neck and hair. A snake charmer
said, "When we capture a snake, we make a promise before Guru Gorakh
Nathji that we will rear it like our child." He added, "And after a few
months of performance, we release it from captivity; because although we
look after them, captivity makes them weak and ill. Moreover, we must
keep our promise..." Snakes are usually caught at the end of winter,
called Shivratri. The festival of Shiva commemorates the legend that in
winter, Lord Shiva gathers all snakes into his lap and gives them his
body-warmth. Then, during Shivratri, he sets them free and they return
to the world. [From an article by Joginder Chawla, sent by Harry
Andrews, Madras Crocodile Bank Center for Herpetology]
Why you should fix floors promptly.
A woman in Pueblo, CO encountered a rattlesnake in her living room. She
said, "He buzzed and struck at the same time... and just missed my
hand." She ran for help for neighbors, and the hapless animal was killed
with a fireplace poker. The woman believes the animal entered the house
through a floor that had given way to wood rot and had not been
repaired. [The Grand Junction, CO Daily Sentinel. Contributed by Larry
Valentine]
Desert tortoise protection, continued...
Federally protected desert tortoises received an additional lease on
life by means of the approval of a plan by the Clark County Commission
in Nevada. The Commissioners voted 4-3 to spend $256,000 to add 113,000
acres to a sanctuary near Searchlight by purchasing ranchers' grazing
rights with county development fees. Also approved, was development of
22,000 acres of land in the urban Las Vegas Valley in exchange for the
preservation of 400,000 acres of prime desert habitat on the outskirts
of the county. Three commissioners, Jay Bingham, Paul Christensen and
Bruce Woodbury opposed the measure. [Las Vegas Review Journal,
September 16, 1992, contributed by Bob Pierson]
Oregonian turtles in trouble
Western pond turtles are reproducing well in only five of 200 sites
surveyed along the Willamette and Columbia Rivers in Oregon, according
to Mark Hayes, who is studying the species for the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. The Corps is funding the study to find out what it can do to
ensure the turtles' survival, especially since older projects such as
Dorena Dam may have contributed to the population decline.
Unfortunately, where the turtles have hung on, little riparian habitat
is natural and the female turtles lay eggs in farm fields. The farmers
plow, and the nests are destroyed. This results in no juveniles joining
the population of adults, a situation called "lack of recruitment." Any
juveniles that do hatch, also have to face voracious bullfrogs which
were introduced into Oregon by a state wildlife biologist in 1921.
Other introduced animals, such as bass, sunfish and catfish, may not eat
baby turtles, but compete for the limited food resources available in
the ponds. Lack of proper nutrition prevents female turtles from
developing or laying eggs. Other factors in the population decline
include water releases from dams, traffic on and off roads, pollution,
illegal collection and disease. [The Portland Oregonian, August 13,
1992, contributed by Rich Seigel]
Don't play Johnny-herp seed!
Recent studies of the effectiveness of relocation of animals indicate
that while the process makes people feel good, the projects are often
less effective at improving the animals' chance for survival. C.
Kenneth Dodd, a researcher at the National Ecology Research Center,
said, "What we're finding out and what people don't understand is that
you can't just move animals. They have habits, needs, lots of
constraints on where and how they can live, and these just can't be
negotiated to suit us." Dodd and Rich Seigel found that of 25 reptile
and amphibian relocation projects surveyed, only five could be called
successful. Relocation projects may fail because of a combination of
factors including: lack of proper planning, inadequate funding,
incorrect concepts of basic biology, and improper monitoring. Also,
many relocators figure that once an animal has been moved, everything is
fine, and no further work is required. The lack of documentation on
unsuccessful projects also permits the same mistakes to be made over and
over again. Dodd said, "Animals have biological constraints, and these
constraints are not subject to compromise. In other words, if an animal
has a strong homing pattern, and if it's displaced and has a strong
drive to come back to that area, that's a constraint you can't
negotiate." [Portland Oregonian, September 13, 1992, contributed by Rich
Seigel] I would like to add my own caution to anyone considering
releasing any animal that has been maintained for any length of time in
captivity, or has been moved from its original home. Remember what the
diseases brought by Columbus' and his crew did to the residents of North
America? In an attempt to "be nice" to a long term captive, some people
release them, occasionally with catastrophic consequences for animals
native to the release site. Also, most of this herp-seeding is done
without any record being made of what was moved, why and by whom.
Recently, there's been a lot of discussion by the prairie
restorationists about "putting back the fauna that belongs" on their
sites. When I try to explain all the good reasons for not casually
messing with wildlife, some argue that they have restored plants, so why
not animals? It is interesting to me that these few people do not
credit herpetofauna with a complexity of needs for survival when it is
these self-same people who can spend hours complaining about how hard it
was to get a particular plant started on their site. Indeed, many are
the stories of plants that just won't grow or survive. Why don't they
understand that this will happen with animals, too?
Amphibian decline mainstream news
This month, I received three clippings about amphibian decline. The
first [Smithsonian Magazine, October, 1992 contributed by P.L. Beltz]
is titled "Amphibian alarm: just where have all the frogs gone." The
author spent time with a lot of herpetologists on this article and is a
must read for anyone interested in details of several widely discussed
declines. The second [The Detroit News, August 16, 1992 contributed by
Cheri Hosley] is more local in scope, discussing the plans of the MI
Department of Natural Resources to conduct field surveys to determine
amphibian population viability. Apparent population declines in that
state include green frogs, American toads, leopard frogs and spotted
salamanders. CHS-member, Jim Harding was quoted, "When I was a kid, the
most common frog everywhere was the leopard. But in the last few years,
places are simply devoid of frogs where there used to be hundreds. They
are thin-skinned, and they are always absorbing things from the
environment. If anything is wrong with the environment, they might be
affected first." The third clipping is from the letters section of
National Geographic (July, 1992 contributed by Pattie Marrandino). In
response to an earlier article about Lake Tahoe, Chris Hardt of Carson
City, NV wrote: "It was a paradise... We [boys] hunted croaking hordes
of frogs, splashed through the marshes after garter snakes. In the fall
we stood in wonder at clouds of ducks and geese overhead. The meadows
were also breeding grounds for mosquitoes. They would drift up and
pester summer barbecues. That was `unacceptable.' So progressive city
fathers purchased a little white truck that putted up and down our
streets spewing pesticides that misted over the meadows, killing the
mosquitoes. The food chain was broken. No more frogs or snakes, the
geese prefer golf courses, and the boys of summer are no more."
Dr. Frog, Dr. Frog!
Researchers in Australia have discovered that some of that continent's
tree frogs exude a compound made up of a short chain of amino acids
which may make an antibiotic and antiviral drug. Since amphibians live
in moist environments which are also good places for fungus, mold and
slimy stuff to grow (just ask anybody who keeps salamanders!),
scientists believe that evolution has resulted in their ability to
secrete a host of chemicals from their skin. Some of these secretions
are toxins, painkillers, some interfere with the neuromuscular junction
(curare), and many others have not been studied. In the old days, frog
secretions were gotten by killing the frog. South American native
peoples roasted the poison dart frogs to coat their arrows. The
Australian team which includes Michael Tyler (co-ordinator of the 2nd
World Congress of Herpetology) "milked" 70 milligrams of compound a
month from their frogs without killing them. [New Scientist, September
5, 1992 contributed by Rick Reifsnyder] The next time someone asks you
why species should be saved in the wild, mention this application of
frog-juice and point out that the Drs. Zimmerman who have great
experience with poison dart frogs in captivity are unable to explain why
their animals do not produce toxins. Loss of species such as the golden
toad, and of species in the wild like the Houston toad, may result in
loss of valuable drugs.
Lost turtle update
The turtle found by Norwegian fishermen near the Arctic Circle was
tagged with a radio transmitter and released. Thor-Ivar Guldberg, of
the World Wildlife Fund in Norway, said, "The last time we saw her, she
was headed south." Plans to fly the animal back to the Gulf of Mexico
were abandoned when biologists pointed out that the turtle's internal
orientation could become disoriented as a result of the intended
kindness. [Orlando Sentinel, September 12, 1992 contributed by Bill
Burnett] Our editor, Mike Dloogatch, copied a few items which shows, as
he wrote, "The bottom line is that the sea turtle was where it belonged.
It was the zoologist who was confused." Herpetology 1989 for April had
a mention of work by Goff and Lien which reported 20 encounters with
leatherback sea turtles off Newfoundland and Labrador between July and
September from 1976 and 1985. In Herpetology 1990 from December, an
article by Paladino and cohorts was cited that reported that
leatherbacks range from the tropics to the Arctic Circle and that these
turtles can maintain their body temperatures 18 degrees Celcius higher
than the water in which they are swimming. The authors coined new word
for this extra heat in a "cold-blooded" reptile, gigantothermy. It
means the ability to maintain constantly high body temperatures because
the animal is big and has tissues that are being used as insulation but
has a low metabolic rate. It has been suggested that dinosaurs may have
been gigatothermic. Also P.C.H. Pritchard wrote in 1971 that
individual leatherback "are caught at sea in cold, northern waters more
frequently than any other species of sea turtle... [they] were active,
apparently in full control of their movements, and had stomachs full of
jellyfish."
Turtle news from warm member
Some of us busily being cold in Chicago this winter may think of
translocated member, Dee Fick, who moved to Marathon, FL a while back.
She writes, "Sure do miss everyone... the snake group
rendezvouses... the great meetings, activities, etc.!" She also sent
three clippings about turtles. The first, undated, but from a local
Marathon paper, concerns the expansion of Hidden Harbor Environmental
Project. Supported by an adjacent motel and video store, the project is
a rehab center devoted to sea turtles. The pool at the motel was
converted into a covered and filtered environment, and now houses six
turtles recovering from illness and injuries. Richie Moretti, the
project's founder, said, "We're getting so many turtles in, we need a
full-time vet. Right now, we have to fly turtles needing an operation
to the University of Florida, one at a time." He plans to pump an
additional $200,000 into the planned veterinary facility. The other two
clippings concern the deadly fibropapillomatosis disease which causes
masses of tumors, resembling moldy cauliflower, on green sea turtles.
The disease becomes fatal when tumors grow of the turtles eyes or mouths
and prevent feeding or when they grow internally. [National Geographic,
April 1991 and The Marathon Tribune, March 10, 1991]
[Paragraph removed at request of family, please see printed versions.]
Thanks to everyone mentioned above plus Clover Krajicek and Kathy Bricker for being contributors! Your contributions in the form of clippings, cards, letters, video-tapes (Bob Pierson, Bogie Bogashevsky), etc. Anything more suitable to the NEWT will be passed along. Send your
contributions to me.
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