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N.C. lawmakers put the squeeze on reptile owners
Aug 13, 2009
DVM NEWSMAGAZINE


Raleigh, N.C. -- Snakes that squeeze and venomous reptiles must now be kept under lock and key in North Carolina.

A recently enacted law more strictly regulates ownership of venomous reptiles, constricting snakes and all crocodilians -- except American alligators, which are illegal to own.

Owners of these animals must now keep the reptiles in bite- and escape-proof enclosures with working locks on a permanent basis. Owners of venomous reptiles also must keep a written bite protocol within sight of the enclosure which includes information about suitable anti-venoms.

Excluded from the new law are veterinarians, wildlife damage-control agents and certain education institutions.

The bill is aimed at preventing potentially dangerous situations, like python escapes, says Clair Holley, executive director of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association, which supported the bill.

Anyone who doesn’t follow the new enclosure rules can be charged with a Class 2 misdemeanor, plus additional Class A1 misdemeanor if anyone is injured as a result of the reptile being out of its enclosure, she adds. Additionally, in the event that one of the reptiles covered by the new law escapes its closure, authorities must be notified immediately.

“We are just saying if people own these animals, they need to follow these rules,” Holley says.

[Admin]

Cleveland Reptile Show is the Perfect Place to Find Your Next Snake or Lizard
Submitted by Eugmc on August 16, 2009 - 2:29pm.

On a tip from a loyal reader we were told to visit the Cleveland area reptile show that is held monthly at the UAW Hall in Brook Park across from the Ford Motor plant. The show is run by Rob and Amy Zerkle who are from the Columbus area and started the gathering for a place where breeders can sell their animals and educate people about caring for their animals. The show is in its fourth year and draws up 1,000 per day with the summer and fall months being the most popular time for attendees. The reptile show is also far reaching with exhibitors from several different states and people buying snakes and other reptiles coming in all the way from Canada at times.

The event costs $4 for entry. If you attend you will see snakes, turtles, lizards, equipment, and feeding supplies. Below is the dates and times of the upcoming shows which are held at 17250 Hummel Rd in Brook Park and is right off of Henry Ford Blvd. The show starts at

SEPT 6th
OCT 4th
NOV 15th
DEC 20th

[Admin]

Haywood County authorities seize 94 reptiles in raid

Animals belonging to Internet-based business were kept in Waynesville

Published: August 15, 2009

WAYNESVILLE

A tip led Haywood County Animal Control to seize 94 reptiles -- mostly snakes, but also an iguana and a 5-foot American alligator.

Al Rivera, the owner of Green Desert Reptiles, appeared in court Wednesday after the reptiles were seized Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to violating a county ordinance prohibiting venomous and constricting reptiles.

Rivera was ordered to pay $300 in fines and remove the animals from Haywood County by midnight that night.

Rivera's business is Internet-based, and he stored the reptiles in a building on Haywood Street. He has had the building for this business for about a month now and it is not open to walk-in traffic, Rivera said.

"A county ordinance is a county ordinance," Rivera said Wednesday as he prepared to transport most of the reptiles to South Carolina

Lt. Brian Beck, along with several other Waynesville police officers, assisted the Haywood County Animal Control in serving the search warrant Tuesday night.

When they went to search the store, they found numerous reptiles in plastic containers and glass terrariums.

But the ones of most interest to animal control officers were the venomous and constrictor snakes, which are a violation of the 2008 county ordinance.

"We seized the animals and contained them, and charged Mr. Rivera with violation of county ordinance," Beck said.

"Basically, this case boils down to not being aware of local ordinances. We didn't find anything he did to be malicious. He just was not aware of the county ordinance."

Rivera said that the snakes seized were all different breeds and sizes from all over the world.

The snakes that violated county ordinance included boa constrictors, rattlesnakes, cobras and vipers. Most were returned to Rivera.

But the alligator and four snakes -- three Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes and a pygmy rattlesnake -- were kept by animal control to turn over to the N.C. Museum of Natural Science. The snakes are native North Carolina snakes and therefore not allowed to be bought or sold in the state, according to department officials.

The American alligator was once on the endangered species list and has rebounded.

It is now under a threatened classification by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since it resembles other large reptiles that are endangered. Because of this classification, the service regulates the harvest and trade of alligators.

Rivera said that the alligator was brought to him as a rescue from Georgia and that he was in the process of rehabilitating it for a new home.

An iguana was also seized, but Rivera surrendered it to animal control.

Representatives from state Fish and Wildlife Service have pending charges against Rivera for possession of the North Carolina native snakes, possession of an endangered species and animal cruelty, according to Animal Control.

Rivera said he has been in the reptile business for 17 years and is licensed and permitted to handle venomous snakes. He said there is a big market for reptiles, and he sells many of his reptiles to zoological societies, wholesalers, zoos and captive breeders.

He said he has undergone more than 200 hours of training for such animals and sees the need for the county ordinance.

"I can understand why the law is in effect," Rivera said.

"You don't want anyone on the street to have a constrictor."

[Admin]

Turtle cam goes live in the Florida Keys


* http://www.fla-keys.com/turtlecam

The Associated Press

BIG PINE KEY, Fla. -- Environmental enthusiasts should be able to observe infant loggerhead sea turtles hatching and emerging from their nest, via a streaming Webcam in the Florida Keys.

The camera, which went live Monday, feeds to the Florida Keys tourism council's Web site at http://www.fla-keys.com/turtlecam.

The camera is focused on a nest with eggs expected to hatch by Aug. 24. After that, the camera will be moved to other nearby nests through Sept. 9.

Sea turtles crawl ashore at night to dig nests and lay about 100 ping-pong-ball-sized eggs per nest. Approximately two months later, hatchlings emerge and seek the water.

[TheReptileKing]

Man Finds 11 Foot Python in Front Yard

KTLA News

3:47 PM PDT, August 17, 2009
11 Foot Python Captured

11 Foot Python Captured (Riverside Co. Animal Control)
LAKE ELSINORE -- A Riverside County man and his sister got the shock of their lives after spotting a slithering, 11 foot python in his front yard.

Francisco Delgadillo, 43, spotted the snake late Sunday night and called the Riverside County Animal Services after-hours operator to report the frightening find.

Delgadillo lives in an unincorporated area of Riverside County between Lake Elsinore and Perris, near Highway 74. He had just gotten home from a trip and was chatting with his sister on their porch when he noticed something moving across his yard.

"Oh my God, that's a huge snake," Delgadillo said by telephone. "Our whole yard is fenced so I'm not sure how it got into my property. Maybe it came down from one of trees. We have trees all around our yard."

Animal Control Officer Chrisina Avila responded to the call, but was skeptical about what she'd find. Avila says most people consider a garter snake a big snake. What she found surprised even a veteran officer like herself. It turned out to be an 11-foot, 50-pound python.

It was such a large snake that Officer Avila called for backup. Animal Control Officer Dylan Gates responded and the two of them were able to wrangle it and heave it into Avila's animal control truck.

The snake is considered a stray, according to animal control experts. Similar to any critter that makes it into the shelter, the snake will be kept for a holding period that will allow the rightful owner to redeem it. Animal Services will work with an exotic rescue group if no one calls to claim the reptile.

Such snakes are often bought as pets when they are very young and are sometimes abandoned once they get so huge, said Kim McWhorter, an Animal Services program manager who has studied snakes for 15 years. She is a volunteer with a Southern California-based reptile group called Animal Venom Research International.

Pythons are nonpoisonous snakes. They are large and muscular, and kill their prey by squeezing, or constricting, until it suffocates. Although most feed on small mammals, some large species can kill and swallow small pigs and goats. Rarely have they killed humans.

[TheReptileKing]

Proposed Indiana Reptile Regulations
Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Fish & Wildlife Division, proposes changes for rules governing reptiles, amphibians and fish.

Eastern Box Turtle
Eastern Box Turtle.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Fish & Wildlife Division, has proposed revisions to regulations pertaining to the sale and possession of reptiles, amphibians and fish. The changes are deemed non-substantive by the state and mostly deal with clarifying certain requirements.

In a pet alert issued Aug. 14, the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) highlighted several proposed changes. They include:

• Section 9-5-6 Collection and possession of reptiles and amphibians native to Indiana
Under this section, any individual would be allowed to take reptiles and amphibians native to Indiana from the wild. Harvest limitations are set as well as the methods of collection a person may use for certain species. Permit requirements apply for the possession of some species, such as venomous reptiles and Eastern box turtles.

• Section 9-5-7.5 Sale of turtles not native to Indiana
This new section suggests banning the sale of turtles with carapaces less than four inches long.

• Section 9-5-8 Possession, sales and transport of dangerous reptiles
This section rewords existing regulations to clarify that an individual may not posses, transport for sale or offer for sale a dangerous reptile.

• Section 9-5-9 Reptile captive breeding license
This proposal mainly clarifies the existing law, but it also adds the term “avid reader” when discussing transponders in captive breed stock other than reptiles. As proposed, this section would read: “A transponder must be implanted in each specimen. The type of transponder must be able to be read by an avid reader.”

• Section 9-6-11 Commercial shipment or processing of fish
Under this section, a person would not be allowed to ship fish into or within Indiana for commercial purposes unless the shipment is accompanied by a dated bill of lading setting forth the species, number or poundage; origin; destination; and name and address of the purchaser. The proposal also addresses record keeping requirements for those who commercially import or sell trout and/or salmon.

• Section 9-11-8 Class III wild animals for which a permit is required
This section would be amended by defining a Class III wild animal as “a wild animal that presents a real or potential threat to human safety.” Among the animals on the list for permits are venomous reptiles and crocodilians that are at least five feet long.

The entire proposal is available online at http://www.in.gov/nrc/files/fish_reptil ... d_rule.pdf. The public can comment on the proposal at http://www.in.gov/nrc/2386.htm. The comment period will remain open through to the public hearing, which can’t be scheduled until the proposal is approved by the state’s Office of Management and Budget. If approved, the earliest a public hearing would be held is November, according to a state spokesman.

[TheReptileKing]

Deer hunters can kill pythons
By David Fleshler

Hunters who stalk deer, hogs and alligators in the swamps of South Florida soon will have a new target: Burmese pythons.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stated Friday that it will allow hunters to kill the large, nonnative snakes on South Florida's public hunting lands starting Aug. 29.

The hunters will be allowed to kill the snakes on the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor, Holey Land, Rotenberger and Big Cypress wildlife management areas if they use only those methods approved for the current hunting season. For example, during muzzle-loading gun season, they could use only that method. They must report each kill to the agency.

Hunters will be allowed to kill any state-listed reptile of concern, which also includes the Indian python, reticulated python, African rock python, amethystine or scrub python, green anaconda and Nile monitor lizard.

Last month the state initiated a hunt by 13 licensed reptile specialists, who so far have killed 14 pythons.