HERP NEWS 234/2009
BARRIE EXAMINER (Ontario) 22 August 09 Snakes
in a Home
Two snakes,
one a seven-foot boa constrictor, had to be removed from a Barrie home Thursday
after its tenants were evicted.
City police
officers went to an apartment in an Owen Street home to help a landlord evict
tenants and found a 19-year-old male on scene. Police had an outstanding
warrant for his arrest, for failing to appear for fingerprinting.
He was taken
to the police station and charged, but left two snakes behind.
Police say the
snakes were removed for safe keeping by employees of Elmvale Jungle Zoo.
"Do we
see a lot of snakes? No," said Sgt. Robert Allan of city police.
"I've never had to deal with a snake before."
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1711071
SAMAY LIVE / SAHARA SAMAY (Lucknow,
India) 22 August 09 Verify the need, feasibility of Venom Extraction Centre: BNHS (Noor
Khan)
Mumbai: The
proposed Snake Venom Research and Extraction Centre planned by Government of
Maharashtra on cooperative basis in Nashik should be started only if the right
procedures are ensured in capturing, handling and releasing snakes, the BNHS
has said.
BNHS (Bombay
Natural History Society) is of the opinion that proper safety of captured
snakes should be ensured before setting up the Centre, since snakes are vital
to the future of environment and mankind, it said in a release issued here.
"If a
programme for snake collection and venom extraction is well-designed, it could
work. The danger is that if it is not done properly, snakes are not handled
carefully and extraction is done in a crude manner, then it may result in the
death of snakes captured for the purpose," Romulus Whitaker, BNHS Advisor
and founder of Madras Snake Park and co-fo under of Madras Crocodile Bank said.
Moreover, guidelines
issued by WHO (World Health Organization) should be referred to and the
Government of India should call a meeting of the main stakeholders such as
venom extractors, anti-venom producers, state forest departments, health
officials, WHO officials and clinicians, before implementing this idea, the
veteran herpetologist said.
Government of
Maharashtra has recently cleared a plan to set up a Snake Venom Research and
Extraction Centre on cooperative basis in Nashik. Chalisgaon-based Sanjivani
Bahuddeyshiya Society has been authorized to run this Centre.
COVENTRY TELEGRAPH (UK) 22
August 09 Children save starving gecko found in Coventry street
This skinny
gecko lizard was saved from starvation by kind-hearted children who spotted him
near their Coventry home.
The
youngsters, of Elkington Road, Courthouse Green, have given “Lucky” a fighting
chance of survival.
But the
weekend will be vital to the emaciated reptile which is less than a third of
the size he should be. The thoughtful children took the animal – a leucistic
leopard gecko – to specialist pet shop Godiva Reptiles in Stoke.
Experts there
say the lizard which is approximately 12 to 18 months old, eight inches long is
very thin and malnourished.
Shop owners
Neil Guinn and Diane Ashley say it is touch and go whether Lucky survives.
“He looks like
he hasn’t eaten for months,” says Diane.
“Leopard
gecko’s come from Pakistan, but he’s been specially bred – with the leopard
grey-yellow colour – but without the spots. We’re trying to feed him every hour
– but you need to literally put food in because he’s not feeding himself – but
he is drinking which is a good thing.”
Diane urges
owners to get in touch with them if they can’t cope and they will try to rehome
the pet.
“We’d rather
people gave us their pets than abandon them as that’s just cruel, said Diana
whose shop is in Momus Boulevard, Binley Road, Stoke Park. Call 024 76 636 523.
COURIER MAIL (Brisbane, Australia) 22 August
09 No
crocodile safaris in Northern Territory (Brian Williams)
Conservationist
Bob Irwin has joined the RSPCA and Humane Society International in appealing to
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett and the NT Government to drop a
proposal for safari-style crocodile hunting.
Following a
series of croc attacks, the NT Government this year included big game hunting
in its managment plan in a bid to get a financial return for Aboriginal
communities.
Similar to
culling of dingoes by Queensland National Park and Wildlife Service rangers, it
also proposed a zero tolerance policy around Darwin, with a 50km croc-free area
in which "problem" animals are removed.
The initial
quota of 25 animals is not intended as a means of controlling nuisance
crocodiles but to attract money from trophy-hunting tourists.
Mr Irwin
believed the proposal was a medieval idea that would damage Australia's
eco-tourism reputation.
Writing in
Village Green, Mr Irwin said such hunting appealed only to a small, rich and
vocal minority who got their kicks out of shooting large wildlife, such as
rhinos, elephants and lions.
Not a single endangered
species has ever been saved from extinction by the virtue of trophy hunting and
the proposal should be abandoned.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25962604-953,00.html
CYPRUS MAIL (Nicosia) 22 August 09 Pity
the poor turtle (Lauren O'Hara)
No one can
remember a time when the beach at Koroni was so busy. It’s not altogether
surprising: as island ferries put their prices up, it’s easier to pack the car,
load the motorbike, and drive to wherever the motorways from Athens lead.
For years, the
pristine sands of the Peloponnese, the Mani and Messinia have remained mainly
undisturbed – save for a few Dutch nature lovers in camper vans or the type of
Brit who wears Rohan shorts and carries a plastic map folder around his neck
and Germans, who are still never totally welcomed in this part of Greece with
WWII memories raw and take shelter in remote villas.
It’s been good
news for the caretta caretta. In the past few years, their numbers have been
increasing due, in much part, to the diligent work of the young volunteers from
Archelon who walk beaches at dawn, marking nests and construct runs for the
hatchlings from donated beach mats.
But not this
year. This year the campsites are full to capacity; the roadsides are cluttered
with tossed plastic and cigarette packets; and cars crammed with young men and
booming sound systems race couples on bikes up the once deserted lanes.
This is an
indicator of social change. The tradition to return to ‘your village’ in the
summer and dutifully help the older generation is dying out. The new
twentysomethings want parties and privacy, to share a tent with their
girlfriend, away from the censorious eyes of the Athenian extended family.
It’s unlucky
that the time of year when loggerheard turtles need total peace to lay their
eggs and the nests need to remain undisturbed, coincides exactly with this new
breed of holidaymaker’s discovery of the great outdoors.
The rules for
these environmentally protected beaches are clear: no dogs, no fires, no
sunbeds. But, this year the Archelon volunteers have mysteriously gone and
without their guardianship the survival odds for the tiny turtles have been
severely shortened. Greeks will never respond to rules that aren’t enforced.
At the small
wooden hut in the centre of Koroni, where a blackboard normally tells tourists
the numbers of nests found each day, there is nothing except a couple of old
men sitting at a plastic table drinking Ouzo and smoking. They offer me
something that looks like a political pamphlet, with a sign in English saying,
‘Active Citizens of Koroni’. They don’t look very active.
“Where are the
turtle volunteers?” I ask. They look at me suspiciously, “No money – didn’t
come.”
“Did anyone
else think about marking the nests?” They just shrug. In the coffeeshop, Takis
tells me the problem is probably ‘economic’.
Without the
turtle protection order, the beach businesses can gradually erode the sand.
Shacks become bars, the odd umbrella becomes row on row of lounges and for a
few weeks the new nightclubs can cater for the all-night party culture of the
campsite.
But pity the
poor turtle and hope that the ‘active citizens of Koroni’ find a way for
creatures and campers to co-exist, for one will eventually motor to another
beach, but the other will never return.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/main.php?id=47419&cat_id=1
LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL (Quebec) 22 August 09
Crapauds, grenouilles, rainettes
et salamandres - Les amphibiens, tels
que les crapauds, les grenouilles, les rainettes et les salamandres sont des
petits animaux paisibles dont le rôle écologique est très important. Nous avons
donc tout intérêt à les attirer et les conserver dans nos jardins. (Albert
Mondor)
Les crapauds, les grenouilles, les rainettes et les salamandres mènent
une double vie, puisque la majorité d'entre eux passent une partie de leur vie
dans l'eau et une autre sur la terre. Ainsi, ces animaux passent la plus grande
portion de leur existence sur terre, mais ils naissent dans l'eau et ils y
retournent pour se reproduire. À l'instar des insectes, les amphibiens sont des
animaux à sang froid. Ceci veut dire que la température de leur corps varie en
fonction de celle de leur environnement. Les amphibiens possèdent également une
peau lisse, sans écailles, perméable à l'eau. Par temps chaud et ensoleillé,
l'eau s'en évapore rapidement et certains amphibiens qui n'ont pas accès à une
nappe d'eau peuvent s'assécher et mourir en quelques heures seulement.
Des Oiseaux De Nuit
C'est pourquoi la plupart des amphibiens sont plus actifs la nuit ou
lorsqu'il pleut et que, durant les chaudes journées ensoleillées, ils préfèrent
se cacher dans un lieu sombre et humide ou rester dans l'eau. Toutefois, les
rainettes peuvent passer plusieurs semaines à bonne distance d'un point d'eau.
Durant l'été et l'automne, elles vivent dans les arbres, parfois à plus de 40
mètres de hauteur dans le cas de la rainette versicolore! En dehors de leur
période de reproduction, certaines salamandres peuvent également vivre loin de
l'eau, en se cachant sous les pierres et les troncs d'arbres pourris dans les
forêts.
Pas Peur De Se Mouiller
Comme leurs oeufs ne sont pas recouverts d'une coquille protectrice et
qu'ils sont particulièrement sensibles à la dessiccation, tous les amphibiens
se reproduisent directement dans l'eau, généralement au printemps ou au début
de l'été. Les oeufs des crapauds, des grenouilles et des rainettes donnent
naissance à des têtards, composés d'un corps rond et d'une queue, vivant
uniquement dans l'eau. Par une série de métamorphoses, les têtards se
transforment ensuite en adultes en une ou quelques saisons, selon les espèces.
Exclusivement aquatiques elles aussi, les larves des salamandres ont un corps
et une queue plus longs, et possèdent des branchies externes très
caractéristiques.
Rôle Écologique
Les larves des amphibiens sont plutôt herbivores, se nourrissant surtout
d'algues et de débris végétaux. Adultes, tous les amphibiens se nourrissent
d'insectes et d'autres petits invertébrés, généralement la nuit. C'est le cas
des salamandres qui sont des animaux très discrets, surtout actifs la nuit et
durant les jours pluvieux.
Les grenouilles, quant à elles, possèdent une langue gluante qui leur
permet d'attraper efficacement tous les petits animaux dont elles se
nourrissent: araignées, insectes, escargots, limaces et vers de terre.
Certaines grosses grenouilles peuvent manger d'autres grenouilles ou de petits
poissons.
Les amphibiens jouent un rôle écologique inestimable. Les têtards sont
des consommateurs primaires dans la chaîne alimentaire et servent
ultérieurement de nourriture à de nombreux animaux aquatiques. Quant à eux, les
adultes contribuent à diminuer les populations d'insectes nuisibles, tels que
les moustiques. Ils constituent également la nourriture de plusieurs poissons,
reptiles, oiseaux et mammifères.
Attirer Des Amphibiens Dans Votre Jardin
Si vous habitez à proximité d'un cours d'eau naturel, vous pouvez
espérer attirer des amphibiens dans un jardin aquatique que vous aurez créé
dans votre cour.
Si votre jardin d'eau est très semblable à leur milieu naturel, il est
même possible qu'ils s'y reproduisent. Cependant, si vous vivez au coeur d'une
ville et que votre terrain est entouré de nombreux axes routiers, il est fort
peu probable que vous puissiez observer des amphibiens dans votre jardin.
Pour créer un jardin d'eau qui attirera les amphibiens, vous pouvez
installer un bassin de plastique préfabriqué, ce qui permet un aménagement
simple, rapide et économique, ou vous pouvez plutôt construire un étang
artificiel avec une toile imperméable, ce qui favorise la créativité et permet
une meilleure intégration. Dans tous les cas, il est essentiel que votre jardin
d'eau soit planté de nombreux végétaux. Ces plantes ne servent pas de
nourriture aux amphibiens adultes. Ils les utilisent plutôt pour s'abriter, se
camoufler ou y accrocher leurs oeufs. En outre, les feuilles flottantes de
certaines plantes servent de plates-formes d'observation sur lesquelles les
grenouilles repèrent et capturent les insectes. Essentielles au bon fonctionnement
d'un étang, les plantes aquatiques empêchent aussi la prolifération des algues.
Elles absorbent les minéraux et ombragent l'eau, privant ainsi les algues de
deux éléments vitaux à leur croissance.
Les Pieds Dans L'eau
Il existe quatre groupes de plantes aquatiques distincts. Les plantes à
feuilles flottantes, tels le lotus (Nelumbo
nucifera), les nénuphars (Nuphar)
et les nymphéas (Nymphaea), aussi
appelé lis d'eau, produisent une floraison abondante et impressionnante. Grâce
à leurs grandes feuilles, elles ombragent l'eau gardant ainsi sa fraîcheur en
plus de servir d'abri aux amphibiens. Les plantes flottantes, comme la laitue
d'eau (Pistia stratiotes) et la
jacinthe d'eau (Eichhornia crassipes),
flottent librement sur la surface de l'eau sans être enracinées au substrat.
Les plantes submergées, comme l'élodée du Canada (Elodea canadensis), vivent sous la surface de l'eau. Elles servent
parfois de nourriture aux larves de certains amphibiens et sont essentielles
pour oxygéner l'eau. Finalement, les végétaux des lieux humides, comme les
acores (Acorus), l'iris versicolore (Iris versicolor) et les sagittaires (Sagittaria), sont des plantes dont le
pied peut être recouvert d'eau, mais dont le feuillage doit toujours être à
l'air libre. Ces plantes, qui couvrent les rives d'un bassin, abritent une
grande quantité d'insectes, de grenouilles, d'oiseaux ainsi que de petits
mammifères et servent de frayère à certains poissons.
EL UNIVERSAL (Cartagena de Indias, Columbia) 22 August 09 Niña de
11 años murió por mordedura de una serpiente
Una niña de 11 años murió horas después de haber sufrido una mordedura
de serpiente.
El hecho ocurrió en el corregimiento de Cispataca, zona rural del
municipio de la Villa de San Benito Abad, subregión San Jorge.
Según la información el pasado miércoles en horas de la noche, a eso de
las 7, la niña se dispuso a ayudar a lavar en la cocina de su casa. Cuando fue
a colocar varios utensilios de mesa en una cubierta de madera sintió una
mordedura.
La serpiente, al parecer una mapaná, estaba escondida donde guardaban
los cubiertos.
El reptil mordió a la niña de 11 años en el dedo índice de la mano
derecha y a los pocos minutos empezó a sentir las dolencias por la mordedura.
Tras el incidente la niña fue trasladada hasta el centro de salud más
cercano en La Villa, pero dada la gravedad de la situación fue remitida a la
Unidad Materno Infantil de Sincelejo, pero nada pudieron hacer los galenos para
salvarle la vida.
Un vocero de ese centro hospitalario informó que la menor “llegó en estado
séptico”, es decir con síntomas de infección avanzado.
El deceso de la menor se dio entre las 12 y la 1 de la madrugada de
ayer. Según el acta de defunción la situación que conllevó a la causa de la
muerte fue “accidente ofídico”, es decir por la mordedura de una serpiente
venenosa, de manera accidental.
El cuerpo fue llevado a la morgue del Hospital Universitario de
Sincelejo y tras realizar la documentación de rigor sus familiares se la
llevaron a San Benito.
La serpiente fue hallada por los familiares, quienes le dieron muerte
después de haber mordido a la niña de 11 años, quien fue identificada como
Angie Marcela Oviedo Pérez.
Alerta por muertes
Es de resaltar que el Ministerio de la Protección Social, desde el año
2004 emitió una circular donde hace referencia al aumento en el número de casos
(accidentes ofídicos) que han causado varias muertes en varias zonas del país.
En consecuencia y a partir de la fecha de expedición de dicha circular,
la directriz del Ministerio con respecto a los accidentes ofídicos es el de
incluirlo como evento de notificación obligatoria al sivigila (Sistema de
Vigilancia), incorporándolo en los reportes semanales de vigilancia que deben
hacer las Entidades Territoriales al Instituto Nacional de Salud.
Para el efecto, tal reporte debe hacerse en el Formato de Notificación
Obligatoria Semanal, registrando el evento como “Accidente ofidico; indicando
el género y especie del ofidio”, según lo estipula la cartera de Salud Pública.
Cifras De Accidentes Ofídicos
La accidentabilidad con serpientes se estima en el mundo en unos 5
millones 400 mil anuales, de las cuales, 2 millones 682 mil producen
envenenamiento y mueren por esta causa unos 125 mil 345 personas. Para
Latinoamérica se estiman 150 mil accidentes con envenenamiento y mueren unas 5
mil personas por esta causa. Para Colombia, de acuerdo a la información
recibida en el Instituto Nacional de Salud (Grupo de Sueros), en el periodo de
1975 a 1999, se recopiló la información de mil 771 accidentes. La mayoría de
los accidentes informados corresponden al departamento de Meta (21,63%),
seguido por los departamentos de Putumayo (11,29%), Santander (10,78%), Cesar
(8,70%), Arauca (8,41%), Norte de Santander (8,13%) y Boyacá (4,91%). Los otros
departamentos notificaron los accidentes en menor proporción. De estos
accidentes informados, solo el 1,92% murieron.
CBC (Ottawa, Ontario) 21 August 09 Homeowners
urged to frog-proof pools, windows
Dan Brunton
said backyard swimming pools are particularly deadly, and he has found up to 10
dead amphibians in the filter of his neighbour's pool before.
"The
simple thing was they just couldn't get out," Brunton said.
"There's
a wonderful commercial opportunity in here. Somebody make a nice little floaty
ramp. You just leave it there and the critters climb out of your pool every
morning."
A green frog
trapped in the filter earlier this week was luckier than most — it was still
alive when Brunton visited the pool to demonstrate the problem to a CBC
reporter this week.
Fraser Veitch,
a spokesperson for Benson Pools, a company that sells pool equipment and
services, said it's fairly common for frogs to get trapped in pools, but people
aren't always sure what to do when it happens.
"Some are
kind of grossed out by it, and they'll ask us over there to remove it," he
said.
While Brunton
was renovating his home recently, he discovered another problem for amphibians
— window wells.
"The day
these were put in two toads were found dead the following morning," he
said, pointing at his own below-grade basement windows.
Brunton has
now built gravel slopes in the wells so toads and other critters can climb out
— something he encourages other homeowners to do.
"Since
we've put this simple, simple little ramp in there, not one more animal has
died in this thing."
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/08/21/ottawa-dan-brunton-frogs.html?ref=rss
NORTH STAR (Parry Sound, Ontario) 21 August 09 Help an eastern hog-nosed snake (Glenda
Clayton)
The bizarre
defensive behaviour of an Eastern Hog-nosed Snake makes your first encounter
memorable.
If threatened,
the snake will flatten and spread its neck to resemble a cobra. It even hisses
and may strike towards you but usually with its mouth shut.
If this
behaviour doesn’t convince you to back off, the snake typically will play dead,
writhing about and finally rolling over on its back with its tongue out.
These
defensive behaviours have lead to their nicknames of puff adder or blow adder.
We are fortunate to live in an area where this threatened species can still be
found.
Unfortunately,
some people still believe this harmless snake is dangerous and this is one
factor why the hog-nosed snake is a species at risk.
Other factors
include loss of habitat and being killed while crossing roads.
The eastern
hog-nosed snake gets its name from its upturned snout which it uses to burrow
into the ground. This thick bodied snake can grow up to one metre in length.
Their colour is variable. Some hog-nosed snakes may have dark spots on a light
background, others are olive, grey or brown in colour and others are completely
black. They have a distinctive dark long spot stretching along both sides of
their neck.
This becomes
quite noticeable if they flatten their head.
They prefer
habitats that include sandy soils, rocky areas and light forest cover. Since
they feed mainly on toads, they must also be close to wet areas.
In Ontario,
this snake’s range extends from the northern shore of Lake Erie to the eastern
Georgian Bay shore and the southern boundary of the Canadian Shield.
Please help
inform others of this snake and share the message to leave the snake alone.
To learn more
about and the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake or to report your sightings of this
at-risk species, please go to our website www.gbbr.ca or call the Georgian Bay
Biosphere Reserve office at 705-774-0978.
http://www.parrysound.com/voice/1250867772/?q=snake
NEW YORK TIMES (New York) 21 August 09 Homesick
Godzilla (Michael Pollak)
Q. The
Brooklyn Botanic Garden used to have a huge resident snapping turtle named
Godzilla. Is he still there?
Godzilla is
alive and well, but he’s been moved across Flatbush Avenue to Prospect Park.
And therein lies a story, as related by Eugene Patron, a spokesman for the
Prospect Park Alliance, with contributions from Leeann Lavin of the Brooklyn
Botanic Garden.
Godzilla was
named in the 1970s by Robert Gundacker, a former curator of the Japanese
Hill-and-Pond Garden, where the turtle made its home in the botanic garden and
served as a sort of mascot. How it got there, only Godzilla knows, but plenty
of other turtles live at the garden, the park and the Prospect Park Zoo.
When the
garden undertook a renovation of the Japanese garden in 1999, officials of the
Botanic Garden and Prospect Park worked out a rescue plan: Godzilla was moved
to Prospect Park’s lake. But the move was not without bumps.
“Apparently
Godzilla was initially homesick,” Mr. Patron wrote in an e-mail message; it
“tried to leave the Park and return to the Botanic Garden — actually making his
way across busy Flatbush Avenue, to the gates of the Botanic Garden.” But a
maintenance crew from the garden took the snapper back to Prospect Park, “and
he has since accepted it as his home,” Mr. Patron wrote.
Snapping
turtles, he added, can easily reach 35 pounds and live as long as 40 years.
They will eat almost anything. They spend a great deal of time buried in the
mud waiting for food to present itself, but also extend their long necks so
their nose can reach the surface. They rarely bask in the sun.
Adam Doan, an
aquatic ecologist at Prospect Park, reported seeing two snapping turtles in the
30-pound range there this year, Mr. Patron said. “So it looks like old Godzilla
now has a friend!”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/nyregion/23fyi.html
GLOUCESTERSHIRE ECHO (Cheltenham,
UK) 21 August 09 Terrapin caught in Cheltenham lake
Pet owners are
being urged not to release their animals into the wild after a fisherman caught
more than he bargained for in a Cheltenham lake.
Jason Williams
couldn't believe his eyes when he reeled in a terrapin the size of a dinner
plate from the lake in Pittville Park.
The
businessman from Lansdown said: "When my quarry was nearing the surface I
spotted through the depths what appeared to be the broad shoulders of a healthy
mirror Carp. A moment later, having already wondered why the fish wasn't
fighting for his life, I pulled out the reptile.
"My next
thought was to the snapping jaws I would be greeted with as I tried to remove
the hook – to my relief the animal had only been lightly hooked and the hook
was in the landing net."
Jason, who
released the distinctive reptile, said he had spotted a terrapin two weeks
before he snared it but says his claims were then greeted with laughter.
He added:
"I had no idea they get that big. It was probably the size of a dinner
plate. It must have spent the winter in the middle of the lake. It did well to
get through it."
He said he had
heard someone had released two terrapins into the lake two years ago.
Wayne
Sedgwick, community parks officer for Cheltenham Borough Council, is urging
people not to release their pets into an environment which may not be suitable
for their needs.
He said:
"The irresponsible release into the wild of terrapins and other species
does cause concern for the health of local wildlife and the terrapins
themselves, which are ill-equipped to survive in the damp British climate.
People should
also realise that it is illegal to abandon animals."
Terapins are
omnivorous and eat fish, worms, small animals, snails and vegetation. Adults
can reach 40cm in length and weigh up to 2kg.
An Environment
Agency spokesperson said: "These animals appear in the wild via a number
of routes. Probably the most common way is when they are kept as pets, which
then escape or are released by their owners.
"It is
against the law to release any non-native species into the wild. They can upset
the balance of the ecosystem as they may be bigger, faster growing or more
aggressive than the native species. They may also have fewer natural predators
to control numbers."
KTUU (Anchorage, Alaska) 21 August 09 Frog
deformities may hold key to climate change (Ashton Goodell)
Anchorage,
Alaska: Biologists are testing the water
to uncover why Alaska woodland frogs developed deformities.
They say
climate change and water contamination has something to do with it, but the
research is leaps and bounds behind the evolution.
U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service biologist Mari Reeves grew up a tomboy -- not afraid of
anything slimy and always with one foot outdoors. Years later she never really
gave up looking for frogs and figured out a way to cast a larger net.
Reeves studies
the affects of climate change and water contamination on wetland animals. Frog
populations are declining around the world and biologists worry the losses will
force ecosystems to change too quickly.
Biologists
found more and more abnormal frogs in Alaska and they say the levels can't be
explained by evolution or natural progress -- only by human intervention.
"So
normally you would expect to find between zero and 2 percent of the frogs you
survey," Reeves said. "Say if you caught 100 you would expect to find
two that were abnormal, but in a lot of areas of the Kenai National Wildlife
Refuge and the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge we found closer to 8 to 12
percent of these are abnormal."
Frog development
depends on temperatures and scientists with Fish and Wildlife say rising global
temperature affect how an egg develops into a tadpole and then into a frog.
Water quality
also affects quality of life for wetland creatures.
"As frogs
develop they do things like get rid of gills and develop lungs in that water,
and they grow legs in the water exposed to whatever is happening in that
water," Reeves said. "For those reasons we think of them as
indicators of environmental quality."
Nine years ago
biologists started testing frogs in five different wildlife refuges. In that
time they found frogs living near human development were more likely to form
abnormalities.
But
correlation isn't causation. There are three reason scientists think the frog
legs developed abnormally, and that's what they are researching now.
"The
abundance of dragonfly larvae in the early season and chemical contaminants --
specifically metals -- another thing was temperature, higher temperatures being
associated with more abnormalities," Reeves said.
Reeves and her
researcher hypothesize that certain metals, like cooper, run off the road and
into the wetlands. The animals that swim in these bogs take in those metals; it
begins to affect signals to the brain and makes it harder for animals to detect
predators.
In the case of
frogs, their predators gain an advantage and bite off their legs.
"They
don't smell the predators, so they don't they don't change their behavior, so
they are getting hit at a much higher rate," Reeves said.
They test the
water to measure temperature and acidity to see how contaminants and
environmental factors influence frogs' development.
This is just a
pilot study. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to collect a larger
sample from the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge to see which factor caused the
deformities, but it is waiting on funding.
http://www.ktuu.com/global/story.asp?s=10973321
RED ORBIT (Texas) 21 August 09 Frog
Croaks, Population Weakened By Traffic Noise
Male frogs
living near urban areas are having trouble competing with the sound of the
city, which may be causing the frog population to decline.
Male frogs use
their croaks to attract their mates. But Melbourne University ecologist Kirsten
Parris found that the frogs face a tough task in trying to overpower the loud
noise from nearby traffic.
"If there
are a number of different males calling, the one that sounds the best often
gets the girl," Parris told The Associated Press. "You have to be
pretty clear about your assets if you're a male frog."
"Generally,
if he's putting a lot of energy into calling — if he's calling loudly or
quickly or for a long time or all those things combined — it shows he's fit and
strong and generally those things tend to correlate with female choice,"
she added.
Parris
presented her study at the 10th International Ecology Congress in Brisbane.
Frogs with
low-pitched croaks are the most likely to be affected by the city noise, which
Parris says has the ability to squelch any nearby suitors.
However,
Parris found that the southern brown tree frog has learned to adapt its pitch
to be higher in louder areas. The higher pitch allows the croaks to be heard
from an extra 16 feet more than their normal pitch.
Parris noted
that the croak of the popplebonk frog can be heard from 875 yards without the
city’s white noise, but with the city noise the frog’s call can only reach
about 46 feet.
"There is
accumulating evidence that noise in urban habitats is having an effect on the
behavior of animals," University of Sheffield ecologist Ken Thompson told
the AP.
“Where year
after year there's not enough water for them to breed, eventually the frog
population will decline to nothing and then in cities where there's a lot of
roads and other things in the way, other frogs can't come and move back into those
ponds so they stay empty,” Parris told the Australian Broadcasting Company.
BBC (London, UK) 21 August 09 Bizarre
newt uses ribs as weapons (Matt Walker)
The Spanish
ribbed newt more than lives up to its name
One amphibian
has evolved a bizarre and gruesome defence mechanism to protect itself against
predators.
When attacked,
the Spanish ribbed newt pushes out its ribs until they pierce through its body,
exposing a row of bones that act like poisonous barbs.
The newt has
to force its bones through its skin every time it is attacked, say scientists
who have described the form and function of the barbs in detail.
Yet this
bizarre behaviour appears not to cause the newt any ill effects.
The ability of
the Spanish ribbed newt to expose its rib bones was first noticed by a natural
historian in 1879.
But scientists
have now used modern photographic and X-ray imaging techniques to reveal just
how the animal does it.
And what they
discovered is even more gruesome than they imagined.
When the newt
becomes agitated or perceives a threat, it swings its ribs forward, increasing
their angle to the spine by up to 50 degrees.
As it does
this, the newt keeps the rest of its body still.
"The
forward movement of the ribs increases the body size and stretches the skin to
the point of piercing it," says zoologist Egon Heiss of the University of
Vienna in Austria.
The tips of
the newt's ribs then stick outside its body, like exposed spines.
But there is
more to the newt's defence, Heiss and his Vienna-based colleagues report in the
Journal of Zoology.
"When
teased or attacked by a predator, [the newt] secretes a poisonous milky
substance onto the body surface. The combination of the poisonous secretion and
the ribs as 'stinging' tools is highly effective," says Heiss.
The impact on
any predator can be striking, particularly if they try to bite the newt or pick
it up using their mouth.
Then the poison
in almost injected into the thin skin within the mouth, causing severe pain or
possibly death to the attacker.
As well as
elucidating the spear-like shape of the ribs, and exactly how the ribs swing
forward and protrude, the scientists have demonstrated that the bones must
break through the newt's body wall every time the amphibian evokes the defence
response.
Initially, it
was thought that the ribs may passively emerge through pores, rather than be
actively driven through the body wall.
Surprisingly,
the newt, which is related to other newts and salamanders, appears to suffer no
major ill effects, despite repeatedly puncturing its own body and exposing its
rib bones.
"Newts,
and amphibians in general, are known to have an extraordinary ability to repair
their skin," says Heiss.
"Anyway,
if this newt can avoid being eaten in some cases, this surely has a positive
influence."
It also seems
that the newt is immune to its own poison, which is normally confined to glands
in the newt's body.
When the newt
wounds itself by exposing its ribs, the poison can seep into its body tissue,
again apparently with no ill effects.
Heiss now
hopes to investigate which compounds are in the poison.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8212000/8212623.stm
SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL (Fort
Lauderdale, Florida) 21 August 09 Snake
bite victim recovers in Hollywood - Dangerous green mamba snake still on the
loose in Hollywood (Alexia Campbell and Rafael A. Olmeda)
Hollywood: A Comcast worker is expected to recover after
being bitten by a lethal snake in a Hollywood neighborhood, authorities said
today, but a search for the bright green, exotic reptile has so far failed to
turn up anything.
The
44-year-old worker, whose name was not released, was given antivenin and will
likely leave Memorial Regional Hospital Saturday, two days after an Eastern
green mamba bit him in the arm, said Capt. Ernie Jillson, head of Miami-Dade
Fire Rescue's Antivenom Unit.
The venomous
snake bite briefly paralyzed the right side of his body.
The snake
attacked the employee while he was installing underground cable outside an
apartment building in the 2300 block of Taylor Street on Thursday, said Lt.
Arnold Piedrahita Jr. of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
The green and
yellow snake, native to Africa, escaped without a trace. Police, firefighters
and state wildlife workers have been searching the Hollywood neighborhood with
no luck.
No one in the
area of the attack has a license to own this type of snake, Jillson said.
"We're
hoping for nature to take its course," he said. The species has predators
in South Florida and is sensitive to the winter cold.
The Venom Unit
waited a few hours before giving the victim antivenin to make sure the bite was
from a green mamba
The cable
worker was shown pictures of various snakes and picked out the green mamba.
The victim
started showing symptoms of the neurotoxic venom, Jillson said. His eyelids
began to droop and his extremities to numb and tingle.
Eventually
half of his body was temporarily paralyzed, and seven vials of the antivenin
was administered, Piedrahita said.
"There's
not a shadow of a doubt that it was a green mamba," Jillson said.
Officials
think the snake was illegally purchased off the Internet and either escaped or
was released.
Jillson said
he's never heard of a green mamba attacking a random person outdoors.
According to a
Sun Sentinel analysis of data from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,
there have been 187 live Eastern green (or common) mambas imported into the
United States for commercial purposes since 2004.
All were
shipped through Miami, and at least 126 were brought in by importers who had
Florida addresses.
Of the Florida
snakes, 37 were brought in by a business in Hollywood, 30 to Plantation, 30 to
Miami, 24 to Port St. Lucie and 5 to Bushnell.
In addition,
at least 18 Western green mambas were brought into the state by Florida
importers during that time.
Most of the
Eastern green mambas were brought here from Tanzania, and almost all were
captured from the wild, according to the Fish & Wildlife data.
Richard
Konefal, who owns the apartment building where the worker was attacked, said he
led one animal control officer on a search of all nine units in the building,
turning up no evidence that anyone there had been raising the snake.
In captivity,
green mambas live 10 to 12 years. In the wild, their lifespan is about six
years, Jillson said. Based on the description — a 3- to 4-foot green snake with
a yellowish underbelly — Jillson estimated the snake that bit the cable worker
to be about 3 or 4 years old.
He said green
mambas are aggressive and territorial, and this one is likely to stay in the
lush backyard garden where the bite took place.
Anyone who
sees the snake should not approach it, but should call the Venom Response Unit
at 786-331-4443 or 4444, Jillson said.
So far this
year, the venom unit has provided life-saving antivenom to about 20 victims of
snake bites, Piedrahita said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/hollywood/sfl-snake-bite-hollywood-bn082009,0,1431615.story
DAILY MAIL (London, UK) 21 August 09 By
Zeus! My £1,250 tortoise was stolen goods, now I've got to give it back (Ryan
Kisiel)
All it took
was one newspaper article and one very honest - and now heartbroken - woman.
Zeus the giant
tortoise has been returned to his rightful owner just 11 days after being
stolen from his home in Cornwall.
It turns out
that the seven-stone reptile had been driven 300 miles across the country by
the thieves.
He popped up
in a pet shop three days later under the name Gorgeous George and was bought
for £1,250 by animal lover Karen Todd.
Mrs Todd
adored her new pet and for a week he had the run of her garden in
Sittingbourne, Kent, where he made friends with her two other tortoises.
But then her
father-in-law pointed out an article in last Saturday's Mail which related how
a woman named Joy Bloor had 32 tortoises - including a very big one called Zeus
- stolen from her Cornish sanctuary.
Mrs Todd
didn't hesitate. She rang Mrs Bloor and the police. And it turned out that her
beloved George was, in fact, Zeus.
Mrs Todd, 40,
said: 'When I walked into that pet shop I fell in love with him at first sight.
He was called Gorgeous George and he wanted to walk all around the shop.
'He cost a lot
of money, but after speaking to my husband, I could see that it was a bargain
for his size and bought him.
'I've never
been so attached to an animal in all my life and he was so special to me.
'But when I
read the article in the Daily Mail I knew he was probably from the
sanctuary and phoned Joy to tell her. I know what having a pet stolen is like
and it's only right that he goes back with her. I will be devastated to see him
go though.'
Yesterday Mrs
Bloor travelled to Kent to be reunited with Zeus.
'As soon as
Zeus saw me he recognised me and bounded over. I started to cry as I didn't
think I would see him again,' she said.
'He's been
really well looked after and I'm eternally grateful for that. I feel so sorry
for Karen as she became so attached to Zeus and I'm ever so thankful to her for
ringing me.'
Karen's
daughter Charlotte, aged 7, and her friend Todd, bid farewell to 'George'
Tortoises like
him are targets for thieves, as they can be sold on for thousands of pounds.
That is
something Mrs Bloor knows all too well. The former cardiographer has been
running her sanctuary in Lower Sticker for 11 years, along with her husband
Geoff.
She had 79
tortoises of her own and has been sent dozens more by owners unable to care for
them any longer, the RSPCA and even Revenue and Customs.
At the start of
this year she had 450. But then a thief posing as a paying visitor to the
sanctuary slipped six baby Hermann's and a precious South African leopard
tortoise into his large pockets.
Zeus is
carefully loaded into the car, by Joy and her son Terry, ready for the journey
home
Two weeks ago,
five more tortoises were missing. That same night, thieves managed to evade her
alarm, slip into the tortoises dormitory and steal 20 more -
including Zeus.
There are
still 31 missing, but Mrs Bloor is confident about finding the rest, as are
police.
Yesterday they
arrested a 36-year-old man in North London in connection with the theft of
Zeus.
He was later
released on police bail pending further inquiries.
DC Steve White
of Devon and Cornwall Police said: 'Due to Daily Mail readers we were able to
track down Zeus and happily reunite him with his owner.
'We're hopeful
of tracking down the remaining 31 tortoises and our inquiries are still
ongoing.'
CAIRNS POST (Australia) 21 August 09 Doc's
prize frog research
An Australian
National University researcher has been awarded a prestigious Eureka Prize for
his research work on frogs, conducted in Cairns.
Dr Conrad
Hoskin was recognised for his discoveries in the evolution of new frog and
reptile species as well as identifying, classifying and naming them.
"I really
didn’t expect to win, but I am very happy that taxonomy is being
recognised," he said.
Dr Hoskin
splits his time between Cairns and Canberra and said he was surprised when he
was named the winner of the Australian Biological Resources Study Eureka Prize
for Early Career Species Discovery and awarded the $10,000 prizemoney.
He said he
would be using the prizemoney for his research projects.
"It is
really great in Cairns as there are still things out there yet to be
discovered," he said.
Recently, Dr
Hoskin was involved in the rediscovery of the armoured green tree frog.
http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/08/21/59561_local-news.html
HERALD-TRIBUNE (Sarasota, Florida) 21 August
09 The
gathering storm: Spiny-tailed iguanas (Eric Ernst)
Put in a plug
for the cookbook, George Cera said. It's called "Save Florida; Eat an
Iguana." Cera wrote it, and he was only half-kidding about the plug.
Pickings have
been kind of slim for the Sarasota reptile trapper since his contract on
Gasparilla Island expired in November.
That may
change soon, though, judging from the rise in sightings of Cera's nemesis, the
black spiny-tailed iguana. The exotic reptiles, native to Mexico and probably
descendants of released "pets," have migrated into Sarasota,
Charlotte and Manatee counties.
And if Boca
Grande is any indication, they're here to stay. All we can do is try to contain
them, as Cera did on Gasparilla, where he shot about 16,000 with a pellet gun
last year.
While the
larger pythons and monitor lizards may grab the headlines these days, the
iguanas are every bit as threatening, if not more so.
These are not
cute, cuddly animals waiting to become house pets. They're a scourge, ranking
right up there with African bees, Formosan termites and crazy ants because
they've shown up in a part of the world where they're not supposed to live.
They strip
plants of their flowers. They carry salmonella. Their excrement can cover a
yard. They undermine seawalls. And, they can decimate native populations of
birds, gopher tortoises and smaller lizards either by eating them, eating their
eggs or eating all the food the other animals need.
Cera says Boca
Grande has no gopher tortoises younger than 10 years. The iguanas have devoured
all the eggs.
Now they seem
to be spreading along the coast. Ignoring them is not an option. Boca Grande
tried. But considering that female spiny-tails lay five to eight clutches a
year and that each clutch contains 12 to 88 eggs, it doesn't take long to
establish a colony.
The iguanas
have started to show up in Sarasota County parks, most notably at Lemon Bay in
Englewood, Shamrock in South Venice and Turtle Beach on Siesta Key.
Trapper Robert
Taylor of R and K Nuisance Animal Removal says he caught 30 iguanas in two days
at Holiday Estates, a subdivision on the Charlotte County side of Englewood.
That raises
another point. Iguanas aren't just appearing on public land. They're burrowing
under sheds, climbing into attics and coming soon to a neighborhood near you.
THE CHRONICLE (Toowoomba, Australia) 21
August 09 Snake catchers set for action (Stuart Cumming)
Snake catchers
Richard Jarvis and Rynsly Mann are gearing up for a busy season.
Increasing
temperatures mean Toowoomba’s dangerous reptiles are emerging after a winter
rest in search of water, food and a mate.
Mr Jarvis and
Mr Mann have a combined 20-years catching experience between them and work in
the Toowoomba and Withcott regions.
They’re
expecting more calls as the reptiles start to intrude on people’s homes and
properties.
And why snake
catching? Mr Jarvis said he was always looking to come across a different
species.
“It’s more
about hoping it’s a snake you’ve never seen before,” Mr Jarvis said.
Protection of
snakes was also a big motivator for both men.
“They are as
protected as a koala and most people who try to harm them usually get bitten,”
Mr Jarvis said.
Mr Mann said
he had been bitten a few times, but never by a venomous snake.
“You get a few
cranky pythons.”
Snakes are
protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.
They cannot be
harmed or taken from the wild.
http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2009/08/21/snake-catchers-set-action/
KLSR (Eugene, California) 21 August
09 Python
Found on ATM Machine in Serbia
Serbians
aren't the only ones craving cash these days. A python was spotted sprawled
over a cash machine in the Serbian town of Nis on Friday.
A banker
opened his office and found himself face-to-face with the 6-and-a-half-foot
snake.
Police used a
shovel and a bag to capture it.
No one has
claimed ownership of the python, which is presumed to be an escaped pet. Police
said the owner will be punished for negligence.
http://www.myfoxeugene.com/dpp/news/dpgo_python_atm_machine_lwf_082109_3094969
BBC (London, UK) 21 August 09 ¡Costillas al ataque!
Científicos descubren cómo un anfibio puede protegerse de sus atacantes
desenvainando a través de su cuerpo sus propias costillas y utilizándolas como
lanzas venenosas.
El tritón español o gallipato (Pleurodeles waltl) empuja sus
costillas atravesándose la piel para exponer una hilera de huesos que actúan
como púas envenenadas.
Y lo más extraordinario de este mecanismo, afirma la investigación
publicada en Journal of Zoology (Revista de Zoología), es que no causa
al tritón ningún daño o efecto secundario.
Esta capacidad para defenderse del tritón español -que está relacionado
con las salamandras- ya se conocía, pero ahora, por primera vez, los
investigadores de la Universidad de Viena, en Austria, lograron descubrir cómo
funciona el mecanismo.
Utilizando técnicas modernas de fotografía y radiografía, los
científicos observaron como cada vez que el tritón se ve amenazado empuja las
costillas hacia adelante aumentando el ángulo de su columna hasta en 50 grados
y manteniendo inmóvil el resto de cuerpo.
"Con el movimiento hacia arriba hace aumentar el tamaño de su
cuerpo y estirar su piel hasta el punto de penetrarla" explicó a la BBC
Egon Heiss, uno de los científicos involucrados en el estudio.
Posteriormente las puntas de las costillas del tritón sobresalen de su
cuerpo como espinas expuestas.
"Cuando se le ataca el tritón secreta en la superficie de su cuerpo
una sustancia lechosa y venenosa" dice Heiss.
"La combinación de secreción venenosa y púas como armas es
extremadamente efectiva" agrega.
Y el impacto en el depredador es impresionante, en particular si trata
de morder al tritón o levantarlo usando su boca.
Posteriormente el anfibio inyecta el veneno causando un dolor severo y
hasta la muerte a su atacante.
Durante la investigación, además de dilucidar la forma de las costillas
como puntas de lanza y el modo en que las empuja hacia adelante para
desenvainarlas, los científicos descubrieron que los huesos del animal se
rompen cada vez que atraviesan el cuerpo del tritón.
El doctor Heiss y su equipo pensaron al principio que las costillas
pasaban de forma pasiva por los poros del anfibio.
Nunca se imaginaron que éstas atravesaban la superficie corporal.
Y tampoco podían creer que el tritón no presentaba ningún daño o efecto
posterior a pesar de perforar repetidamente su propio cuerpo y exponer los
huesos de sus costillas.
"Se sabe que los tritones, y los anfibios en general, tienen una
extraordinaria capacidad para reparar su propia piel" dice Egon Heiss.
"Y si este tritón utiliza este mecanismo para evitar que lo
devoren, ciertamente esa capacidad de reparación es muy positiva".
El científico cree también que el anfibio es inmune a su propio veneno,
que normalmente queda confinado en las glándulas de su organismo.
Cuando el tritón lesiona su piel para exponer sus costillas el veneno se
filtra por los tejidos y esto tampoco le causa efectos secundarios.
Los investigadores planean ahora investigar cuáles son los compuestos
que forman el veneno.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/ciencia_tecnologia/2009/08/090821_anfibio_espinoso_men.shtml
BLIC (Belgrade, Serbia) 21 August 09 Vatrogasci
uhvatili pitona na bankomatu
Prijava da se
zmija nalazi na bankomatu vatrogascima je stigla jutros oko 2,20 časova, a
za njegovo hvatanje, kako su rekli novinarima, bila je dovoljna lopata i torba.
Komandir tog
odeljenja Nenad Ristić rekao je novinarima da je, najverovatnije, reč
o kuchnom ljubimcu koji je pobegao, ali kako su u blizini bili otvoreni prozori
stanova piton je mogao da se ušeta u neki od njih.
Vatrogasci
očekuju da se vlasnik javi, ali je gotovo sigurno, kako je napomenuto, da
će biti kažnjen zbog nesavesnog čuvanja životinje.
Ristić je
rekao da vatrogasci u letnjim mesecima intervenišu i u hvatanju zmija, ali sa
ovog podneblja. Najčešće je u
pitanju smuk, ali je prvi put uhvachen piton.
Prošle godine vatrogasci su smuka našli u samom centru Niša, u
takozvanom Kazandžijskom sokačetu, a od drugih zanimljivosti navode da su
intervenisali i prilikom hvatanja jedne iguane.
Javio se vlasnik "Boška" - zmije sa bankomata
Vlasnik zmije, koju su niški vatrogasci rano jutros uhvatili na
bankomatu, pojavio se danas oko 14 časova u Vatrogasnom domu da preuzme
svog kućnog ljubimca.
Vlasnik uhvaćene boe, podvrste porodice zmija kojoj pripada i
piton, Goran Nikolić rekao je novinarima da se njihov ljubimac zove
"Boško" i da je najverovatnije pobegao sa terase stana gde je
obično izlazio da se sunča.
U kući nisu primetili, kako se moglo čuti, da je zmija
nestala, pa su se dali u potragu za boom tek kad su čuli preko televizije
da su vatrogasci uhvatili zmiju na bankomatu zgrade u kojoj i sami stanuju.
Niški vatrogasci su najpre novinarima rekli da su uhvatili pitona dužine
oko dva metara. Boa i piton su jako slični, pa ih samo dobri znalci
egzotičnih životinja, koji ih čuvaju kao kućne ljubimce, mogu
razlikovati.
Nikolić bi, prema rečima predstavnika komunalnih službi u
gradskoj opštini Medijana, na čijoj je teritoriji zmija nađena, mogao
da bude prekršajno kažnjen za nesavesno čuvanje kućnog ljubimca.
Rukovodilac službe za pravne i komunalne poslove u toj opštini Saša
Markišić rekao je Tanjugu da se u prekršajnom postupku za nesavesno
čuvanje životinja može izreći kazna do 10.000 dinara.
Markišić je napomenuo da se protiv nasavesnih držalaca životinja
podnosi i krivična prijava kada ljubimci pričine štetu ili je zbog
nemara vlasnika ugrožen život drugih lica.
Niška boa, prema rečima poznvalaca zmija u Nišu, nije otrovnica i
lakša je za čuvanje od pitona. Kao i piton, hrani se
glodarima.
http://www.blic.rs/hronika.php?id=107188
NOVOSTI (Belgrade, Serbia) 21 August 09 Boško
sam na bankomatu (S. Babović)
Zmija duga
skoro dva metra, za koju su svi listom pomislili da je u pitanju piton, u petak
je tačno u 2.20 nađena kako se izležava na bankomatu višespratnice u
Ulici 7. juli u centru Niša! U punoj „ratnoj“ spremi, ali sa dosta neverice, na
licu mesta izašli su vatrogasci, koji su prethodno dobro proverili da li zmija,
kako su nam kasnije ispričali u šali, može ili ne može da provuče
svoju karticu i podigne s bankomata koji dinar. Stanari višespratnice u Ulici
7. juli ne mogu da veruju da je kod njih pronađena zmija, a osim da se u
njihovoj zgradi čuvaju psi, ne znaju za kakvog egzotičnijeg
ljubitelja opasnih gmizavaca.
Kada su nam
javili za zmiju, pomislili smo da je u pitanju šala, ali smo uzvratili poziv u
uverili se da piton stvarno visi sa bankomata - priča Nenad Ristić,
komandir Odeljenja za spasavanje Vatrogasne brigade Niš. - Stigli smo do Ulice
7. juli i kada je ekipa ugledala da nije u pitanju obična „naša“ zmija,
već da ima dosta šara, dali smo se u hvatanje. Uz pomoć lopata uspeli
smo da je savladamo i „uselimo“ u kofu. Preneli smo je u Vatrogasni dom i
brinemo o njoj. Dešavalo nam se da tokom leta često hvatamo smukove ili
druge zmije, ali prvi put - pitona.
Vredni
vatrogasci su odmah ceo slučaj prijavili policiji, koja se već u toku
noći dala u potragu za eventulanim vlasnikom. Potraga po obližnjem
komšiluku nije dala rezultate ni kada je osvanulo jutro. Piton ili ne, u
Vatrogasnom domu, prava zabava:vatrogasci svi oko svog gosta, stavljaju ga oko
vrata i šale se sa njim. Kako pričaju unapred žale što će ih njihov
novi drug napustiti. Policija je u međuvremenu kontaktirala sa Zoološkim
vrtom u Jagodini, jer se razmišljalo o mogućoj primopredaji zmije u toku
dana.
Mi smo spremni
da udomimo niškog pitona - kaže za „Novosti“ Vladimir Jovanović,
poslovođa jagodinskog Zoološkog vrta. - U našem vrtu imao bi i društvo
svoje vrste.
Pobegao Sa
Terase
Dok je cela
javnost bila spremna da prihvati odbeglu zmiju, u petak po podne se pojavio i
njen vlasnik.
Goran
Nikolić odmah je razrešio sve dileme i rekao da njegov ljubimac Boško nije
piton nego boa i da je najverovatnije pobegao sa terase stana gde je
obično izlazio da se sunča.
U kući
nisu primetili, kako se moglo čuti, da je zmija nestala, pa su se dali u potragu
za boom tek kad su čuli preko televizije da su vatrogasci uhvatili zmiju
na bankomatu zgrade u kojoj i sami stanuju.
Nikolić
bi, prema rečima predstavnika komunalnih službi u gradskoj opštini
Medijana, na čijoj je teritoriji zmija nađena, mogao da bude
prekršajno kažnjen za nesavesno čuvanje kućnog ljubimca. Rukovodilac
službe za pravne i komunalne poslove u toj opštini Saša Markišić, rekao je
Tanjugu da se u prekršajnom postupku za nesavesno čuvanje životinja može
izreći kazna do 10.000 dinara.
Konsultacije
Žarko
Petrović, poznati niški čuvar egzotičnih životinja, pozvan je na
konsultaciju u Vatrogasni dom. Za „Novosti“
je odmah rekao da je u pitanju boa a ne piton.
EL HERALDO (Atlántico, Colombia) 21 August
09 Mapaná
muerde a niño de 8 años
Una serpiente venenosa de un metro y medio de longitud mordió ayer el
tobillo izquierdo de un niño de ocho años, residente de Tubará.
El menor estuvo en riesgo de muerte debido a la gravedad de la herida,
sin embargo, sobrevivió gracias a la oportuna actuación de la red de urgencias
del Atlántico.
La especie que lo atacó fue una mapaná adulta, que luego atrapó la
comunidad.
La Secretaría de Salud Departamental trasladó al menor del puesto de
atención de baja complejidad de Tubará al Hospital Niño Jesús en Barranquilla,
centro regional de atención de este tipo de accidentes, denominados ofídicos.
En el Atlántico unas 100 personas son víctimas de mordeduras cada año.
El 95% alcanzan a ser atendidos por los especialistas del Niño Jesús.
El equipo médico de la institución informó que el niño llegó en pésimas
condiciones de salud, por causa de los efectos de la toxina que le inyectó el
animal de una sola, fuerte y certera clavada de sus colmillos. Por la alta
gravedad de la mordedura fue necesario iniciar inmediatamente el manejo
protocolario.
Aunque el diagnóstico fue de alto riesgo, el estado de salud menor pudo
ser recuperado por los médicos. Está estable, y su pronóstico es positivo.
En el país. Los casos de Atlántico representan un 25% del total que se
presentan anualmente en Colombia, de acuerdo con el Niño Jesús.
El país es hábitat natural de cerca de 230 especies de serpientes, de
las cuales un 15% son venenosas.
Estas producen alrededor de 400 accidentes anuales. La mortalidad es del
2,5%, es decir que causan la muerte de entre 20 a 50 víctimas de mordeduras
cada año.
Cerca del 90% de los ataques los producen las serpientes del género
Bothrops, especialmente la especie B atrox, nombre científico de la mapaná que
mordió al niño de Tubará. Le siguen las verrugosas, las surucucús, las corales
y las cascabel.
De acuerdo con los médicos del Hospital, se calcula que la toxicidad del
veneno que inoculan las serpientes provoca unas 25 mil muertes cada año
alrededor del mundo.
http://www.elheraldo.com.co/ELHERALDO/BancoConocimiento/0/0mapana/0mapana.asp?CodSeccion=48
DAILY NEWS (Kamloops, British Columbia) 20
August 09 Snakebite! Boy struck by rattler
near Batchelor (Jason Hewlett)
Kamloops: Hikers in Batchelor Heights are warned to
watch their step after a teenage boy was bitten by a rattlesnake while walking
a trail Wednesday morning — the first such attack in at least five years.
“It’s always a
case of looking where you walk. They are there,” said Eric Villeneuve, the
boy’s father.
The
Villeneuves often walk behind Batchelor Heights and had not encountered snakes
before despite the area being a known habitat for rattlers.
His wife,
Hilary, and son, Dominic, 13, left their Westsyde home at about 8 a.m. with the
family dog. An hour later Dominic was en route to Royal Inland Hospital in the
back of an ambulance.
Villeneuve
said Hilary and Dominic were trudging along a narrow trail when the snake
struck.
“Dominic
stepped near a bush, almost on the snake,” he said. “The snake got a bit ticked
off.”
Dominic heard
a rattle at the same time he felt a sharp pain in his left ankle and the sound
continued after the bite. Hilary kept the dog away from the snake as Dominic
fled to safety.
Mother and son
rushed back to their vehicle and drove to the nearest phone. The 7-Eleven on
Eighth Street was a shorter drive than heading home.
“My wife
didn’t have her cellphone,” Villeneuve said.
Paramedics met
the Villeneuves at the convenience store and took Dominic to the hospital.
Villeneuve was
told the rattler is a junior snake. He said the bite marks are five millimeters
apart. Bruising had started around the wound by Wednesday afternoon.
Dr. Jennifer
Oakes specializes in emergency medicine and medical toxicology. She said the
snake injected Dominic with a small amount of venom, but not enough to require
an antivenin.
She said the
snake might have eaten recently, which would explain why Dominic didn’t receive
more poison.
The boy was
kept in the emergency room through the day for observation while the venom
worked through his system. Villeneuve said Dominic was in some pain and felt
chilled.
Oakes said
rattlesnake venom breaks down skin tissue and causes bruising, blistering and
bleeding. The venom works quickly and, if symptoms don’t occur within six
hours, they likely won’t occur at all.
Rattlesnake
bites are rare in Kamloops. Oakes only knows of one other incident in at least
five years. Conservation officer Steve Waslick said Wednesday’s attack is the
first he’s heard of in the area.
“It happens so
seldom. I don’t have much experience with it,” he said.
Rattlesnakes
are not aggressive by nature and only strike out of fear. But Waslick said
there is little that people can do to avoid being bitten except listen for the
rattle and watch where they walk.
“You have to
be cautious. If it looks like a stick, don’t step on it,” said Waslick.
Villeneuve
said his family will take extra care when going for hikes. And his wife will
always take her cellphone with her.
Dominic was
home Wednesday night.
http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20090820/KAMLOOPS0101/308209974/-1/kamloops/snakebite
MIAMI HERALD (Florida) 20 August 09 Cable
worker bitten by venomous snake outside Hollywood home (Alexia Campbell, South
Florida Sun Sentinel)
Hollywood: A green snake in a tree bit a cable worker
this morning, sending him to the hospital with a swollen arm, authorities said.
The Comcast
employee was working outside a home on the 2300 block of Taylor Street about
9:30 a.m. when the snake struck, Hollywood Fire Rescue Division Chief Mark
Steele said.
A Venom
Response Unit from Miami-Dade is trying to figure out the snake's species
before using antivenin, Steele said. The victim said the reptile was green on
top and yellow on the bottom but couldn't recognize it in magazine photos shown
to him.
Firefighters
suspect it could be an exotic species, Steele said. They are checking to see if
anyone in the neighborhood has a permit to keep an exotic reptile in their
home.
The cable
worker is being monitored at Memorial Regional Hospital while firefighters try
to identify the snake.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1194729.html
BERNAMA (Malaysia) 20 August 09 New Species
Of Rattle Snake Discovered In Vietnam's Cao Bang Province
Hanoi: Russian and Vietnamese scientists have
announced their discovery of a new species of rattle-snake, which belongs to Protobothrops family, in the Trung Khanh
Nature Reserve in the north-western province of Cao Bang, the Vietnam news
agency reported Thursday.
Nguyen Thien
Tao, who is in charge of amphibians and reptiles at the Vietnam Nature Museum,
said this is the fourth species of rattle-snake of the Protobothrops family identified in Vietnam.
The three
others are Protobothrops cornutus, P.jerdonii and P. mucrosquamatus.
The new
species of rattle-snake is named Protobothrops
trungkhanhensis Orlov, Ryabov, an endemic species found in only the Trung
Khanh Nature Reserve in Cao Bang, Vietnam.
The snake is
only 733mm in length, quite small compared to other Protobothrops species, with a small triangle-shaped head and small
scales.
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=434624
NORTHERN RIVERS ECHO (Lismore, Australia)
20 August 09 Ssnake sseason starts
WIRES reptile
co-ordinator Michael McGrath has had a busy couple of weeks. The unseasonally
warm weather has brought the snakes out and Michael has been moving them out of
the way of the nervous humans.
“Snakes don’t
hibernate like a lot of people think. They brumate,” Michael said. “So they
don’t go to sleep like a bear, they just go into a really slow state where they
don’t move or do very much. But if it’s a nice sunny day they sunbake a bit and
take advantage of it.
“They are out
as soon as the sun is out.”
Michael was
very clear on what you should do if you see a snake.
“Just leave it
alone... By trying to kill it or pick it up you are putting yourself at risk.
If you try to pick it up or kill it, that’s when things go wrong. Something
like 90% of bites are from people doing silly things.
“If somebody
finds a large brown snake, it might have lived there for the last 10 years.
Snakes view us as predators and try to keep out of our way, so if you leave it
alone, you might not see it again.”
Michael said
when he moves a snake it is generally within a kilometre of where it was found
because they are territorial.
“They have a
range, depending on the type of snake and the availability of food. Pythons
will go from one roof, clean up the rats and then move onto another,” he said.
“They live amongst us, all throughout suburbia and they are very good at
hiding. They want to stay out of our way and hopefully if you do see one, it
will go one way and you go the other and you don’t see each other again.” But
he said there are some general tips that will reduce the likelihood of running
into a snake around your house. That includes clearing up rubbish, keeping the
grass cut short and not leaving pet food and water bowls lying around. The smell
of animal bedding can also attract them.
“Make sure you
don’t have anything that attracts rats and mice – that will make it less
attractive for them.”
WIRES will be
running a rescue and immediate care course on September 12 and 13. For more information phone
6628 1898.
http://www.echonews.com/index.php?page=News%20Article&article=27476&issue=422
GRAYSLAKE REVIEW (Illinois) 20 August 09 Fox
snakes get new winter home (John Roszkowski)
For years, the
basement and crawl space of a yellow house between Gurnee and Lindenhurst has
been the winter hibernating place for a large den of western fox snakes. In
fact, it is believed to be the largest known population of western fox snakes
in Lake County.
But the old
"fox snake house" on Grand Avenue just west of Route 45 will soon be
torn down and the snakes will have to find a new warm place to stay if they're
to survive the harsh winter months.
The Lake
County Forest Preserve District is building the snakes a new home for the
winter by installing a man-made over-wintering site, or hibernaculum, in the
nearby Fourth Lake Forest Preserve near Lindenhurst.
"This is
a man-made structure to hopefully replace the over-wintering site they were
using, which was in the basement of an old house," said Allison Frederick,
environmental communications specialist for the Lake County Forest Preserve.
Forest
preserve construction crews starting building the hibernaculum last week using
large concrete cylinders at an excavated site in the Fourth Lake preserve.
Logs, branches, old cinder blocks and dirt from the old house will be used to
create an artificial nesting environment conducive to the fox snakes.
Michael Corn,
professor emeritus of biology at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, has
been studying the western fox snake for the past 12 years. He said construction
of the hibernaculum is an effort to save the snakes, many of which would not
survive the winter without a warm place to hibernate.
The tenants
and owner of the old house had allowed the snakes to nest in the dirt basement
and crawl space for many years and allowed Corn to conduct his research on the
snakes. Since 1996, more than 300 individual fox snakes have been captured,
marked and released from the basement of the house. However, the tenants have
recently moved out of the house and the owner has sold the property to a
developer.
"Working
with Dr. Corn at CLC, we found a new site nearby which is suitable for a new
den area," Frederick said. "That site is at the Fourth Lake
preserve."
Corn said the
snakes spend about half the year searching for food in the marshy areas of the
Fourth Lake preserve and then must find a place to hibernate during the colder
months of the year.
While the
western fox snake is not considered a threatened or endangered species in
Illinois, Corn said evidence suggests their population in northeastern Illinois
is declining.
"These
snakes are an important part of the ecosystem," Corn said. "They're
important predators of small rodents. We don't know what would happen if they
were to disappear."
Corn and Rob
Carmichael of the Wildlife Discovery Center in Lake Forest captured some of the
snakes during this past winter and spring. More of the snakes will be captured
as they attempt to return to the old house this fall, and the snakes will
eventually be released at the new artificial hibernaculum at the Fourth Lake
preserve.
Corn said one
thing he doesn't know for sure yet is whether the snakes will return to their
new home in future winters.
"If we
can get them to go the new hibernaculum, they will have a place to go for the
winter," he said.
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/grayslake/news/1722519,lake-county-foxsnakes-082009-s1.article
DESERT SUN (Palm Springs, California) 20 August
09 11-foot
Python reunited with owner
An 11-foot-long,
50-pound Burmese python captured after it escaped from its cage and slithered
onto a Lake Elsinore family's lawn -- to their shock and surprise -- was
reunited today with its owner.
The exotic
reptile, named ``Fran Swallow,'' belongs to a long-distance trucker who had
left the creature in his brother's care while he went on the road, according to
John Welsh of the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.
Four animal
control officers took the snake from the Riverside animal shelter to its
owner's Lake Elsinore residence this morning, Welsh said.
The holding
case from which Fran Swallow escaped was inspected and determined to be secure,
making it unlikely the snake will get out again, according to Welsh.
``We're happy
the python is now home where its owner pampers and loves his snake,'' Welsh
said.
The trucker's
residence is adjacent to the home where the python was spotted Sunday night.
The snake
likely got out of its holding case and slithered up to a second-story window,
punching through a screen ``to perform his ... escape,'' Welsh said.
Francisco
Delgadillo, 43, who lives in the neighborhood off of Highway 74 near Lake
Elsinore where the snake turned up, was talking with his sister around 8:20
p.m. Sunday when they saw the reptile making its way across his front yard.
``I was
thinking, `Oh my God, that's a huge snake,''' Delgadillo said. ``Our whole yard
is fenced, so I'm not sure how it got into my property. Maybe it came down from
one of the trees.''
Delgadillo
called 911, and animal control officers Christina Avila and Dylan Gates
responded.
According to
Welsh, it took the combined strength of both officers to heave the python into
the animal control truck.
The snake is
native to Southeast Asia and legal to own in California, according to the Department
of Animal Services.
SOUTH MANCHESTER REPORTER (UK) 20
August 09 The snake that gave Crocodile Joe the slip
Crocodile Joe
might be used to grappling huge crocs, but he was given the slip by a sneaky
snake.
The reptile
expert was called to a private hospital in Whalley Range when staff noticed a
5ft long slippery creature lying on the front of a patient’s car.
But despite
some smooth talking and a bit of gentle coaxing, the reptile sneaked through a
gap and into an inaccessible part of the engine.
And while the
sight of a snake at the Spire Hospital – formerly BUPA – on Russell Road, might
have been a shock to staff and patients, action man Joe took it all in his
stride.
The
conservationist, whose real name is Joe McQuade, has spent 11 years tackling
crocodiles up to 16 ft long in Australia, and was due to make a documentary
with the country’s own ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin before his death three
years ago.
Joe, 40,
thinks the rusty-coloured reptile was a non-venomous corn snake, that is native
to America.
"It was
quite a small little thing really," he said. "I reckon it was
someone’s pet that escaped and just wanted a bit of warmth from the engine.
"But when
I got there the devious little blighter had gone through a hole into the engine
and you’d have to be a mechanic to get it out again."
He added:
"They can bite but they’re not dangerous. I felt sorry for the elderly
couple whose car it was.
"They
were waiting while we tried to coax it out and in the end they decided that it
was best to take it to a garage as soon as possible rather than waiting for a
mechanic to come out."
The
dad-of-two, who lives on Old Road, Blackley, is doing tour of schools, called
Crocodile Joe’s Wild World Tour, teaching children about conservation.
He said:
"I’ve tackled huge crocs but this little snake gave me the slip!"
Joe was called
by staff at the Spire Hospital after the RSPCA recommended him, saying that
they didn’t have a reptile expert of their own on duty.
Before he got
there, staff, including receptionist, Andrew Barr, had tried to wrap the snake
round a wooden pole. Andrew, 20, said:
"I think it must have been a bit scared as it just scarpered back into the
engine. It was quite bizarre really."
Do you know
the couple whose car the snake took a liking to? Or do you know the mechanic
they took it to? If so call our newsdesk
on 0161 446 2213.
http://www.southmanchesterreporter.co.uk/news/s/1132743_the_snake_that_gave_crocodile_joe_the_slip
TIMES OF INDIA (New Delhi) 20 August 09 Stray
ghariyal sent for rehabilitation
Lucknow: A crocodile rescued from outskirts of city
was handed over to ghariyal rehabilitation centre at Kukrail on Wednesday. The
semi-adult female crocodile has already been put in isolation at the centre to
come to terms with its new surroundings. The isolation will continue for about
10 days.
The forest
team had rescued the four-year-old from a village under Gudamba police station.
This is the first crocodile spotting and rescue from a residential area this
season. "We got active as soon as we got to know of the spotting,"
said Ashok Mishra, DFO, Awadh.
Crocodile
spottings in human habitation is a common feature during monsoons. More so because
waterways get inter-connected and reptiles move with the flow of water. Past is
replete with incidents where reptiles have slunk through interconnected water
bodies into ponds and nallahs in residential places.
But, incidence
of spottings has increased lately. In 2008, rehabilitation centre received 11
rescued crocodiles whereas in 2007, it received three such creatures. The
centre too has its limits and can not keep more than 10 crocodiles at any time
because it is a facility meant for ghariyals. Moreover, the centre also does
not allow breeding of crocodiles.
"Releasing
the rescued creatures in the wild is the only option," said Eva Sharma,
conservator, endangered species division. Last time, the centre had released
the rescued crocodiles into Katarniaghat.
The reptiles
recede to their original shelters with the ebbing of monsoon water. But, do
they have much of these original shelters left? Ponds are getting lost to
residential encroachments. The river coarses getting diverted and their
tributaries almost losing existence. Crocodile is a schedule (I) species and is
critically endangered.
There is much
need to generate water corridors to allow these reptiles free space. The same
could be done by opening up of blocked nallahs and river courses, said a
retired forest official.
These outlets
are well-acquainted habitats of crocodiles who have always been there. The
experts who have been involved with wildlife conservation in the state said
that crocodiles like to be left alone and hence it is always advisable for
humans not to disturb them lest they should embark on an attack.
The concept of
wildlife conservation has human tolerance and understanding at its centre.
"Every creature coming close to human settlement does not deserve to be
put at a rehabilitation centre," said an official.
SALISBURY JOURNAL (UK) 20 August 09 Spotlight
is turned on the great crested newt (Therasa Paul)
Where are all
our great crested newts?
The truth is,
we are not exactly sure, but we will soon have a much clearer idea thanks to a
new project, which aims to identify the ponds in Hampshire most likely to
support populations of this species.
The Hampshire
and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust's Biodiversity Information Team, in
conjunction with Hampshire's Amphibian and Reptile Group (HARG), is currently
working on the project and together they have already started filtering through
more than 400 records held on the HARG species database.
Mapping and
habitat information will be used to validate and establish grid references for
each record.
Some records
date back to the 1980s and there is no certainty the newts or the ponds are
still there, so ponds will be identified from this process for further
investigation.
The results of
this process will then be incorporated into the rolling programme of pond
surveys which is undertaken by HARG each spring and summer.
The
information gathered will help local authorities, Natural England and the
Environment Agency with their strategic planning and decisions on development
control.
It will also
enable the Trust and others to direct resources to conserve the species and
habitats.
Hampshire's
great crested newts are legally protected and recognised as a UK and Hampshire
Biodiversity Action Plan priority species.
The new
research project is funded by the Environment Agency. If anyone can help
provide information on any great crested newt ponds or would like to help with
this project please contact Jane Somerville at the Wildlife Trust on 01489
774400 or look at www.hwt.org.uk
KSFX (Springfield, Missouri) 20 August
09 Effort
Underway to Save Ozarks Salamander (Brian Richardson)
Branson,
MO: The Missouri Department of
Conservation is hell bent on saving a unique species. It's hatched a plan to rescue dwindling
salamander numbers.
KOLR/KSFX got
an exclusive look at a unique program designed to bring balance to the
ecosystem while improving the quality of life in the Ozarks.
While the
squirmy salamanders may look scary and strange, they're considered to be the
last of a dying species.
"There's
very few of them left in the wild," explains James Civiello with the
Missouri Department of Conservation.
Since the
1970's, nearly 80 percent of all Eastern and Ozark Hellbenders have disappeared
from area spring-fed rivers.
"We
didn't know a whole lot about their reproductive habits, where they go,"
explains Civiello.
This scare
prompted the Conservation Department to take a dip into saving the endangered
species. Herpetologists caught
Hellbender eggs and brought them to the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery. Over the last two years, they've managed to
raise nearly 400 of the amphibians.
The
Conservation Department hopes to release the juveniles over the next year, not
only making a splash in the Hellbender population, but getting a true indicator
of the water quality in the Ozarks.
"You've
got to figure the Hellbender is the canary in the cage in the cave," says
Civiello.
Conservationists
believe a decrease in water quality is partly to blame for the decrease in
numbers.
Civiello says,
"It's just one of those animals that's just an integral part of the the
ecosystem."
But with
better education and a little help, the Hellbender can dig itself off the
endangered species list and take it's rightful spot in the depths of Ozark
rivers.
The
Conservation Department will tag all of the juveniles it releases into the
wild. Conservationists hope this will
allow them to unravel the mysteries behind the Hellbender and why it's been
disappearing.
Hatchery
managers say because these amphibians are so delicate, it will not open up its
project to the public. But they do ask
that anyone who finds a Hellbender contact Jeff Briggler at (573) 522-4115 ext.
3201 or email him at jeff.briggler@mdc.mo.gov.
http://ozarksfirst.com/content/fulltext/?cid=178091
GLADSTONE OBSERVER (Australia)
20 August 09 Dead giant turtle found on shore (Nathan
Paull)
Barney Point
Beach had a peculiar visitor yesterday.
A giant turtle
washed up on the shore near the corner of Prince Regent Esplanade and Young
Street.
However,
marine ranger Darren Shearer from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service said
there was nothing fishy about the beached reptile's demise.
“It is a
normal occurrence to find a small number of marine wildlife washed up on
beaches that may have died as a result of natural causes,” he said.
Mr Shearer
said the department of resource management records marine animals' deaths when
alerted by the public.
“Anyone
finding stranded, or even dead, dolphins, whales, turtles, seabirds or other
marine wildlife, are asked to call DERM's established hotline to report marine
strandings,” he said.
By calling the
hotline, on 1300 130 372, DERM is able to update its StrandNet database.
StrandNet
shows when marine animal deaths occur due to human causes, helping DERM raise
community awareness if a problem continues.
The go-slow
zones in Moreton Bay and dugong protection areas along the eastern Queensland
coastline are two changes introduced to reduce boat strike and netting as
sources of injury and mortality.
Both
initiatives were implemented due to StrandNet recordings.
http://www.gladstoneobserver.com.au/story/2009/08/20/dead-giant-turtle-found-on-shore/
EXPRESS NEWS (India) 20 August 09 Entwined
snakes hold up traffic
Chennai: Two entwined snakes drew a horde of onlookers, halted peak hour traffic
on a busy road in the bustling Ambattur Industrial Estate for about an hour and
triggered a bout of panic among the local residents, bringing in the fire
service personnel to the scene, before slithering into oblivion.
It was about
5.20 pm on Wednesday, when some residents on First Main Road noticed a stir in
bushes on side of the road. “On a closer look we saw two entwined snakes with
raised hoods,” said Shankar, a resident of an apartment overlooking the
bushes. As the snakes continued to roll
about together, pedestrians stopped to have a look, and the number of curious
onlookers swelled. Spotting the throng
of people on the roadside, motorists parked their vehicles and joined the
crowd.
Suddenly a
flutter passed through the silent group of spectators when someone in the crowd
took out his camera mobile phone to record the scene. It led to more mobile
phones switched into the camera mode, each focussing on the bonded snakes.
But when the
snakes suddenly went out of the focus of the mobile phone cameras, slithering
into the bushes, it was the turn of the residents around to raise an alarm. The
nervous residents called up the fire service. They wanted the snakes to be
caught and taken away from the locality, so that they could sleep in
peace. Without any delay a team of fire
and rescue service personnel arrived at the spot from Ambattur and combed the
entire region, including a small canal that passed through the bushes. “We came
here based on a phone call saying that there were two poisonous snakes around.
We couldn’t find any snakes, though we thoroughly combed the region.” said an
official with fire force.
Once the fire
force gave up on its search mission, the crowd started to disburse and traffic
returned to normal.