HERP NEWS 250/2009
CTV (Winnipeg, Manitoba) 07 September
09 Turtle
thought to be extinct spotted in Burma
Bangkok
(AP): The rare Arakan forest turtle,
once though to be extinct, has been rediscovered in a remote forest in Burma,
boosting chances of saving the reptile after hunting almost destroyed its
population, researchers said Monday.
Texas
researcher Steven Platt and staff from the New York-based Wildlife Conservation
Society discovered five of the brown-and-tan-spotted turtles in May during a
survey of wildlife in the Rakhine Yoma Elephant Sanctuary.
The sanctuary
contains thick stands of impenetrable bamboo forests, with the only trails made
by the park's elephants, said Platt, of Sul Ross State University in Alpine,
Texas.
Plat said he
and his team were able to reach the area only by small boat and endured
round-the-clock torrential rains and bands of leeches before finding their
first Arakan turtle on May 31.
"At this
moment, all of the physical hardships of the trip were forgotten," Platt
said in an e-mail interview.
Native to the
Arakan hills of western Burma, the turtles were believed extinct for close to a
century until they started turning up in Asian food markets in the mid-1990s.
The local name
for the turtle is "Pyant Cheezar," which translates to "turtle
that eats rhinoceros feces." Sumatran rhinos were once found in the area,
but vanished half a century ago due to hunting.
Scientists
blame the near-disappearance of the turtle on their popularity in Asia as an
ingredient in cooking and medicine. Known by its scientific name, Heosemys depressa, it is listed as
critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources and has proven difficult to breed in captivity.
The discovery
in May makes scientists hopeful that the species can survive.
"Throughout
Asia, turtles are being wiped out by poachers for the illegal wildlife
trade," Colin Poole, the Wildlife Conservation Society's director of Asia
programs, said in a statement. "We are delighted and astonished that this extremely
rare species is alive and well in (Burma). Now we must do what we can to
protect the remaining population."
Douglas B.
Hendrie, a freshwater turtle expert from Education for Nature-Vietnam who did
not take part in the research, said he was not surprised by the discovery
because he had heard anecdotes of hunters and guides finding the turtle.
"That
said, I think it is good to bring attention to the species," Hendrie said
in an e-mail interview, adding that it is an "an important part of
furthering the aims of conservation."
Platt and the
conservation society recommend that guard posts be set up on roads leading in
and out of the park to thwart poaching and that additional data be collected on
the species to develop a conservation plan for it.
EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE (Phoenix,
Arizona) 07 September 09 Tortoises thrive in school habitat
(Michelle Reese)
At Mesa’s
Zaharis Elementary School, the tortoise is beating the hare, at least in one
race.
In the last
three weeks, 55 miniature versions of the prehistoric-like creatures have
popped up from the ground in the school’s 5-year-old desert habitat where the
tortoises and jackrabbits reside.
That’s nearly
six dozen tiny, egg-size creatures.
Just 30
minutes before the Tribune visited on Thursday, the newest addition made
its appearance. While many of its relatives lounged lazily in a large orange
bucket in the front office, this tiny one had private quarters — in the
school’s health office.
The largest
batch came after the first week of school.
“Thirty one
babies came out of the ground,” principal Mike Oliver said in August. “In the
incubator we’ve had no more than 20-something. A couple of weeks ago, eight
popped up.”
The habitat
came about shortly after the school was built. Oliver had a friend looking for
a new home for two tortoises — then about 20 and 15 years old. In the center of
the school was an atrium-like space, with an open ceiling and desert plants.
The plan was
put in place for the tortoises to move in. Since then, it’s grown.
At about the
same time, Conner Zimmerman, a fifth-grader at Zaharis, was killed in an
automobile accident. Oliver asked the family if the habitat could be named in
Conner’s memory. A photo of the bright, smiling, blond boy in a baseball cap
hangs over a window looking into the habitat.
“His dad said,
'Conner ... would think that was cool,’” Oliver said.
Through
multiple years of breeding, there are now several tortoises that call Zaharis
home. Not all have stayed at the school. Just like with the latest batch of
babies, several families have adopted them.
Even with this
large group, “there is more of a demand than a supply,” Oliver said.
The babies
will be sold to families of students and staff at Zaharis and the proceeds will
go to fund a scholarship in Conner’s name.
The students
take turns caring for the habitat. Different classes go there a few times a
week to feed donated produce to the creatures. The habitat itself has been the
site of several Eagle Scout projects — from sprucing up the facilities to the
building of shade huts for the animals.
On Thursday, a
group of sixth-graders cared for the animals.
“I think it’s
awesome,” said first-time caregiver Isabelle Moccia, 11. “The experience you
get to be up close to them. They’re so cute.”
Amanda Dabbs,
11, said her family came to the school during the summer to care for the
animals in the habitat.
“I think
they’re really interesting,” she said. “Usually people would get desert
tortoises, but we’ve got African Sulcatas. They’re interesting to look at
because they’re so big.”
African
Sulcatas are the second largest tortoise family. The giant tortoises of the
Galapagos Islands are the largest. They can reach 2 1/2 feet long and weigh 80
to 100 pounds
The students
have named the largest of the tortoises: Rafiki, is a 25-year-old male; Habari
and Piki Piki are the largest females.
“You wouldn’t
think they have their own personalities, but they do,” Kelsie Trzcinski , 11,
said. “They don’t just eat when it’s feeding time. They have to be hungry. They
really like to stay in the shade.”
As for the
babies, “my favorite part is they’re really tiny, so you can hold them in your
hand,” Trzcinski said.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/144066
WOOD (Grand Rapids, Michigan) 07 September
09 Woman
wakes up to 5-foot snake on arm
Shawnee, Okla.
(NBC): A Shawnee, Okla. woman got an
early start Wednesday morning when a non-venomous snake measuring close to six
feet began slithering up her arm as she slept at her rural home.
Tori Schimmel,
whose husband was sleeping next to her, said at first she thought the serpent,
which appears to be a rat snake, was a mouse because the family has had trouble
with them before.
"I just
had back surgery, so I was sleeping on my stomach with my arm hanging down near
the ground," she said. "I just remember I felt something really cold
and kind of flung my arm. It was just freezing cold."
Schimmel said
the snake took cover under a pillow and coiled up at around 5 a.m.
She also said
it released some anti-predator odor, causing the couple's bedroom to stink like
"a cross between a skunk and urine."
"When I
first told my husband, he thought I was hallucinating because of the pain
medication I'm taking," she said.
Schimmel said
she's not sure how the snake found its way into the house. It could have come
in through a drainage pipe that leads to the creek or slithered in through an
open door, she said.
"I also
think it could've been in here for a while," she said. "We've been
finding little poops all around the house for about a month, and I've heard
snake poop looks just like a mouse's."
The snake,
which measured right at 5.5 feet, was killed by Schimmel's husband using a
shovel because they weren't sure if it was venomous and the couple's children,
ages 9 and 13, were both sleeping in the house at the time.
Already not a
snake person, Schimmel said the experience hasn't made her more comfortable
with the reptiles.
"To me,
the only good snake is a dead snake," she said. "I told my husband,
either pack me up and move me out of here -- or get me a bunk bed or
something."
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/national/Woman_wakes_up_to_5_foot_snake_on_arm
EVENING TELEGRAPH (Peterborough, UK) 07
September 09 Endangered newts to get a new home
Plans have
been unveiled to build a new pond to rehome a small colony of rare newts living
in a development site in Peterborough.
An application
has been submitted to planning bosses at Peterborough City Council for a great
crested newt mitigation pond in Orton Longueville so the reptile can be moved
and a housing development go ahead.
These newts
are rare and in decline, with both the reptiles and their habitats protected by
law, and before work on five new homes at the former Huntly Lodge School site
can begin, the pond needs to be built.
A meeting held
between David Wilson Homes, planning officers, a wildlife officer and
representatives from Ecological Consultants found the most appropriate option
would be to move the lizards found on the site into a second pond.
Spokesman for
the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, which is based in Hampton,
Peterborough, Jules Howard said: "Because there are great crested newts on
the land, it was important the developer was aware and didn't do anything that
was going to negatively affect the newts.
"And the
developer has agreed to build a new pond which will sit alongside the current
one, providing a nice corridor for the newts.
"Great
crested newts and other amphibians really like a network of ponds, which stops
them getting isolated and encourages them to breed."
Wildlife
officer for Peterborough City Council Brian Armstrong added: "Nationally,
great crested newts are quite rare, but with the clay geology area of
Peterborough, there are lots of suitable areas for them to live.
"When
developing new homes it is important developers take nature conservation into
account to ensure we don't lose all of our wildlife."
It is not the
first time that Peterborough landowners have fallen foul of the newts.
Land-owner
Hanson had the misfortune of finding one of Europe's single biggest colony of
great crested newts inhabiting in its development site in Hampton before work
began on 8,000 homes in 1996.
It cost £3
million to rehouse 30,000 newts in a nature reserve close-by.
http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Endangered-newts-to-get-a.5621838.jp
KING (Seattle, Washington) 07 September
09 Gator
found in Clark Co. creek needs a home (Wayne Havrelly)
Vancouver,
Wash.: An alligator that should have
been living in Florida, was found in a Clark County creek and now needs a home.
Officials at
the Humane Society of Southwest Washington are trying to make it comfortable
and find a home.
"We're
not set up for an alligator," said Executive Director Chuck Tourtillott.
"We do have him comfortable for right now and we're going to look at every
option to see what's in his best interest."
On Thursday
Clark County animal control experts were called to Salmon Creek where a large
crowd watched the 2 foot gator from a bridge.
It was basking
in the sun and eating local frogs. Someone likely released the 4-month-old
gator into the creek after it grew too large to handle as a pet.
The gator was
taken to the brand new Humane Society shelter in East Vancouver. It opened just
a few weeks ago and has been taking in a record number of dogs and cats. An
alligator was not part of the plan, but workers are doing their best to make
the powerful reptile comfortable.
"We've
been feeding him goldfish and he seems to like that. Hopefully we can get him
to a more appropriate facility later this week," said Tourtillott.
He adds that
exotic animals don't make good pets and there are many great potential pets at
the shelter. If you're looking for a new pet there are hundreds of dogs and
cats to choose from.
Humane Society
officials are hopeful a local zoo or reptile rescue facility will take in the
misplaced gator.
The average
adult alligator is 13 feet long and weighs 800 pounds.
http://www.king5.com/animals/news/stories/NW_090709WAB-clark-county-gator-TP.1596d9ffe.html?rss
NEWS-JOURNAL (Daytona Beach, Florida) 07 September
09 Childhood
fear turns to passion for snake breeder (Kelly Cuculiansky)
New Smyrna
Beach: It's another sweaty summer day
and even a few of Eugene Lemire's snakes need cooling down.
While most
people have furry friends, Lemire, 50, a breeder and hobbyist, tends to about
150 snakes. On this particular Monday, a handful of them are getting a soak in
the yard outside his apartment.
Slipping a
yellow-headed Woma python into a tray of water, Lemire speaks to the snake, a
species native to the desert tundra in Australia and worth more than $1,200.
"There
you go buddy, have a little chill-out," he says as a photographer takes
pictures. "He's quite the ham, this one."
That is, until
it strikes.
The python, a
little more than 5 feet long and not venomous, snapped its mouth onto his index
finger. A stream of blood trails down his finger, but to Lemire, a snake owner
for more than 30 years, it's just one more instance to add to the "thousands
of times" he's already been bitten.
He presses
down on his finger to make sure there are no teeth left inside and talks to the
snake.
"Why did
you do that?" he asks, "I don't even smell like a rat, silly."
Over the
years, Lemire survived six venomous snakebites, but the risk from bites is
considered small, according to a paper published by the University of Florida
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension. In the U.S., about five
to six deaths a year are due to venomous bites -- a tenth of the number of
fatalities caused by hornet, bee and wasp stings.
"More
people get attacked by dogs than they do by snakes," said Lemire, a tall,
burly man with a flat-top haircut.
According to
the Department of Health, about 17,000 people with nonfatal dog bites were
admitted to hospitals in 2007. The department doesn't track snakebites, but
"The Florida Handbook" reports there are 300 to 400 venomous
snakebites annually and few are fatal.
To Lemire,
snakes are just as much a pet as cats and dogs and he's serious about
protecting them and educating people, he said.
Two bumper
stickers on his car state his commitment: "I brake for snakes."
See, Lemire's
the type of guy that will pull over and help native snakes cross a road, unlike
some people he's seen that try to run them down.
Last year, he
watched a motorist on Maytown Road swerve across two lanes to smash a 6-foot
yellow rat snake. Lemire picked it up, bleeding from the mouth, nursed it to
health and a week later, he released it in a rural area.
Unfortunately,
many people continue to have a "not in my backyard" or NIMBY attitude
with snakes, said Steve Johnson, a UF assistant professor of urban wildlife
ecology. But as Florida development encroaches into new areas, snakes are
losing habitat.
"They
just have misperceptions about snakes in general," said Johnson, who said
people continue to see them as slimy and aggressive, which is not true.
"Snakes play an important role in Florida's native ecology. They have an
important link in food webs."
Florida is home
to about 44 species of native snakes. In this part of Central Florida, Johnson
said there are four venomous species and people should learn how to identify
them. They include the coral, pygmy rattlesnake, cottonmouth and eastern
diamondback rattlesnake.
Like many
animals, Johnson pointed out that snakes do try to return to their habitat
after relocation, although he said Lemire is "doing a great service."
"He's
doing people a favor and he's also doing snakes a favor."
If Lemire
finds an exotic snake, he'll pick it up and take it home. He also extends his
public snake service to anyone who needs to find a pet snake a new home.
Local pet
stores, such as Critter's Corner Pet Shop in New Smyrna Beach, even turn to him
when folks call for help identifying or getting a snake out of a house or
garage.
"Most
people can shoo a snake out, but not everybody," said Merlene Wheeler,
manager of Critter's, which does not sell snakes. "I usually refer them to
Gene because he will go and get them and find homes for them."
Lemire wasn't
always into reptiles, though. Back in the third grade, he was terrified of
them.
"My
darling brother, in all his infinite wisdom, let word get around that I was
deathly afraid of snakes," he recalled.
A group of
boys caught a 4-foot black racer and cornered him in the bathroom.
"The only
way I could see out was through them, so I grabbed a hold of the snake and used
it like a whip and beat my way out of there," he said.
The ordeal
changed his life.
"That
snake died because of my ignorance and from that day forward every book I could
find about snakes -- I checked out and read cover to cover," he said.
Now he shares
a nonvenomous snake-breeding business with a partner in Edgewater, who declined
to be interviewed.
They keep the
snakes in a typical car garage -- complete with a family storage fridge, a
washer and dryer. Except in some areas, the secured cages are stacked almost to
the ceiling.
One includes a
female Colombian boa that a friend found extremely emaciated and with parasites
in an abandoned apartment.
In a year with
Lemire, the snake gained twice its weight and now weighs 23 pounds.
Taking them in
is just the start, though. Lemire envisions opening a snake rescue organization
someday.
"Nobody
thinks about the snakes and they're abused as much as any other animal,"
he said. "Somebody's got to stand up for them."
Need Help?
Call snake
activist Eugene Lemire to have a snake picked up and removed from a home or
building for free.
He'll relocate
snakes back to the wild. Exotic snakes will be placed in new homes. You can
reach him at 386-428-2798 or on his cell phone, 386-416-8838.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/newEAST02090709.htm
DAILY TRUST (Abuja, Nigeria) 07 September 09 Group
Condemns Dearth of Anti-Snake Venom (Francis Okeke)
Abuja: A nongovernmental organization called
Snake-bite Monitor Group (SMG) has condemned the dearth of medical healthcare
for snake bite victims across the country.
SMG National
Coordinator Malam Waziri Isa Gwantu said in a statement that the case of
"a 26 year old pregnant woman, Ladi Shedrack in Zamko, Langtang North
Local Government Area of Plateau State, who was forced into labour due to snake
bite induced pain."
"Twenty four hours later, another
9-month old pregnant victim of same fate, Mrs Fatima Dahiru, 25, and a mother
of three gave up the ghost due to lack of free anti-snake venom (ASV) usually
provided by the Federal Government. This brings to 12 the number of deaths
caused by snakes at the Zamko Comprehensive Care Unit in recent months,"
SMG said.
The group said
lack of provision of drugs by government could lead to more deaths "as
about 25 patients are now in the hospital awaiting supply of government's free
drugs."
The statement
also called on the government to come to the aid of these patients, most of
whom are poor farmers and herdsmen, who contribute to the agricultural
development of the nation in their own little ways.
"Since
supply of the free drugs ceased about two or three months ago, a lot of
patients have been finding it difficult to afford the drugs sold at N7, 000 per
vial by the University of Jos Teaching Hospital (UJTH).
"Victims
with minor envenomation require not less than four vials of the ASV which costs
about N28, 000 minus charges of other treatments which could amount to about
N40, 000 for complete treatment while victims with major envenomation require
about N100, 000 for complete treatment," it said, adding that the hospital
admits not less than three snake bite victims daily from Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue
and Bauchi States.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200909070752.html
CAIRNS POST (Australia) 07 September 09 Anger
boils over turtle slaughter (Alita Pashley)
A Cooya Beach
meeting on unauthorised turtle hunting quickly turned to issues of over-fishing
and water quality yesterday.
The meeting
was called after concerns were raised about illegal hunting, possibly by people
from outside the area, and the discovery of a turtle graveyard near Port
Douglas.
Facilitated by
local traditional owner Terry O'Shane, speakers including commercial fishermen,
indigenous tour operators and elders took to the stage to work through issues
and draw up a draft plan for Reef stakeholders.
The traditions
of local people, as well as expectations on tour operators and government
agencies to protect the environment from threats including over- fishing and
water quality, dominated the meeting.
"For
70,000 years we've sustained ourselves and the environment on this land - now
we're seeing species disappearing forever as well as massive environmental and
erosion problems," Mr O'Shane said.
"It's not
from the black fellas hunting, it's because in the '60s and '70s there were
prawn trawlers dragging the ocean until it was bald.
"So if
people want to start talking about traditional hunting they need to be ready
for these discussions."
Although the
elders admitted there were hunters "doing the wrong thing", they said
many pictures circulated in the media had shown traditional owners spearing for
fish or hunting legally for turtle - despite other elders confirming no
permission had been formally sought by obtaining identification.
Historical
elder and former Douglas Shire councillor, George Pitt, said outsiders hunting
in the area had "cast a cloud of shame" over the local indigenous
community, which needed to be dispelled.
Linc Walker,
who runs Kuku Yalanji Cultural Habitat Tours with his two brothers, said the
issue of turtle hunting was raised annually with more discussion needed within
the community.
"There
needs to be more educational meetings," he said.
"There
have been a lot of tensions brewing in the community and we wanted to ease them
today."
http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/09/07/62651_local-news.html
SHIELDS GAZETTE (UK) 07 September 09 A
seagull nicked my pet turtle!
A turtle is
believed to have been snatched from a garden by a seagull.
Terry, a
five-year-old black marsh turtle, had been put under a washing basket while his
tank was being cleaned out.
However, he
was able to break free and, as he wandered around the garden of owner Julie
McCord's home in Kent Place, Harton, South Shields, a gull is suspected of
swooping down and snatching him.
Mrs McCord,
38, said: "I put him under a washing basket every time I clean his tank.
"I've
done this a thousand times before, but this time he managed to move it. We
think a gull has taken him."
Terry was
taken about two weeks ago, and there have been no definite sightings of him
since, despite a search of the area by the family.
However, news
that a turtle may have been spotted in South Marine Park in South Shields has
given the family renewed hope.
"We had
given him up for dead, then we heard there had been a turtle spotted in the
Marine Park," said Mrs McCord.
"We
thought it could be him, but we're not sure a gull could have carried him that
far.
"The park
would be an ideal environment for him, but I'm not sure he could survive the
winter."
Terry is about
7in long, with a black shell. He has a long tail, claws and feet rather than
fins.
A reward is
being offered for the safe return of Terry. Call the Gazette on 427 4849
for details.
http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/A-seagull-nicked-my-pet.5624144.jp
ARUTZ SHEVA (Israel) 07 September 09 New
Arab Incitement: Israelis Train Snakes to Attack (Maayana Miskin)
Palestinian
Authority Arabs have made a variety of accusations against Israel over the
years, from distributing bubble gum that corrupts Muslim youth to attacking
with trained pigs. The latest rumor making the rounds among Arabs in Samaria is
that Israelis are training snakes to attack innocent farmers, according to the
Bethlehem-based Maan news, whichis closely associated with the Fatah-led
Palestinian Authority.
The rumor
apparently began when a snake bit a woman outside a village adjacent to the
Jewish city of Ariel. Local Arabs said that after the attack, the snake
“escaped” toward Ariel. The snake's movement was taken as a sign that it had
been released from Ariel by Israelis intent on harming Arabs.
The Maan
report also accused Ariel residents of ruining farmland in the area by dumping
waste onto Arab land.
PA villagers
in the same area were the first to accuse Israelis of using trained pigs to
attack Arab farmers. Several such accusations have been published by PA media.
In addition, PA media has accused Israel of unleashing anti-Arab “super rats”
in Jerusalem.
There is no
scientific evidence indicating that rats or snakes can be trained as attack
animals, or that either of the species can differentiate between Jews and
Arabs.
The United
States Roadmap plan demands that the PA halt incitement against Israel
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/133297
TAMPA TRIBUNE (Florida) 07 September 09 Battling
the python (Rodney Barreto is chairman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission.)
The Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission initiated a program on July 17 to
help stop the spread of Burmese pythons in Florida. This program is only the
first step in our efforts to stop the spread of these invaders.
We issued
permits to 13 python experts to capture and euthanize any reptile of concern
found in specific state-managed lands in South Florida. This initial program
will run until Oct. 31, at which time we will consider expanding it. So far,
the permit holders have captured 17 pythons and provided us with data on
location, size and habits.
We are
encouraged that the permit holders have captured that many pythons. Each python
removed means one less python in the wild and one less python with the
potential to reproduce 100 eggs in a season. While there are thousands of
pythons in South Florida, the majority of the population occurs in Everglades
National Park, which is not a part of our permit program.
The
state-managed lands where pythons may be captured under this new permit program
represent the northern-most range for Burmese pythons. To destroy even one of
these nonnative invasive reptiles is a victory in the battle to stop the spread
of pythons elsewhere in Florida.
We anticipate
many more pythons will be captured as the weather cools and pythons come out to
sun themselves during the day.
But we haven't
limited our python removal efforts to the 13 experts; we've expanded them to
include hunters. It's a natural step because, historically, hunters have been
instrumental in conserving wildlife across this great country. Beginning with
the first hunt of the 2009-2010 season, hunters on specific wildlife management
areas in South Florida may take any reptile of concern they encounter during
the course of their hunting excursion.
Burmese
pythons have invaded our native habitat, at least partly, because of people
releasing them into the wild. We urge people with an exotic nonnative pet they
can no longer keep, to turn in the reptile at Pet Amnesty Days held around the
state. The next one is scheduled for Nov. 7 in the Tampa area. No matter what -
never release a nonnative animal into the wild.
Discussions
are continuing on how best to manage the Burmese python problem, and the FWC is
dedicated to working with all of our partners - Everglades National Park, Big
Cypress National Preserve, South Florida Water Management District and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service - through special programs, scientific efforts and
legislative action.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/sep/07/na-battling-the-python/news-opinion-commentary/
LE NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR (Paris, France) 07 September 09 Le
retour inattendu d'une tortue birmane
(AP) Une tortue considérée comme
quasi disparue a été observée au Myanmar (Birmanie) pour la première fois
depuis le début du 20ème siècle. Cette petite tortue (Heosemys depressa) vit
dans des forêts de l’Etat de l’Akaran, dans l’ouest du pays.
Une équipe de la Société pour la protection de la nature (Wildlife
Conservation Society, New York, E-U) a repéré cinq de ces rares tortues au
milieu d’une dense forêt de bambous, dans un sanctuaire créé pour protéger les
éléphants.
Selon les informations de la WCS, cette tortue à la carapace marron
claire était considérée comme disparue jusqu’à ce qu’en 1994 des spécimens
soient vus sur un marché alimentaire chinois. Cependant, depuis la capture
d’une tortue de l’Akaran par un officier britannique en 1908, aucun animal
vivant n’avait été observé.
En Birmanie, le nom commun de l’Heosemys
depressa signifie ‘la tortue qui mange des excréments de rhinocéros’,
souvenir d’une époque, il y a plus de 50 ans, où l’on rencontrait le rhinocéros
de Sumatra dans cette région.
Recherchées pour la consommation de leur chaire ou pour les besoins de
la médecine chinoise, les espèces protégées de tortues sont souvent victimes de
la contrebande. Des études de terrain vont se poursuivre pour mieux connaître
la population actuelle de tortues de l’Akaran tandis qu’un plan de protection,
avec une surveillance permanente des routes du sanctuaire, est mis en place par
la WCS.
LES TEMPS (Genève, Switzerland) 07 September 09
Australie: un serpent capturé puis
relâché près de Darwin
Sydney : Un Australien a
découvert lové dans la cuvette de ses toilettes un python-tapis qui mesurait
deux fois sa taille. Un chasseur de serpents a été appelé pour intervenir dans
la maison, non loin de Darwin au nord de l'Australie.
"Il n'est pas inhabituel de trouver des serpents de cette taille
sous les tropiques mais on ne les trouve pas tous les jours dans les
toilettes", a déclaré le chasseur de serpents. "Il est sans doute
remonté par les égouts. Il se promenait la nuit dans la maison et retournait dans
les toilettes la journée."
Une fois capturé, le reptile, non venimeux mais qui tue ses proies par
constriction, a été relâché dans la nature à moins de trois kilomètres de la
maison.
LA CAPITAL (Rosario, Argentina) 07 September 09 Australiano atónito halló una serpiente pitón de tres metros de largo
en el inodoro
Sidney (Reuters): Un australiano
se asegurará de bajar el asiento del inodoro en el futuro, después de descubrir
enroscada en la taza una pitón que casi le doblaba el tamaño.
El cazador de serpientes Chris Peberdy acudió a una casa de la Virginia
rural, cerca de Darwin, en el norte de Australia, después de que el propietario,
Eric Rantzau, hallara una pitón de tres metros de largo en su inodoro.
“No es raro encontrar serpientes de ese tamaño en los trópicos, pero por
lo general no te los encuentras en inodoros”, dijo Peberdy a Reuters.
El experto, que tiene una empresa de manejo de serpientes en Darwin
llamada Snake N.T., dijo que el propietario vive en una zona rural en la que
las serpientes son respetadas, así que dejó a la pitón en paz y utilizó otro
baño hasta que pudo sacar al animal con seguridad.
Al entrenador le llevó cuatro viajes a la casa cazar a la pitón
alfombra, que no es venenosa y mata a sus presas por constricción.
“Estaba enroscada con tanta fuerza en torno a las tuberías que no podía
moverla, pero al final salió lo suficiente como para tomarla”, comentó Peberdy,
que recibe unas 1.000 llamadas al año para atrapar serpientes.
La pitón, un macho, fue liberada de nuevo a unos 2,5 kilómetros de la
casa.
El cazador tenía consejos para la gente que vive en la zona: “!Mantén el
asiento bajado y mira antes de sentarte!”.(Reuters)
http://www.lacapital.com.ar/contenidos/2009/09/07/noticia_0033.html
EXCÉLSIOR (México, México) 07 September 09
Reaparece tortuga que se creía
extinta en Myanmar
Bangkok (AP): La extraña tortuga
Arakan, que alguna vez se creyó extinta, fue redescubierta en una selva remota
de Myanmar, lo que eleva las posibilidades de supervivencia del reptil luego de
que casi desapareciera debido a la caza, dijeron investigadores el lunes.
Steven Platt, investigador de Texas y miembro de la Sociedad Conservadora
de la Fauna y la Flora, encontró cinco de las tortugas en mayo, durante una
expedición de la organización por el Santuario de Elefantes Rakhine Yoma.
Plat contó que él y su equipo sólo pudieron llegar al área en un pequeño
bote, en medio de lluvias torrenciales y sanguijuelas.
Finalmente, el 31 de mayo, ubicaron a la primera tortuga.
"En ese momento, olvidamos todos las dificultades físicas del
viaje", dijo Platt en un correo electrónico.
Nativas de las colinas Arakan en el occidente de Myanmar, se pensó que
las tortugas se habían extinguido hace más de un siglo, hasta que empezaron a
verse en mercados asiáticos de comida a mediados de la década de 1990.
Los científicos dijeron que la tortuga casi desapareció porque era usada
en medicamentos y para cocinar.
La Asociación Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza y los
Recursos Naturales tiene a la Heosemys
depressa, nombre científico de la tortuga, en una lista de especies en
grave peligro de extinción.
Los científicos manifestaron que el descubrimiento podría ayudar a los
esfuerzos para que la especie de reptil sobreviva.
"Estamos felices y muy sorprendidos de que esta especie tan extraña
se haya encontrado sana y salva en Mianmar", dijo Colin Poole de la
Sociedad Conservadora en un comunicado.
http://www.exonline.com.mx/XStatic/excelsior/template/content.aspx?se=nota&id=714645
ESTADAO (São Paulo, Brazil) 07 September
09 Tartaruga
dada como extinta é redescoberta em Mianmar
Bangcoc (AP): A rara tartaruga da
floresta Arakan, que já foi dada como extinta, foi redescoberta em uma remota
mata de Mianmar, o que aumenta a chance de salvar o réptil depois que a caça
quase destruiu a população, informam cientistas.
pesquisador americano Steven Platt e su equipe, da Sociedade de Conservação
da Vida Selvagem, descobriram cinco exemplares do animal em maio, durante uma
avaliação da vida selvagem no Santuário de Elefantes Rakhine Yoma.
santuário contém áreas de floresta impenetrável de bambu, com as únicas
trilhas abertas pela passagem dos elefantes, disse Platt.
Ele afirmou que sua equipe conseguiu chegar à área por meio de um barco
e teve de suportar chuvas torrenciais e sanguessugas antes de encontrar a
primeira tartaruga Arakan, em 31 de maio.
"Neste
momento, todas as agruras da viagem foram esquecidas", disse ele.
Nativas dos montes Arakan do oeste de Mianmar, as tartarugas foram dadas
como extintas por quase um século, até que começaram a aparecer nos mercados de
alimento da Ásia em meados dos anos 60.
nome local das tartarugas é pyant
cheezar, ou "tartarugas comedoras de fezes de rinoceronte".
Rinocerontes de Sumatra frequentavam a área, até que foram caçados até
desaparecer, há 50 anos.
Cientistas atribuem o quase desaparecimento das tartarugas a sua
popularidade como ingrediente culinário e medicinal. Com o nome científico de Heosemys depressa, ela é listada como
criticamente ameaçada pela União Internacional de Conservação da natureza e
Recursos Naturais, e se mostrou difícil de criar em cativeiro.
MERKUR (München, Germany) 07 September
09 Seltene
Schildkröte in Myanmar entdeckt
Bangkok
(AP): Eine seltene Schildkrötenart ist
in Myanmar gesehen worden. Weil sie als Delikatesse und für medizinische Zwecke
gejagt wurde, glaubte man sie ausgestorben.
Nach der
Entdeckung seltener Schildkröten in Myanmar (Birma) dringen
Umweltorganisationen auf bessere Schutzmaßnahmen der vom Aussterben bedrohten
Tiere. Es müsse alles nur Mögliche getan werden, um die Rest-Population der
Flachen Erdschildkröte (Heosemys depressa)
zu schützen, erklärte die in New York ansässige Wildlife Conservation Society.
Mitarbeiter
der Gruppe und der texanische Forscher Steven Platt entdeckten im Mai fünf der Tiere
in einem abgelegenen Waldgebiet in Birma, wie Platt am Montag mitteilte. Die in
der birmanischen Region Arakan heimische Schildkröte wurde seit jeher als
Delikatesse und zu medizinischen Zwecken gejagt und galt rund ein Jahrhundert
lang als ausgestorben, bis in den 90er Jahren einzelne Exemplare auf
Lebensmittelmärkten in Asien auftauchten.
http://www.merkur-online.de/nachrichten/welt/seltene-schildkroete-myanmar-entdeckt-461344.html
SUED DEUTSCHE (München, Germany) 07
September 09 Riesenpython in Australien - Züngelnder Toiletten-Schreck
Sie sind nicht
giftig, sie haben aber spitze Zähne und töten ihre Opfer, indem sie ihnen die
Luft abdrücken. Ein Australier hat eine dieser Schlangen in seiner Toilette
gefunden.
Die Schüssel
war voll, voll mit einer drei Meter langen Schlange: Als der Australier Erik
Rantzau zu seinem stillen Örtchen ging, fand er einen drei Meter langen
Rautenpython in der Kloschüssel. Rantzau rief einen Schlangennotdienst, der das
Tier aus dem Abwasserrohr lockte und wieder im Busch aussetzte.
"Ich bin
immer noch etwas beklommen, wenn ich ins Badezimmer gehe", räumt Rantzau
ein. "So etwas Abgefahrenes. Ich wusste erst gar nicht, was es war, weil
die Schlange ganz eingerollt war und sich nicht bewegte."
Bei dem
ungebetenen Gast handelte es sich um einen männlichen Rautenpython aus der
Familie der Riesenschlagen. Die Tiere sind harmlos, haben aber spitze Zähne.
Sie ersticken ihre Beute durch Würgen
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/panorama/340/486752/text/
TISCALI NOTIZIE (Italy) 07 September 09 Australia:
trova pitone di 3 metri nel water
Sydney
(ANSA): Grande spavento per un uomo di
Darwin, nel nord tropicale dell'Australia, che ha trovato un pitone di piu' di
tre metri nel water di casa. ''Deve essere arrivato dalle condutture fognarie.
Di notte si aggirava per casa e di giorno tornava nel water'' ha detto
l'acchiappaserpenti, che dopo aver catturato il pitone ha consigliato ai
residenti: ''tenete abbassato il coperchio del water e guardate bene prima di
sedervi''. Il rettile, che uccide la preda stringendola, e' stato liberato in
un bosco.
http://notizie.tiscali.it/feeds/09/09/07/t_01_2009-09-07_107399739.html?esteri
DNEVNIK (Ljubljana, Slovakia) 07 September
09 V
Myanmaru odkrili pet arakanskih gozdnih želv, za katere se je dolgo časa
domnevalo, da so izumrle
Bangkok: Za arakanske gozdne želve so včasih
mislili, da so izumrle, saj so bile zaradi lova tako redke. Toda v oddaljenem
gozdu v Myanmaru so jih ponovno našli in s tem odkritjem se je ponovno pojavilo
upanje, da bo vrsta preživela.
Raziskovalec
Steven Platt in njegovo osebje iz newyorškega društva za ohranjanje divjih
živali so namreč naleteli na pet teh želv. „Sedaj smo pozabili na vse
fizične težave potovanja,“ je dejal Platt, saj je skupina morala do tega
območja priti po reki, v času, ko so se drugo za drugim vrstila
deževja. Vmes pa so se morali boriti tudi proti pijavkam, ki bivajo v tej reki.
Platt in
njegovi kolegi upajo, da vrsta gozdnih želv lahko preživi. „Po celi Aziji divji
lovci iztrebljajo želve, ker jih nelegalno preprodajajo,“ trdi Colin Poole,
direktor programov ohranjanja divjih živali v Aziji. „Zadovoljni in
presenečeni smo, da je ta izredno redka vrsta še vedno živa. Sedaj moramo
narediti vse kar lahko, da zaščitimo preostanek populacije,“ je še dodal
Poole.
Naravni
habitat teh gozdnih želv je Arakansko hribovje na zahodu Myanmara. Znanstveniki
so verjeli, da je ta vrsta želv izumrla že pred slabim stoletjem, vse dokler se
v sredini devetdesetih arakanske gozdne želve niso začele pojavljati na
azijskih prehrambenih trgih. Ta vrsta želv je namreč zelo priljubljena
hrana, poleg tega pa naj bi bile uporabne tudi v medicini.
http://www.dnevnik.si/novice/znanost/1042297027
AKTUALITY (Žilina, Slovenia) 07 September
09 Objavili
korytnačku, ktorú považovali za vyhynutú
Vzácnu
korytnačku arakanskú (Heosemys
depressa), ktorú už vedci považovali za vyhynutú, sa podarilo
znovuobjaviť v odľahlom pralese v Mjanmarsku.
Objav piatich
kusov tohto vzácneho druhu sa podaril členom organizácie
Spoločnosť pre ochranu prírody (WCS) pod vedením Američana
Stevea Platta ešte v máji tohto roku v slonej rezervácii Rakhine Yoma Elephant
Sanctuary v západnom Mjanmarsku.
Dôvodom,
prečo táto korytnačka takmer vyhynula je fakt, že sa stala
obľúbenou súčasťou ázijskej kuchyne a medicíny, teda i
vyhľadávaným cieľom pytliakov. Jej záchranu navyše komplikuje
problematický chov v zajatí. Preto je teraz dôležité ochrániť posledné
miesta jej výskytu a taktiež získať viac poznatkov o spôsobe jej života.
http://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/144828/objavili-korytnacku-ktoru-povazovali-za-vyhynutu/
KAINUUN SANOMAT (Kajaani, Finland) 07 September 09 Pyton
luikerteli wc-pönttöön
Reuters: Pohjois-Australian
syrjäseutujen asukkaita on kehotettu pitämään vessanpönttönsä kannet kiinni.
Yhdestä kylpyhuoneesta löytyi äskettäin kolmimetrinen pytonkäärme.
Käärmeet ovat tropiikissa tavallisia, mutta ei niitä yleensä luikertele
wc-pönttöihin. Käärme kierteli taloa yöllä ja palasi vessaan päivällä, sanoo
paikalle hälytetty käärmeasiantuntija Chris Peberdy.
Peberdy irrotti pytonin putkistosta ja vapautti sen luontoon noin kahden
ja puolen kilometrin päähän talosta. Hänen mukaansa alueella kunnioitetaan
käärmeitä eikä niitä haluta tappaa ellei ole pakko.
Pitäkää kuitenkin vessankansi alhaalla ja katsokaa ennen kuin istutte,
hän neuvoo.
KOMPAS (Jakarta, Indonesia) 07 September
09 Ular
Sanca Meringkuk di Kloset
Sydney: Seorang
pria Australia akan mengganti kloset duduknya setelah menemukan ular sanca yang
besarnya hampir dua kali ukuran tubuhnya melingkar di bagian
"mangkuk" kloset itu.
Pawang ular
Chris Peberdy dipanggil ke satu rumah di pinggir kota Virginia, dekat Darwin,
di bagian utara jauh Australia setelah pemilik rumah tersebut, Erik Rantzau,
menemukan ular "carpet python" sepanjang 3 meter di klosetnya.
"Bukan
tidak biasa untuk menemukan ular sebesar itu di daerah tropis, tapi kita
biasanya tak menemukan hewan tersebut di toilet," kata Peberdy.
"Ular itu
pasti telah datang melalui saluran air. Ular tersebut menjelajahi sekeliling
rumah pada malam hari dan kembali ke toilet pada siang hari," katanya.
Peberdy, yang
mengelola perusahaan penanganan ular Snake N.T., yang berpusat di Darwin,
mengatakan pemilik rumah tersebut tinggal di desa tempat ular dihormati,
sehingga ia membiarkan saja ular sanca itu dan menggunakan kamar mandi berbeda
sampai ular tersebut dapat dipindahkan dengan selamat.
Sang pawang
harus menempuh perjalanan cukup jauh untuk menangkap ular itu, yang tak berbisa
dan membunuh mangsanya dengan lilitan. "Ular tersebut melilit pipa dengan
sangat ketat sehingga saya tak dapat memindahkannya, tapi akhirnya ular itu
muncul cukup jauh dari pipa sehingga saya dapat menangkapnya," kata
Peberdy, yang dipanggil untuk menangkap sampai 1.000 ular per tahun.
Ular yang
ditangkap tersebut dilepaskan kembali ke pepohonan sekitar 2,5 kilometer dari
rumah tempatnya ditemukan. Peberdy memberi saran kepada warga yang tinggal di
daerah itu, "Tutup kloset anda dan teliti sebelum anda duduk."
http://internasional.kompas.com/read/xml/2009/09/07/12542480/Ular.Sanca.Meringkuk.di.Kloset
METROPOL (Budapest, Hungary) 07 September 09 Mégsem halt ki a partiteknős
A kihaltnak
vélt lapos partiteknős (Heosemys
depressa) öt egyedét fedezték fel amerikai kutatók a hüllő természetes
élőhelyén, Mianmar elhagyatott vidékén.
Az alig 30
centiméteres Heosemys depressa barna
páncélját fekete pettyek tarkítják. Utolsó ismert példányát 1908-ban a brit
hadsereg egy tisztje ejtette foglyul. Ezután majd egy évszázadig úgy vélték,
hogy a lapos partiteknős természetes élőhelyein többé nem fordul
elő, míg 1994-ben fel nem tűnt az ázsiai élelmiszerpiacokon.
Más ázsiai
teknősfajtákhoz hasonlatosan a Heosemys depressát is részben a húsáért,
részben orvosi célzattal vadászták-vadásszák, a kihalás szélére sodorva a
hüllőket.
A lapos
partiteknős csupán néhány egyedét tartják állatkertekben, ám a fogságban
nehezen szaporodnak. A Heosemys depressa egyedei ugyanis évente csupán egyszer
párosodnak, a kicsinyek 100 nap múlva kelnek ki a tojásból.
Steven Platt,
a texasi Sul Ross Állami Egyetem kutatója a New York-i Wildlife Conservation
Society természetvédő szervezet munkatársaival közösen május 31-én egy
mianmari elefántrezervátumban találtak rá a ritka teknős első
példányára. A rezervátumot áthatolhatatlan bambuszerdők uralják, amelyeken
keresztül csupán az elefántok által tört csapások vezetnek.
http://www.metropol.hu/mellekletek/tudomany/cikk/454445
INDEX (Budapest, Hungary) 07 September
09 Interneten
körözik az alpesi szalamandrát
(MTI) Osztrák természetvédők a webet hívták
segítségül, hogy felmérjék az alpesi szalamandra élőhelyeit az országban.
A 8-14
centiméter hosszú, csillogó fekete színű kétéltűt (Salamandra atra) a kihalással
fenyegetett állatfajok között tartják számon Ausztriában. A Salzburgi Egyetemen
egy kutatócsoport a lakosság bevonásával próbálja a lehető legpontosabban
feltérképezni az állat élőhelyét. Egy honlapon [http://www.alpensalamander.eu/]
közzétettek egy részletes térképet, amelyen mindenki pontosan bejelölheti, hol
látta ezt a ritka állatfajt, illetve a szintén szigorúan védett foltos
szalamandrát (Salamandra salamandra).
Az állat
élőhelyét olyan tényezők veszélyeztetik, mint az intenzív
mezőgazdasági hasznosítás, az épített utak, az erdei patakok befedése és a
növényvédő szerek használata. „A kétéltűeknek nincs ügyvédjük, aki
tiltakozhatna a sípályák ellen vagy a vizenyős földterületek lecsapolása
ellen” - mondta Robert Schwarzenbacher, a kutatócsoport vezetője a Die
Presse című osztrák lapnak. „A természetvédelem azonban semmit sem tud
tenni, ha a tudománynak nincsenek adatai.”
A salzburgi
kutatók a kétéltűek regenerációs képessége titkának megfejtésében is
számítanak a szalamandrára. A kutatás nem veszélyezteti a szigorúan védett
állatot. Látni véletlenül összetaposott szalamandrát is az Alpokban, s a
DNS-kutatásokhoz az elhullott állat vérének egy cseppje is elég - mondta a
salzburgi professzor.
Az alpesi
szalamandra leginkább az Alpok erdeiben, 600-2500 méteres tengerszint feletti
magasságon él, és legtöbbször eső után lehet megpillantani. Az internetes
nyilvántartásban a Rax-hegység térsége a Magyarországhoz legközelebb eső
hely, ahol látták.
http://index.hu/tech/net/2009/09/07/interneten_korozik_az_alpesi_szalamandrat/
KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA /
КОМСОМОЛЬСКАЯ
ПРАВДА (Russia) 07
September 09 Год
исправительных
работ - за
тысячу ужей:
Петербуржец
сурово
наказан за
браконьерство
(Ирина
Тучинская)
Сергея
Кардаша
«тормознули»
гаишники, как
раз в тот
момент, когда
он с уловом ехал из
села Новый
Рычан в
сторону
Волгограда.
Машину,
полную
коробок и
мешков,
решили досмотреть.
Открыли
первую
попавшуюся
тару, а там -
кишмя кишат
змеи. Ровно 994
штуки. Их в Астраханской
области
оценили в три
миллиона
рублей
(подробнее
читайте
Петербуржец
наловил ужей
на три
миллиона).
На
Сергея
завели
уголовное
дело. Ему
прочили либо
штраф, либо
исправительные
работы. Суд
решил
совместить
два в одном.
Мировой
судья
Володарского
района вынес приговор,
- сообщает
прокуратура
Астраханской
области. - Кардаш
осужден за
незаконную
охоту с
причинением
крупного
ущерба. Он
приговорен к
одному году
исправительных
работ с
удержанием 20%
заработка в
доход
государства.
Напомним,
Кардаш
уверял, что
вез ужиков,
чтобы разводить
их дома в
свое
удовольствие.
Правда, его
бывшие
коллеги
скептически
отнеслись к словам
Сергея. Они
были
убеждены, что
браконьер
собрался
продавать
пресмыкающихся.
http://spb.kp.ru/online/news/538299/
KOMPYULENTA
/КОМПЬЮТЕРРА
(Moscow, Russia) 07 September 09 В
Мьянме вновь
появились
редчайшие
черепахи
Редкая
араканская
лесная
черепаха,
долгое время
считавшаяся
вымершей,
вновь появилась
в дикой
природе.
Исследователь
из Техаса
(США) и
сотрудники Сообщества
по охране
животного
мира обнаружили
пять араканских
черепах в
Мьянме, в
заповеднике
Rakhine Yoma Elephant.
Заповедник
представляет
собой
непроходимые
бамбуковые
заросли с
тропинками,
протоптанными
слонами.
Араканская
лесная
черепаха Heosemys depressa
(местное название
— Pyant Cheezar)
невелика по размеру:
длина ее
панциря
редко
превышает 25 см.
Исторически
эти
сухопутные
пресмыкающиеся
обитали в
провинции
Аракан.
Черепах нещадно
истребляли:
жители
Мьянмы
употребляли
животных в
пищу и
изготавливали
из них
медицинские
препараты.
Популяция
была почти полностью
уничтожена, и
на
протяжении
ста лет
черепах
считали
вымершими.
Однако
в середине 90-х
годов
прошлого
века Heosemys
depressa вновь
стали
появляться
на азиатских
рынках. И вот
теперь
ученые
обнаружили
живых особей
и надеются,
что находка
может свидетельствовать
о
возрождении
популяции.
Напомним
также, что на
Мадагаскаре
на грани
исчезновения
оказались
паучьи
черепахи Pyxis arachnoides.
По подсчетам
ученых, в
дикой
природе популяция
этих
пресмыкающихся
сократилась
сегодня на 90%. И
хотя
официально торговля
паучьими
черепахами
запрещена, тысячи
этих
животных
вывозятся из
страны нелегально.
За одну особь
Pyxis arachnoides
браконьеры
выручают до
тысячи
долларов.
А
на Багамах с
недавних пор
запрещено
ловить
морских
черепах и
добывать их
яйца, содержать
их в неволе,
продавать и
покупать. До
сих пор
жители
Багамских
островов
могли вести промысел
любых видов
морских
черепах, кроме
биссы (Eretmochelys imbricata).
Черепашье
мясо
закупали
рестораны, а
из панцирей
изготавливались
сувениры,
которые
пользовались
большим
спросом у
туристов.
http://science.compulenta.ru/456329/
LONDONTOPIC.CA (London, Ontario) 06 September
09 Spiny
Softshell turtles hatching along the Thames; population growing
A project that
started along the banks of the Thames River in 1994, and has led to the
development of some of the best research in the world of a threatened turtle
species, is finding that the protection and research efforts are working and
the population is growing.
This year the
Spiny Softshell turtle eggs are hatching along the Thames, thanks in part to
the efforts of the Upper Thames River Conservation Authourity's (UTRCA)
"Turtle Team" headed by species at risk biologist Scott Gillingwater.
This past
summer, the team had protected more than 70 softshell turtle nests and 1,200
baby turtles are now hatching and heading to the Thames River where they will
hopefully survive the many dangers that face them. These babies, it is hoped,
will lay eggs of their own in about 12 to 15 years.
The turtles,
which are endangered in both Ontario and Canada, have been the subject of the
UTRCA study since 1994, and that study has shown that recently more and more
softshell turtles of all ages have been seen along the Thames River.
"The
ongoing work of the UTRCA is having a positive impact on the softshell turtle
population. This is good news for the local population of Spiny Softshell
Turtles, which is threatened both provincially and federally," said UTRCA
officials.
Since the
study's 1994 beginning, Gillingwater and a group of seasonal employees have
developed some of the best turtle research techniques in the world. This
research has provided some of the only data on the Spiny Softshell turtle
species in Canada.
Worldwide
turtle populations are declining mainly due to habitat loss, road mortality and
collection, said UTRCA officials. Spiny Softshell Turtles are threatened due to
lack of appropriate nesting sites as well as nest predation by foxes and
raccoons. Other threats to softshell nesting sites include damage and
disruption by recreational vehicles along shorelines, and by cattle that have
access to the river.
But officials
warn that the valuable work with the Spiny Softshell turtles is also
vulnerable, "due to shifting priorities in funding from government and
foundations." As such, the UTRCA welcomes financial help with the Spiny
Softshell Recovery Project.
Funding for
2009 has been provided by the provincial Stewardship Fund, Environment Canada's
Habitat Stewardship Fund, and the federal Job Creation Program.
In 2005,
Gillingwater authored the Spiny Softshell Turtle Stewardship Guide. The
stewardship guide is targeted toward landowners with property next to turtle
habitat, and also to anyone with an interest in turtles. The guide is
beautifully illustrated with amazing photos from Scott's personal collection.
Readers will find a wonderful volume of never before published information
about the appearance and behaviour of these turtles, threats to their survival,
and actions to help with their recovery. Copies are available from the UTRCA.
http://www.londontopic.ca/article.php?artid=15809
CBS (West Sacramento, California) 06
September 09 Huge Python Found In Placer County
A large,
exotic predator was found on the side of a Placer County road Sunday afternoon,
prompting calls to police and animal control officials as drivers stopped to
gawk at the creature that is not native to California or even North America.
Sgt. Brian
Silva of the Placer County Sheriff's Department was called out to help corral
the eight-foot reticulate python that bystanders found along the side of the
road Sunday afternoon. Animal control officials said the snake was likely
someone's pet and became too expensive to be cared for, prompting the owners to
dump it.
"We do
not want exotic, non-indigenous animals dumped anywhere in California, let
alone Placer County," said Officer Steve McNalley with Placer County
Animal Services. "The snake could be a threat to domestic animals and to
people, depending on how hungry it was."
Reptile
experts say this type of snake costs about $7-$10 a week to feed, and was found
in malnourished condition.
The snake will
be kept at American River Reptiles in Auburn until they can find the animal a
new home.
"These
can be good pets. This particular one seems to be pretty tame," said
Robert Eissell from American River Reptiles. "It's quite a shame that
somebody would dump it."
Experts say
owners who find they can't care for their snakes should contact a local reptile
store or animal control.
http://cbs13.com/local/python.placer.county.2.1167915.html
EASTERN ARIZONA COURIER (Safford,
Arizona) 06 September 09 Gopher, bullsnake often mistaken for rattler
(Terry A. Johnson)
Among
mankind's greatest allies in nature are snakes that eat rodents. Mice, rats and
rabbits would wreak havoc on our food supplies, our health and our dwellings if
not for snakes controlling their numbers. Locally, the most common snake we can
be thankful for in this regard is a powerful constrictor called the Sonoran
gopher snake, also known as the bullsnake.
As a licensed snake
removal expert, I am sometimes called out to catch gopher snakes. Very often,
the callers are confused about the identity of the reptile and are convinced it
is a rattlesnake. Given the preponderance of outdoorsmen in our area, I am
always surprised at how many of them do not know how to tell the difference
between a gopher snake and a rattlesnake. Gopher snakes are frequently killed
because of that mistake in identity; but to me, that's like killing a butterfly
because it might be a wasp!
The first impression
one has upon seeing a Gopher snake is that it is mostly cream or
yellowish-colored with large, brown rectangular-shaped blotches along its back.
The tail has brown or black rings over a cream-colored base (no rattle). The
underside of the body is a plain, unmarked cream color. Gopher snakes start out
life at around 1 foot in length and can grow quite large if they are lucky
enough to live that long. Adult specimens in the 5-foot range are not uncommon
in our area, but they can grow to as much as 8 feet long.
Gopher snakes
have behaviors that get them into trouble with people. When they are discovered
and harassed, they will very often bow up, hiss, strike and vibrate their
tails. Gopher snakes will bite because they are afraid, but they are not venomous.
Their defensive antics help them to avoid predation in the natural world, but
when humans are involved, more often than not the poor animal is cruelly
destroyed due to someone’s primal fear and ignorance. Ideally, they should
always be allowed to go on their way without human interference.
The Internet
is chock full of misinformation about snakes, and one of the tall tales I have
read is that gopher snakes are interbreeding with rattlesnakes, resulting in
venomous offspring that look like gopher snakes. It is absolutely untrue!
Rattlesnakes give live birth, gopher snakes lay eggs; there is no way such a
marriage would ever take place, much less result in offspring. There are no
rattlesnake-bullsnake hybrids.
Learn to
recognize the snakes in your region and then let them be. If you have an
encounter with a snake in a residential area (southern Greenlee County), please
call me to have it safely and humanely relocated back to the natural
environment. I accept donations for reptile conservation, but I do not solicit
compensation for reptile removals. My number is (928) 651-7032.
Feel free to
visit my Web site: www.reptilist.com.
http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2009/09/06/news/doc4aa04521aed8a559065679.txt
EASTERN ARIZONA COURIER (Safford,
Arizona) 06 September 09 Discovery Park new home of leopard frogs
(Diane Saunders)
Thursday was
moving day for 26 new Safford residents — Big Mama and more than two dozen of
her ilk.
It was a green
day. The new residents — all endangered Chiricahua leopard frogs from Aravaipa
Canyon — were released into their new ranarium at Eastern Arizona College's
Discovery Park Campus. Most of the frogs are not fully grown, with the
exception of four males and three females. The latter includes a large female
dubbed Big Mama.
The ranarium —
a scientific word for a frog nursery — is a 25-foot-by-25-foot cement block
enclosure covered with a bird net. The purpose of the net is to keep out birds
that could carry a fungus known to threaten the lives of leopard frogs, said
Dave Henson, an EAC biology instructor.
Inside the
enclosure is a pond approximately 16-feet wide by 20-feet long lined with
cobblestones and bordered by native plants and grasses.
"It's a
semi-sterile environment," Henson said.
He explained
the cement wall was designed to keep out lizards and snakes. While the net
keeps out birds, the openings are big enough for insects — a dietary mainstay
for the frogs.
"We've
got a lot of dragonfly larvae," Henson said. Fresh water continuously
trickles in. Any overflow is taken away by a screened drainage pipe.
Plans for the
ranarium began to take shape in June 2008 when the Arizona Game and Fish
Department and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service began working out an
agreement with EAC.
"Discovery
Park would be the perfect place for (the ranarium)," Henson said then.
According to
Henson, about 80 percent of the leopard frog's natural habitat is gone from
riparian zones throughout Arizona. The reason for the decline of leopard frogs
includes invasive species, human habitation of their ecosystem and drawdown of
water tables.
The ranarium
will provide a safe environment in which the frogs can reproduce. EAC biology
students will keep records of the ranarium and test the water each day to make
sure it is suitable for the frogs. Young frogs will be harvested and taken to
areas where their population has been depleted, Henson said.
http://www.eacourier.com/articles/2009/09/06/news/doc4a9865d5a1117694394761.txt
DAWN (Lahore, Pakistan) 06 September
09 Smokers’
Corner: To kill a mocking lizard (Nadeem F. Paracha)
'So, on the
one hand I have a pious Muslim who thinks lizards bring good luck, and on the
othe, I have an equally pious man who believes that beating the hell out of a
lizard is akin to a jihad.' Like most women, my wife too detests lizards.
Whenever she sees one in our house, she wants me to kill it there and then.
Finding them mostly harmless — in fact they do us a favour by having mosquitoes
and flies for lunch and dinner — I ask my wife to at least give the poor
reptile a fair trial.
But no sir,
nothing doing. They have to be heartlessly slaughtered by yours truly no matter
what. These extra-judicial killings of lizards has, unfortunately, turned me
into a reluctant expert at killing them. But it wasn’t always like that.
Years ago I
just couldn’t get myself around to killing lizards and had to fetch my
chawkidar to do the honours.
Though he did
kill them, he always followed up the ritual by saying, ‘Why kill lizards? They
bring good luck.’
He is a pious
man who prays and recites the Quran regularly. And in spite of the fact that
pious men do not bode well with my awkward sceptical disposition, I always
found this superstition of his rather endearing. However, recently my sister
(who also, of course, hates lizards), told me a related tale about another very
pious man.
The gentleman
works as a driver for my sister and her husband. She told me how he simply
loves slaughtering lizards. Why? Well, according to him, every devout Muslim
should kill a lizard the moment he sees one because the killing is ordered by a
so-called text! So, on the one hand I have a pious Muslim who thinks lizards
bring good luck, and on the other, I have an equally pious man who believes
that beating the hell out of a lizard is akin to a jihad.
That reminds
me of the famous Justice Munir Report on the 1954 anti-Ahmadi riots in Lahore.
In the course of the inquiry, Justice Munir pointedly asked every Muslim
scholar who appeared before him if he knew of a definition of Islam which could
be acceptable by the other sects as well; which could equally apply to everyone
and by the help of which we could define, ‘Yes, this is a Muslim’, and ‘That is
not a Muslim’.
In the report
Munir submits that no two scholars among all Muslim scholars interrogated,
agreed on a single definition of what Islam was.
In the case of
one particular scholar, he wanted some more time to think over it, and Justice
Kayani, who was a partner of Justice Munir in the enquiry commission, said: ‘I
cannot give you more time because you have already taken more than fourteen
hundred years to ponder over this question. Is that not enough? If fourteen
centuries, plus some years are not enough for you to be able to define the very
fundamentals of Islam, how much more time would you require?’
Anyway, though
I entirely loath the driver’s reason for killing lizards, I can’t help but say
that his pious counterpart, my watchman, is equally irrational in his take on
the subject. But what about me, the rational, enlightened, secular lizard
killer? What is my take on it? Well, my reasons are aesthetic. My wife finds
lizards to be slimy creatures and I tend to agree with her. Maybe that makes us
racist.
However, as
long as I am rationally conscious of my hypocrisy in this respect and refuse to
involve religion in the matter, I think I have hope. As for my two pious
friends, well, I hope the watchman retains his pacifist superstitious bearings,
but I sincerely hope the driver gets mercilessly bugged by the mosquitoes and
the flies that would have been sumptuously gulped down by all the lizards that
he disembowelled.
Ah, what a
ruthless Darwinist am I.
THE TIMES (London, UK) 06 September 09 Australian
man finds python living in his toilet (Sophie Tedmanson)
Sydney: An Australian man had to call in the snake
catcher after he discovered a 10ft-long python living in his toilet.
Erik Rantzau
was used to seeing the enormous Northern carpet python slithering around his
property, set in a rainforest 19 miles from Darwin in the Northern Territory.
Occasionally the snake — which he had nicknamed Axl — would slide through his
lounge while he was watching television. But last month Mr Rantzau discovered
the reptile curled up inside the bowl of his toilet.
“I’ve seen it
on and off around the property for the last ten years, but never in the dunny,”
Mr Rantzau told The Times.
“But I
happened to be walking past the bathroom a few weeks ago and I saw it there. So
I shut the lid and called the snake guy.”
Chris Peberdy,
a snake wrangler, tried to remove the snake from the toilet but it was so thick
that it became wedged in the S-bend and wouldn’t move.
The pair then
scattered talcum powder throughout the house so they could tell when the snake
had left the building. A few days later tracks appeared to be leading from the
bathroom to the back door through which the reptile had escaped into the
garden.
Mr Rantzau
said he had taken to using an outside toilet for fear the snake would return to
its new home in his house. And a few days later it did.
“It was
starting to get inconvenient and it was obvious that the snake wanted to stay
there, so Craig came back and he managed to trap it properly,” he said.
Last week Mr
Peberdy extracted the snake from the pipes by easing it out whenever the python
relaxed. He then removed it and relocated it in the wild.
The reptile
expert, who catches up to 1,000 snakes in the Darwin area every year, said he has
never seen anything like it. “Last year I caught a 1.8m (6ft) black-headed
python which was moving around in the toilet system of an apartment block, but
I’ve never seen one that has called a toilet home,” Mr Peberdy said.
He said there
was no explanation for the snake’s odd behaviour but suggested it may have
wanted to stay in the toilet bowl to stabilise its body temperature.
“I’ve got no
idea why it was doing it, it’s very quirky behaviour,” Mr Peberdy said.
He said the
Northern carpet python, a semi-aboreal snake found in most parts of Australia,
is “completely harmless to humans”.
“But it still
possesses a mouthful of very sharp teeth and this one had an attitude to match,
so if you felt something bite you on the bottom while you were on the toilet it
would give you a hell of a fright,” Mr Peberdy said.
As for Mr
Rantzau, whose rural property attracts many types of Australian wildlife
including possums, kangaroos and bandicoots, he will now look twice when nature
calls.
“You think you
might find a spider or a green tree frog in your dunny, but not a snake,” he
said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article6823685.ece
NEWS & OBSERVER (Raleigh, N
Carolina) 06 September 09 Snake lovers lament new law - N.C. says lock
updangerous reptiles (Sadia Latifi)
Raleigh: Buttercup loves to wrap herself around
visitors, embracing their arms and torsos with her sunshine-colored coils.
But the
16-foot boa constrictor might not be able to slither freely for much longer.
Starting Dec. 1, a new state law will require that venomous reptiles,
crocodilians and snakes that squeeze must be kept under lock and key.
Dozens of
reptile vendors hissed about the new restrictions Saturday at the Carolina
Reptile and Exotic Animal Show, which continues today at the N.C. State
Fairgrounds.
"It's
irresponsible owners that create a stupid panic," said Frank Shealy, a
teacher and snake vendor from South Boston, Va.
The new law
says that owners of these animals must keep the reptiles in bite- and
escape-proof containers with locks. They must also keep a written bite protocol
near the container that has contact information for local animal control and
guidelines for antivenin treatments.
Mack Robinette
of Charlotte, vice president of the U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers, said
the new law was reasonable.
"There
are probably people upset about it," Robinette said, "but it's common
sense, nothing extreme."
The new
measure was the result of a compromise. Two years ago, snakes and other species
of reptiles escaped inclusion in a controversial effort by animal rights groups
to ban private ownership of "inherently dangerous" animals. That bill
never made it past the House floor after outspoken reptile owners and farmers
said the proposal covered too many animals.
"We're
much happier that this is what happened," Robinette said.
If one of the
reptiles covered by the new law escapes, the owner must call authorities
immediately. People who don't follow the new rules can be charged with a
misdemeanor and possibly more if someone gets injured. Excluded from the new
law are veterinarians, zookeepers and wildlife control agents.
Jack Jacobs,
an Apex resident who was browsing through the iguanas at the expo, said he once
accidentally let his red-tailed python out of the cage.
"That was
a little scary, but I found it before the neighbors did," Jacobs said.
"That was my first snake. I'm much better about locking up now."
Candy Martin,
a Georgia resident and one of Buttercup's owners, said mistakes often happen
with inexperienced owners.
"We try
to be real conscientious and make sure buyers know what they're getting
into," Martin said.
Owners
acknowledge that laws are often driven by occasional freak accidents - but many
more said it reflects that, well, reptiles aren't as well-liked.
"Accidents
can of course happen," said Shealy, who has owned snakes for 37 years
without a single incident. "But I bet horses probably kill more people.
Everybody likes horses, though."
Robinette
agreed that it can be hard to drum up mainstream support for reptile owners'
rights -- even though sales of the low-maintenance animals increase each year.
The Carolina
expo itself is 13 years old, and the two-day event draws more than 7,000 people
each year.
"Until we
have soccer moms wearing shirts that say 'I love reptiles,' we're still a
counterculture," Robinette said.
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/1677202.html
THE HINDU (Chennai, India) 06 September 09 Not a
charmed life for snake catchers at work (P. Oppili)
Chennai: Armed
with a crowbar, a sabre and a cotton bag, the group sets out at 5.30 a.m. from
Vadanemmeli on East Coast Road. Taking the first bus to Mambakkam village on
the Kelambakkam – Vandalur Road, the five-member team goes to a paddy field in
the nearby Kolathur village.
This is the
daily routine of Irula tribals involved in snake catching, who are employed by
the Irula Snake Catchers Industrial Co-operative Society functioning from the
Crocodile Bank on ECR.
G. Vadivel,
who entered the profession when he was barely seven years old, says they catch
only four species of poisonous snakes - cobra, krait, saw-scaled viper and
Russel’s viper - found on paddy fields in Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur
districts.
He says they
track the movement of snakes in rat holes going by on body prints on sand. Once
they suspect the presence of snake, they poke the hole with a stick. Any
movement indicates the presence of snake inside. Clearing a termite hill and
catching a snake are very difficult tasks as they have to work through several
layers.
K. Ramesh, a
third generation snake catcher, said the Irulas always move in groups of four
or five to ensure that there are people around in the event of a snake bite.
They consume a herb before setting out to catch snakes, details of which they
are reluctant to part with.
Another snake
catcher, C. Sankar, says from dawn till 11.30 a.m. they are on the fields. “We
catch only poisonous snakes and when we come across non-poisonous ones we do
not even touch them as they are farmer’s best friends. They help to keep the
rodent population under control.” When he was bitten by a poisonous snake
recently, the Society bore the entire medical expenses.
S. Dravida
Mani, secretary of the Society, says it was started in 1982 mainly to help the
tribal community earn a permanent income. It has 344 members with an annual
turnover of Rs.1.5 crore. The members are allowed to catch 8,500 snakes a year.
While the members get Rs. 2,000 for every cobra caught, they are paid Rs.700
for krait, Rs.2,000 for Russel’s viper and Rs.250 for saw-scaled viper. Apart
from this the members are paid bonus and incentive.
The Society is
involved in extracting venom, which is in great demand for making anti-venom
serum. A gram of cobra venom costs Rs.25,000, that of krait Rs.40,000, Russel’s
viper Rs.30,000 and saw-scaled viper Rs.45,000.
According to
snake catchers, most of the youth in their tribe join them after dropping out
of school.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/06/stories/2009090658680300.htm
URAL POLIT /
УРАЛПОЛИТ
(Ekaterinburg, Russia) 06 September 09 Екатеринбургских
офисных
служащих
атаковала
змея
Необычным
инцидентом
началась
сегодня, 7 сентября,
рабочая
неделя в
одном из
офисов Ботанического
района
города
Екатеринбурга
– его
сотрудников
повергла в шок
неожиданно
появившаяся
крупная змея.
Как
сообщили
«УралПолит.Ru»
очевидцы,
«толстая и
полосатая»
рептилия
появилась в
офисе на 6
этаже в
здании на
улице
Крестинского
пока не
установленным
путем.
В
настоящее
время змея
«задержана»
работниками
службы
безопасности
здания.
Предположительно,
экзотическое
животное, по
некоторым
сведениям –
питон,
сбежало от
хозяина
одного из соседних
офисов.
Охранники
здания
пытаются
установить
его личность.
Работа
сотрудников
здания после
непродолжительного
перерыва
восстановлена,
пострадавших
нет.
http://www.uralpolit.ru/federal/polit/society/id_153318.html
HERALD SUN (Melbourne, Australia) 05 September
09 Slippery
S-bend surprise (Rebekah Cavanagh)
Forget
redbacks on the toilet seat. One terrified bloke has to look out for
three-metre carpet snakes.
A Northern
Territory man got the fright of his life - and learnt he should keep the toilet
seat down - when he found a python almost double his size in his dunny.
Erik Rantzau
has been avoiding using his indoor loo _ opting to use his outdoor toilet when
nature calls _ since he discovered the wild carpet python in the S-bend about
four weeks ago.
``I just
happened to be walking past the toilet and glanced in there and here was this
snake in a massive coil just sitting up in the toilet,'' he told the Northern
Territory News.
``He was that
big that he physically blocked the pipes.
``He stayed in
for four days then went out in the garden again for a week or two then appeared
in there again one Saturday night.
``I got (the
snake catcher) out a few times but he kept getting away.
``I didn't use
the toilet _ I just kept the lid down and went to another toilet I have
outside.''
NT snake
wrangler Chris Peberdy had been out to Mr Rantzau's home on Lowther Rd,
Virginia, in Darwin's rural fringe four times trying to catch the python.
But each time
he would try and get his hands on it, the slippery reptile would evade capture
by disappearing into the depths of the pipes.
In an attempt
to find out the snake's movements, Mr Peberdy coated the floor of Mr Rantzau's
home with talcum powder.
``It's a bit
of a Territory-born invention,'' he said. ``When I came back we could see he
was coming in and out of the back door and straight into the toilet."
He managed to
wrangle the evasive reptile when it decided to peep it's nose out of the toilet
bowl on Wednesday.
Mr Peberdy
said it was rare to find a carpet python in a toilet.
``It's quite
unusual he's living in the toilet,'' he said.
``He's not
going in there for food. He's obviously going in there because it's a good
place to hide.``
"But it
would certainly give anyone a fright. It'd scare the pants off you. Well,
you've probably already got you're pants off, but it'd scare you if you looked
down and saw it.''
He had one
piece of advice to Top Enders: ``Look before you sit!'
'Mr Rantzau,
49, said it was relief the snake was gone as the last thing he wanted was to
have the same fate as a tourist who was bit on his manhood by a deadly brown
snake during a roadside toilet stop in north Queensland earlier this year.
``No, not with
the size of this guy _ you wouldn't want that to happen,'' he said.
Even though
the snake has been taken away and was released into nearby bushland last night,
the Complete Office Supplies manager will no doubt have a few nervy trips to
the toilet in the coming weeks.
``I think it
is pretty safe from now on, but you can never be too sure,'' he said.
Queenslander
Darly Zutt made headlines in May this year after he told of his near-death
experience when a highly venomous snake bit him on the penis.
The Northern
Territory News reported how the snake slithered between his legs and lunged
at his penis as he crouched in bushland to go to the toilet.
``I thought I
was gone,'' he said. ``(My mates) have been saying things like `it was a trouser
snake fight and he (the snake) saw the competition and got scared'.''
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,26030076-661,00.html
HERALD TRIBUNE (Sarasota, Florid) 05
September 09 Man kills rattlesnake at Lakewood Ranch home (Halle Stockton)
Manatee
County: As Amy Wanat mowed her lawn in
Lakewood Ranch Thursday morning, she saw a snake nearly 6 feet long slither
into the shrubbery near her front door.
She quickly
scooted inside her home in the Greenbrook neighborhood to alert her husband,
and the pair soon identified it as an eastern diamondback rattlesnake -- the
largest venomous snake in North America.
That same day,
in North Manatee County, a slightly smaller eastern diamondback struck terror
into an elderly Parrish couple, a public safety official said.
Both families
had trouble finding help to remove the threatening reptiles.
After 13 phone
calls for assistance and hours of confining their 3-year-old daughter and pets
indoors, Paul Wanat took matters into his own hands.
He took the rod
of a pool skimmer and duct-taped three razor-sharp arrows to it. He did the
same with a few wooden tomato stakes and armed himself with a shovel while a
neighbor lured the rattler away from the door.
The
38-year-old man then repeatedly speared the thick snake and tried to sever its
head with the shovel. When that failed, he resorted to hedge clippers.
"Of
course, we didn't let my daughter watch any of this caveman, barbaric
behavior," he said. "When you're faced with something like that,
there is a primal attitude that comes out – just thinking about my family and
pets and how dangerous this thing is."
The Wanats say
they had to kill the snake on their own because they could not get help from
the Manatee Sheriff's Office, animal services and other local and state
agencies. All officials directed them to private snake trappers that charge at
least $125.
"That's
ridiculous with the amount of taxes we pay," Paul Wanat said. "Things
are really tough right now."
In the elderly
Parrish couple's case, Larry Leinhauser, a former snake and alligator trapper,
came to their rescue.
Leinhauser,
who now serves as the captain of the county's public safety department,
wrangled the 41/2-foot rattlesnake in his private time Thursday because a
trapper was not available.
"The only
avenue is to get private trappers to do it," he said. "It's not a
frequent enough situation that the county can put someone full time to do that,
and it takes really specialized training."
Manatee County
Animal Services only deals with dogs and cats, said Kris Weiskopf, chief of the
animal services division.
"We will
handle injured wildlife, but we do not do any snakes," he said.
Instead, the
county refers callers to a list of local contacts, the phone book's Yellow
Pages under "Pest," or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission. The Manatee County Sheriff's Office does not provide wildlife
removal services.
Frank Gamsky,
a taxidermist and former owner of the Linger Lodge restaurant, has captured
more than 250 venomous snakes in his 40 years living in Florida.
There are four
different venomous snakes in Florida: the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the
coral snake, the pygmy rattler and the cottonmouth snake, he said.
The eastern
diamondback rattlesnake posed a lethal danger to the families, especially to
the Lakewood Ranch toddler and pets, he said.
There are a
handful of rattlesnake bites in the county annually, Leinhauser said.
In the past
several years, there has been only a single fatality known to have been caused
from a rattlesnake bite in the county, he added.
In 2000,
2-year-old Derrick Lema died after being bitten by a 4-foot eastern diamondback
rattlesnake in the backyard of his family's Lakewood Ranch home.
Gamsky, 79,
said he was bitten by a rattlesnake about 15 years ago, which resulted in
several days of hospitalization, 14 shots of anti-venom and more than $18,000
in hospital bills.
THE NATION (Bangkok, Thailand) 05 September
09 Parts
of Khao Yai park closed
Two teams of
forest rangers have been dispatched in both closed areas to look out for the
two reptiles, which are identical and thought to be of a freshwaฌter species, and hunt them down, the Department of
National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said yesterday.
Directorgeneral
Kasemsant Jinnawaso said it would be decided whether further watchout would be
needed, in case both reptiles, once they were caught, were of different sexs,
and could have probably reproduced offsprings already in the area.
Park director
Manote Karnphanakngarn said ten warning signs had been erected and four rangers
stationed in the both areas to warn tourists abou the crocodiles. There are two
crocodiles sighted in the park since 2007 with no reported attacks on humans.
Wellknown
government veterinarian Parnthep Rattanakorn said he was convinced that the two
crocodiles found in the park were pets let loose accidentally or on purpose, as
it was impossible in an animal migration theory that freshwater crocodiles
could live in a habitat like the Khao Yai national park.
He expressed
worry that the existence of freshwater crocodiles could have generated an
ecological impact to the park, in addition to a possibilty that they had already
produced offsprings, or could attack humans while not yet caught.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/09/05/national/national_30111545.php
THE NATION (Bangkok, Thailand) 05 September
09 1
of two large crocodiles at Khao Yai located
Nakhon Ratchasima: Park officials who are hunting for two large
crocodiles in the Khao Yai National Park located one of them Saturday
afternoon.
It was located
at 3 pm near a small creak near the Orchid Cliff.
The park
officials plan to capture the crocodile on Sunday as they need to wait for
specialists first.
Officials have
launched a massive hunt for the crocodiles after they were spotted in the park.
They plan to capture them and release to another park with larger reservoir.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/30111569/1-of-two-large-crocodiles-at-Khao-Yai-located
THE STAR (Petaling Jaya, Malaysia) 05
September 09 Slithery snakes and springy noodles (Philip Hii)
Sibu: Lai Lee
Siew is a household name here. People remember him for three reasons — being the
famous “Snake King” in town, his crime-busting activity and his tasty noodles.
He caught his
first snake almost a quarter of a century ago when he was 16, and has lost
count of how many of these reptiles he has captured with his bare hands.
“On an average,
I catch about seven to eight snakes a month, so it must be about 2,000 by now,”
said Lai while flipping through some old photo albums to show me his biggest
and prized catches.
Ah Siew, as he
is more popularly known, grew up in the Tong Sang Road area.
“Our home was
very close to town but as a boy, I always played near the Lembangan River which
is now the site of Sibu Central Market,” he recalled.
“A nine-foot
python crept into our backyard one day and until today I still wonder how I had
the courage and strength to kill it,” he recalled.
He confessed:
“Those days I was actually a bit scared of snakes.” But unwittingly, that was
the beginning of his quest for the title of “Snake King” of Sibu.
Initially, he
killed and ate the snakes he caught.
“In the old
days, many Chinese and Iban liked to eat snakes because they believed the
animal had medicinal values especially in warming the heart, improving blood
circulation and increasing virility,” Ah Siew explained.
At the urging
of his parents, he stopped eating the snakes and stopped killing them
altogether because according to Chinese folklore, snakes were associated with
evil and sometimes they could be the reincarnation of ancestors or dead
relatives.
“Later, I
learnt that a lot of the snakes are listed as protected animals in Malaysia,”
he added.
Ah Siew said
he read books and watched documentaries to learn about snake-catching. He also
credited retired snake catcher Lim Tien Soon, known as the “Snake King” of Sibu
in the 1980s, for inspiring him.
Among Ah Siew’s
adventures were catching a record 70 snakes over two months and rounding up
eight snakes from one house consisting of an adult female python and several
small pythons.
He hastened to
add that fortunately, most snakes living among the population are not
poisonous. Speaking from experience, he said that snakes were often found in
flood-prone residential areas during the rainy season.
Among some of
his prized catches were two pairs of king cobra about 15-feet long while
pythons as long as 20-feet were quite common-sight for him. Over the years, he
had also acquired the skills of trapping monkeys and other wild animals that
ventured into farms and destroyed crops or killed poultry.
The animals
that he captured are being kept in cages and baskets until he could release
them into the jungles. He hopes the authorities would establish a mini zoo in
Sibu where he can send all these animals.
He said many
of his friends at Sibu Central Market were contributing leftover fruits to feed
the wild animals presently kept on his front porch.
This
father-of-three’s snake-catching reputation has spread even to the peninsula.
He had received telephone calls from people in Kuala Lumpur seeking his advice
on ways to get rid of snakes from their homes and warehouses. He had even
trained a few local artistes to handle snakes as part of their concert
performances. Ah Siew is not just busy catching snakes, which he does for free;
he also helps to catch criminals.
Since joining
the People’s Volunteer Corp (Rela) 10 years ago, he has regularly received
certificates of appreciation from the organisation and the police. Most nights,
he would be out patrolling crime-prone areas with fellow Rela members.
At other
times, he can be found helping his wife at their noodle stall on the first floor
of Sibu Central Market.
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2009/9/5/southneast/4605217&sec=southneast
TIMES-TRIBUNE (Scranton, Pennsylvania) 05
September 09 Rare turtles on the brink (Ben Evans)
Washington: It's a scene that scientists say is all too
common: A commercial fishing boat pulls in a net full of shrimp or tuna and
finds a loggerhead sea turtle mixed in with the catch.
Biologists
like Matthew Godfrey say one or two such takings can happen every day among
fishing fleets off the Southeast coast. Those numbers can add up to thousands
annually for a turtle species that has traveled the oceans for 200 million
years but now faces a growing array of threats.
Mr. Godfrey is
among the authors of the latest federal report on loggerheads that says most
groups of the ancient reptile are at risk of extinction - in large part due to
increased commercial fishing.
The study,
released last month, predicted broad population declines across the globe in
the coming years, including in a nesting area along the southeastern United
States that is one of the world's largest.
"Unfortunately,
a lot of times the target fish habitat and the turtle habitat overlap,"
said Mr. Godfrey, of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
"The turtles are air breathers, so they need to get to the surface. But if
they're tangled up in the net, they can't get to the surface, and they
essentially drown."
Loggerheads
have been listed as a threatened species since 1978. This latest report puts
new pressure on the government to upgrade their status to endangered and
further restrict commercial fisheries.
But even the
increased awareness that an endangered listing would bring might not save the
turtles, which migrate thousands of miles through the sea.
Meaningful
protections require broad global cooperation given the turtles' far-flung
travels. Fishing operators already are chafing under regulations aimed at
protecting the animals, and further restrictions could draw strong opposition
and fresh concerns about hurting coastal economies.
"These
trends are very difficult to reverse. It's like turning a big battleship,"
said Blair Witherington, a research scientist with the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The report was
commissioned by the National Marine Fisheries Service as a result of petitions
from environmental groups, who say the government is moving too slowly to
protect loggerheads and have sued to force stronger actions.
Many of the
authors work for federal agencies that will decide whether to change its status
to endangered.
For the first
time, the study called for dividing loggerhead populations into nine distinct
global populations, a potentially key recommendation that would allow each to
be studied and protected as a separate species.
SLOBODNA DALMACIJA (Split,
Croatia) 05 September 09 Prva ovogodišnja žrtva poskoka: zmija ga
ugrizla dok je brao bajame (Božana Sviličić)
Prvi
ovogodišnji ugriz poskoka zabilježen je u petak u mjestu Žegar kod Obrovca gdje
se s otrovnicom stotinjak metara od kuće «susreo» 68-godišnji Drago Relja.
Poskok ga je
ugrizao za kažiprst lijeve ruke dok je brao bajame sa stabla stotinjak metara
udaljenog od kuće. Iako je u zadarsku Opću bolnicu gdje je primio
serum došao tek šest sati nakon što je sam konopcem podvezao ranu koju je
dezinficirao rakijom i solju, 68-godišnjak se dobro osjeća.
Krenuo sam
dohvatiti bajame koji su bili u pukotini grane ispod nakupine lišća kadli
najednom osjetim ujed. Mislio sam da je glista i tek kada sam malo bolje
pogledao vidim zmiju žutu kao vosak, a na čelu – rog!. Odem kući, podvežem
ranu i vratim se ja na stablo i ubijem poskoka rašljama – kazao je u subotu
68-godišnji Drago Relja dok se oporavljao na Zaraznom odjelu zadarske bolnice
gdje ga je dovezao susjed nakon što je prethodno u Domu zdravlja u Obrovcu
primio infuziju i injekciju.
Nije mene
ugriz isprva ništa bolio, a nije me, da vam pravo kažem, niti bilo strah. Tek
nakon dva sata počeo mi prst otjecati pa sam pozvao susjeda. Sada se dobro
osjećam i ništa me ne boli – pojašnjava 68-godišnjak dodajući kako je
dosad već ubio jednog poskoka koji ga na sreću tada nije ugrizao.
Zbog slabog
sunca poskoci se od 1. do 21. rujna penju na stabla. Znao sam ja to ali ga
nisam vidio zbog lišća – tvrdi mještanin Žegara koji će idućih
dana ostati na promatranju u zadarskoj Općoj bolnici.
Prema
riječima dr. Borisa Dželalije, voditelja zaraznog Odjela Opće bolnice
u Zadru, muškarac se nakon što je primio serum dobro osjeća, te će u
bolnici zbog promatranja provesti nekoliko dana. Dodao je kako je nakon ugriza
poskoka najbolje što prije doći u bolnicu kako bi se spriječile
moguće štete.
Zadnji smrtni
slučaj u zadarskoj bolnici zabilježen je prije tri godine kada je od
posljedica ugriza umrla 69-godišnja mještanka Kruševa kod Obrovca koju je zmija
ugrizla dok je brala travu. Od posljedica ugriza poskoka koji ju je ugrizao
izravno u venu na desnom skočnom zglobu žena je umrla iako je prevezena u
obrovački Dom zdravlja gdje je dobila protuotrov, a odmah nakon toga na
Odjel intenzivne njege u Opću bolnicu Zadar.
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION 04
September 09 Fears mine plan a threat to crocs (Kristy Sexton-McGrath)
An academic
says a planned bauxite mine on the proposed Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve on
western Cape York, in far north Queensland, could destroy crocodile breeding
habitats.
Professor
Craig Franklin from the University of Queensland and Australia Zoo staff have
been surveying crocodile numbers on the Wenlock River near Mapoon.
Cape Alumina
wants to build a bauxite mine south of Mapoon and says it is carrying out
environmental studies to ensure no damage is done to the river or the site.
But Professor
Franklin says any mining activity near the river will have an impact.
"The
Wenlock River and its associated tributaries are regarded in Queensland as
perhaps the most critical habitat and it definitely holds the largest
population of crocodiles and is probably responsible for a very large part of
the recruitment of new crocodiles into the system," he said.
"They are
planning to bring in large barges or ships to transport the bauxite. I'm
extremely concerned that those huge ships and the dredging that will have to
happen to form the port will affect the dispersal and migration of crocodiles
in and out of the Wenlock River system."
Cape Alumina
says crocodile populations in the Wenlock mostly live more than 30 kilometres
away from the proposed mine, and the project would not harm the river or
crocodiles.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/04/2676330.htm
WETHERBY NEWS (UK) 04 September 09 Dobbie
the tortoise returns after trotting off an amazing adventure for 12 days
An adventurous
tortoise has returned home safely after 12 days missing in Shadwell.
Dobbie the
Russian horsefield, who needs an ultraviolet lamp to keep warm, is lucky to be
alive after disappearing from Plane Tree Rise.
The
seven-year-old wandered off through a hole in the fence after owner Sharon
Forrest let him out into the garden for his daily exercise.
Sharon and her
daughters Laura, 17, and Hannah, 14, looked everywhere for Dobbie and even
handed out flyers to neighbours in a bid to find their pet.
They had
almost lost hope when the lucky tortoise – who needs to spend 12 hours a day in
a special tank – turned up in a nearby garden.
Sharon said:
“Looking for him was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He camouflages
well and he might have been hiding under his shell.
“But he just
walked under a neighbour’s fence and started wandering over her feet while she
was outside having a cup of tea.
“Laura sent me
a picture message with Dobbie’s face and the words ‘look who’s back from his
holiday’. I was amazed.”
http://www.wetherbynews.co.uk/wetherby/Dobbie-the-tortoise-returns-after.5615625.jp
INDEX (Budapest, Hungary) 04 September
09 Ritka
gyíkfajtát telepítenek vissza Nagy-Britanniában
Több száz
fürgegyíkbébit engednek szabadon Nagy-Britanniában egy nemzeti kampány
keretében, melynek célja a kihalás szélén álló hüllőfajok védelme, és a
gyíkfajta visszatelepítése eredeti élőhelyére - számolt be a nem
mindennapi akcióról egy helyi természetvédő szervezet.
Anglia egy
Wales egyes részein mintegy négyszáz zöld és barna fürgegyíkot engednek majd
szabadon, a faj a szigetország legnagyobb és legritkább hüllőjének számít
- mondta a The Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (Kétéltűek és
Hüllők Természetvédelmi Szervezete - ARC).
Nagy-Britanniában
egykor mindennapos jelenségnek számítottak a félénk teremtmények, mára azonban
a kedvenc élőhelyeiknek számító homokdűnék és pusztaságok
felszámolása miatt szinte teljesen eltűntek. A városiasodás, a szennyezés,
az éghajlatváltozás és a fokozott gazdasági terjeszkedés szintén megpecsételte
sorsukat.
A hüllők
egyötöde és a kétéltűek egynegyede van veszélyben a kontinensen, derült ki
az Európai Bizottság májusi tanulmányából. A szakértők reményei szerint a
fogságban tenyésztett "új fürgegyík nemzedéknek" nagyobb esélye lesz
a túlélésre, mivel jogszabályok immár védelmet nyújtanak számukra és
élőhelyeik számára is.
"A
fürgegyíkok a szabadon engedése csupán része annak a 133 kezdeményezésnek,
amelyek mind lehetővé teszik, hogy visszapörgessük a hüllők és a
kétéltűek hanyatlásának óráját az Nagy-Britanniában" - mondta Tony Gent,
az ARC elnöke. Az első körben csütörtökön 80 darab, egyenként öt
centiméter hosszú fiatal egyedet engedtek szabadon az északkelet-angliai
Surreyben fekvő természetvédelmi területen.
A brit kormány
szervezeteként működő és a programot támogató Natural England
természetvédelmi szervezet kutatója, Tom Tew elmondta, hogy a mostani szabadon
engedés, az ország biológiai sokféleségének helyreállítását is elősegíti.
"A hüllők és a kétéltűek életére egyre növekvő számú
tényező, így az élőhely elvesztése, a különböző betegségek és az
éghajlatváltozás is komoly hatást gyakorol" - tette hozzá.
A latinul Lacerta agilis névre hallgató zömök
testű, rövid lábú és tompa orrú fürge gyík, kígyókkal, pókokkal és
rovarokkal táplálkozik. A hímek zöld színben pompázó oldala kivilágosodik a
párzási időszak során, mikor is megverekszenek a nőstények kegyeiért.
A hüllőfajta elnevezése ellenére nem tartozik a gyorsléptű gyíkok
közé.
http://index.hu/tudomany/2009/09/04/ritka_gyikfajtat_telepitenek_vissza_nagy-britanniaban/
HUSZADIK SZÁZAD (Irinyi?, Hungary) 04
September 09 Kígyó-szanatórium
Ilyen is van
már. Kígyó-szanatórium, ahol jóltartják, gondosan ellátják a legveszedelmesebb
fajtájú, mérges kígyókat. Természetesen nem a kígyók, hanem az emberiség
érdekében. Ezekben a furcsa szanatóriumokban ugyanis a halálos kígyómarás
elleni szérumot termelik az orvosok és tudósok. Ez a szérum pedig nem más, mint
maga a veszedelmes kígyóméreg, mely az embert immunissá teszi a mérgezéssel
szemben.
A
kígyó-szanatóriumokban tehát féltve őrzik, dúsan táplálják a veszedelmes
hüllőket, hogy minél több mérget, minél több gyógyszert szolgáltassanak az
emberiség számára. Ilyen kígyó-szanatóriumok főként Indiában és Amerikában
vannak. Indiában a kígyómarás áldozatainak száma évente húszezer közel jár és a
megmartak húsz százaléka, tehát négyezer ember belepusztul a mérgezésbe.
Ugyanilyen a
helyzet Dél-Amerika államaiban, ahol szintén rengeteg áldozata van
évről-évre a kígyómarásoknak. Érthető tehát, hogy ezeken a vidékeken
létesítették a szénumtermelő kígyó-szanatóriumokat, amelyek között az
indiaiak is igen híresek, de a világ legkitűnőbb ilyen intézete a
braziliai „Serpentario”.
Sao Paulo
város közelében van ez a hatalmas intézet, melynek parkjában száz és száz
„kígyópalotá”-ban találnak kényelmes otthonra a legrettegettebb kígyófajták.
Valóságos kígyóparadicsom ez, ahol a legnagyobb jólétben fejlődnek és
szaporodnak az emberiség legveszedelmesebb ellenségei. Amikor aztán egy-egy
kígyó méregzacskójában összegyűlt a veszedelmes anyag, egy kis operatív
avatkozásra kerül a sor.
A kiszemelt
kígyót a műtőterembe viszik, ahol a sebészorvos a méregzacskó
tartalmát eltávolítja és edényben fogja fel. Az így nyert friss
kígyóméregből készítik a kígyómarás elleni szérumot, amely már emberéletet
mentett meg a pusztulástól. Az érdekes intézetben a legváltozatosabb kísérletek
folynak.
A
kígyóméreggel majmokat, nyulakat és patkányokat oltanak be és ugyancsak
különféle állatokon próbálják ki először a szérumokat. A legtöbb kígyófajta
mérge ellen megtalálták már a szérumot, de vannak még egyes kobrafajták,
amelyeknek marása ellen nem tudták még felfedezni a biztos ellenszert.
A kísérletek
olyan lankadatlan szorgalommal folynak és a teljes sikerért olyan kiváló
orvosok és vegyészek küzdenek, hogy megvan a remény a teljes győzelemre:
az emberiség rövidesen megszabadul a kígyómarás halálos veszedelmeitől. A
tudomány egyre biztonságosabbá teszi az emberi életet.
A
műtőteremben megnyitják a kígyó méregzacskóját és a kiömlő
méregből készítik a szérumot, kígyómarás ellenszerét.
http://huszadikszazad.hu/index.php?apps=cikk&cikk=19183&rovat=5
WOW! / AZTA!
(Budapest, Hungary) 04 September 09
Béka a dobozos kólában
Az USA
élelmiszer-egészségügyi hatósága (FDA) megerősítette, hogy egy férfi
dobozos kólájában valóban béka testrészei voltak. „Kivizsgáltuk az ügyet –
jelentette a hatóság – és tényleg a kólában lévő idegen anyag, egy béke
maradványa.”
A szerencsés
megtaláló, egy bizonyos Fred DeNegir Ormondo Beachből természetesen
azonnal tévésztár lett. A képernyőn nyilatkozta, hogy egy normális
élelmiszer áruházban vette a nyertes dobozt, és nagy volt a meglepetése,
(értsd: öröme) amikor, kinyitása után egy béka nézett rá.
A legjobb, ami
történhet az emberrel, ha már vett egy akármilyen kólát, hogy azt aztán mégsem
issza meg. Ez megtörtént. Az már hab a tortán, ha azért kíméljük meg az
egészségünket a kóla el nem fogyasztásával, mert valami nem belevalót találunk
az italban.
Ilyenkor
ugyanis - szokás szerint - komoly kártérítésre is számíthat a szerencsés
megtaláló. Kell hozzá egy jó ügyvéd, aki szomjúzza az ilyen eseteket, mert
azokból neki is bőven csurran, cseppen.
http://azta.hu/nagysag-es-kicsinyseg/7924-beka-a-dobozos-kolaban-
INTERLINKS (Russia) 04 September 09 Змеи
повсюду;
виноват
доктор Хаус
Нью-Йорк
заполонили
изображения
змей. Вернее,
изображения
кадуцея - старинного
символического
жезла,
известного
со времен
Древней
Греции и
Рима. Один из
атрибутов
Софии в
христианстве,
кадуцей в оккультных
знаниях
считался
символом ключа,
отворяющего
предел между
тьмой и светом,
добром и
злом, жизнью
и смертью.
Возможно, именно
с последним и
связано то,
что в
современном
мире кадуцей
используется
как символ медицины
- например, в
США.
Но
нынешняя
популярность
кадуцея
обусловлена,
конечно же,
не тем, что
все
нью-йоркцы вдруг
стали
последователями
древнегреческих
верований и высоко
чтят бога
Гермеса -
плута,
ученого, торговца
и
покровителя
глашатаев
(изначально
кадуцей был
жезлов
глашатаев).
Просто началась
промо-кампания
шестого
сезона популярного
сериала House MD, а
ее символом с
легкой руки
самого Хью
Лори было
решено
избрать
кадуцей,
правда,
слегка
видоизмененный.
Поклонники
легко
угадают в
сплетении
змеиных тел
ставшую уже
практически
культовым
аксессуаром
трость Хауса,
а слоган - Snakes on a cane -
как раз в
стиле шоу. В
серии же
промо-фотографий
мы увидим
Хауса не
только с
новой
прической и
«профессорской»
бородкой, но
и обвитого
питонами.
Продюсеры
утверждают,
что в
фотосессии
«участвовали»
настоящие
хищные
пресмыкающиеся
- что, без
сомнения,
свидетельствует
о недюжинной
смелости
актера.
http://www.interlinks.ru/serials-news/3451.html
DAY (Baku, Azerbaijan) 04 September
09 В
2009 году от
укусов
ядовитых
змей в
Азербайджане
пострадали 43
человека
С
начала
летнего
сезона по
сегодняшний
день 43
человека
пострадали
от укусов
ядовитых
змей в
Азербайджане.
Как
передает Day.Az, об
этом сообщил
врач
токсикологического
отделения
больницы
имени
М.Нагиева
Азер Максудов.
По
его словам,
среди
пострадавших,
в основном,
мужчины, а
также
женщины и
дети.
«Зафиксирован
только один
случай
смерти от
укуса
ядовитой
змеи. Случаи
змеиных
укусов
фиксируются
преимущественно
в Аранской
зоне,
Евлахском,
Бардинском,
Лянкяранском,
Астаринском,
Исмаиллинском
и Габалинском
районах
Азербайджана»,-
отметил А.Максудов.
Отметим,
что в 2008 году от
укусов
ядовитых змей
в
Азербайджане
пострадали 63 человека,
в 2007 году - 47
человек.
http://www.day.az/news/society/171174.html
CITY BUSINESS NEWS /新华报业网
(China) 03 September 09 震泽湖荡果然有鳄鱼一米八长暹罗鳄束手就擒 (记者施晓平)
新华报业网讯 吴江市震泽镇钵头漾、徐家漾一带果然有鳄鱼！昨天凌晨， 一条身长1.8米的幼年暹罗鳄束手就擒。 而征服它的秘密武器，是电鱼工具。
一个多月没见实物有人怀疑是否看走眼
7月29日商报报道，有群众反映，吴江市震泽镇八都地区钵头漾一带出现鳄鱼，但消息未经证实。事后又有多位群众称，他们曾亲眼看见鳄鱼出没钵头漾，以及与钵头漾一桥之隔的徐家漾。鉴于鳄鱼不但会吞食放养的鱼虾，而且可能伤害过往群众，一些村民开始自发围捕鳄鱼，吴江相关部门也制订了诱捕计划，诸如在湖荡两头设簖等，但始终没有抓到鳄鱼的一鳞半爪。
为了尽快发现鳄鱼的踪迹，8月18日，村民购买了低毒除草剂“草甘膦”，兑水后喷洒在湖荡边的水草上，开始大规模除草，村民们也加强了夜间巡逻。一些村民还准备了数码相机，准备发现鳄鱼就拍下来，但依然没有发现鳄鱼的踪影。
对此，一些网友开始怀疑，那些声称有鳄鱼存在的群众是否看走了眼。
昨天的成功抓捕，让震泽镇钵头漾、徐家漾一带有鳄鱼的消息得到了最终的证实。
深夜袭击渔民小船小船在河里打起了转
抓住鳄鱼的是一位叫胡立国的盐城渔民。昨天凌晨，胡立国在徐家漾附近河道里捕鱼，意外遭到了鳄鱼的“袭击”。
提起那一幕，打了“胜仗”的胡立国依然心有余悸。他说，当时他正用电鱼工具在河道里捕鱼，突然，小船被什么东西猛撞了一下，船体开始剧烈晃动，船身也在河里打起了转。他猝不及防，连电鱼工具都掉到了水里。情急之下，他连忙蹲下身子，降低重心，以免小船侧翻。
昨天已是农历十四，借着月光和渔灯，逐渐镇定下来的胡立国发现，河面上有一个大家伙在向西面仓皇逃窜。他立即驾船紧追了过去。但到了河道的西面，水面上却不见了大家伙的踪影，胡立国四下张望，最终发现，一棵树下的水底不停冒出水泡，水泡的背后，是一双凶恶的眼睛……
连续一个小时放电鳄鱼终于彻底被麻翻
原来是鳄鱼！
看清了对方狰狞面目的胡立国心里一阵惊慌。但他知道，如果自己调头而走的话，说不定鳄鱼还会攻击他的小船，而且，今后鳄鱼还有可能袭击其他人。想到这里，胡立国决定豁出去，跟鳄鱼拼一拼。
靠什么制服鳄鱼？别无选择的胡立国捞起电鱼工具，把电压调到360伏，向水里电去。在强大的电流刺激下，鳄鱼不停地逃窜、翻滚，并发出比狗叫声还大的咆哮声，但一时半会还是没有被电倒。
胡立国继续放电，来回追赶了3里都不止。经过一个多小时的搏斗，鳄鱼终于被电晕了过去，此时已是凌晨3点。胡立国把鳄鱼捞上船，用电线五花大绑，带到当地村委会。苏醒过来的鳄鱼又开始挣扎，胡立国几乎每5分钟就要电击一次，它才重新变老实。
昨天一早，闻讯赶来的吴江农林部门将鳄鱼取走，送往昆山千灯一家拥有养殖资质的饲养场。经测量和鉴定发现，这是一条幼年暹罗鳄，大约2-3岁，身长1.8米，体重35斤。
至于钵头漾、徐家漾一带是否还有其他鳄鱼，相关部门目前还在调查中。
暹罗鳄原产于暹罗(泰国的旧称)一带，苏州没有野生的暹罗鳄。前几年，震泽唯一具有鳄鱼养殖许可证的水产养殖企业华鑫集团曾饲养过32条暹罗鳄，但这些鳄鱼据称已由广东供应方全部回收。
我市水产专家陈文怡介绍，在现存的二十一种鳄鱼中，只有两种是“吃人不吐骨头”的著名的食人鳄，一种是湾鳄，一种是尼罗鳄。暹罗鳄一般不会对人
类构成危害，但当它们认为自己受到袭击时，也会攻击人类，泰国甚至有人被咬掉了脚，所以大家不要轻易接近这种动物，更不能将它们放到野外。如果有暹罗鳄逃亡在外，应尽快捕捉归案。
相关链接
暹罗鳄也叫暹罗淡水鳄、新加坡小型鳄。成年鳄体长3～4米。幼体金褐色，尾部有黑色条纹，野外分布于越南、老挝、缅甸、泰国、柬埔寨、文莱、马来西亚、印度尼西亚等地。
暹罗鳄栖息于热带及亚热带地区的沼泽地、河流保护地段中水流缓慢的区域、湖泊等淡水水域，以及咸淡水水域等。以鱼类为食，也吃两栖动物、爬行动物和小型哺乳动物。 10岁左右达到性成熟。
暹罗鳄浑身是宝，肉、骨、甲及内脏含有丰富的优质蛋白质和人体所必需的氨基酸、不饱和脂肪酸、维生素及多种微量元素，因此近年被大量人工饲养，供人食用。
http://js.xhby.net/system/2009/09/03/010579747.shtml
WESTERN INFORMATION COOPERATION /
ЗАХІДНА
IНФОРМАЦІЙНА
КОРПОРАЦІЯ
(Lviv, Ukraine) 02 September 09 В
Карпатах
увеличилось
количество
змей: за 7
месяцев они
укусили 43
человека
Этим
летом
Карпаты
привлекают к
себе внимание
не
живописными
местами, а
сообщениями
о небывалом
увеличении
там
количества опасных
пресмыкающихся.
Об этом
сообщили в МЧС
Украины.
В
частности, 17
августа в
лесу возле с.
Либохора
Сколевского
района, на
Львовщине, во
время
кошения
травы змея
укусила
жителя с.
Тухля. Чуть
раньше, в середине
июля, нашли
гнездо гадюк
в центре Ивано-Франковска.
В этом году в
городе змей
заметили
впервые.
Всего
в западных
регионах
Украины за 7
месяцев
зарегистрировано
43 случая
укусов людей
змеями.
Карпатский
регион
населяют
пять видов змей,
среди
которых
четыре
принадлежат
к семейству
ужей, а,
следовательно,
неядовитые. Ошибочно
к ядовитым
змеям
причисляют и
медянку,
которая
также
относится к
семейству ужовых
и занесена в
Красную
книгу.
Единственная
ядовитая
змея в
Украине –
гадюка, хотя
даже ее укус
не является
смертоносным:
количество
яда, который
она
впрыскивает
в жертву,
достаточно
мало.
Эксперты
говорят, что
организм
человека в состоянии
преодолеть
последствия
укусов змей,
которые
живут в
Украине. Такое
выздоравливания
продлится
несколько дней
и будет
сопровождаться
лихорадкой и
трясучкой.
Нет смысла
высасывать
яд, прижигать
рану и
накладывать
жгуты выше
места укуса,
как советуют
во многих
инструкциях.
Яд впрыскивается
на глубину 1,2-1,5
см в ткани
тела и распространяется
лимфатической
системой, а не
кровеносными
сосудами,
поэтому
пытаться
достать ее
бесполезно, а
жгут может
только
пережать
вены под
поверхностью
кожи и вызвать
падение
артериального
давления, головокружение
и обмороки.
Если уж с
вами случилось
это
неприятное
происшествие,
то следует
обездвижить
конечность,
наложив шину,
чтобы
замедлить
распространение
яда, пить
больше
жидкости для
скорейшего
выведения ее
из организма.
И
все же
гораздо
эффективнее
народных
методов
являются
сыворотка. Ее
производят
из крови
лошадей,
которым вводили
змеиный яд.
Но, как
говорят
жители Карпат,
лучше
относиться к
змеям с
уважением – тогда
и они не
станут вас
трогать.
http://www.zik.com.ua/ru/news/2009/09/02/194673
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA (New Delhi)
31 August 09 Man-eater crocodile captured in Orissa
Kendrapara
(Orissa) (PTI): A man-eater crocodile
has been captured from Orissa's Kendrapara district.
The aquatic
reptile, which had strayed into human habitations and killed villagers in the
district, was caught on Saturday from Brahmani river in Keredagada village near
Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary, forest department officials said.
A group of
skilled fishermen were entrusted with work to capture the crocodile which had
killed six persons in the district, they said, adding that it was later set
free in the sanctuary.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/257144_Man-eater-crocodile-captured-in-Orissa
THE INDEPENDENT (London, UK) 31 August 09 Endangered
crocodiles get a lake to call their own - Local residents had to be persuaded
not to hunt and kill the reintroduced reptiles (Lewis Smith)
Members of the
world's most threatened crocodile species have been re-introduced into the wild
in a scheme that many supporters had feared "could never be done".
Fewer than 100
fully grown Philippine crocodiles survive in the wild and the species, Crocodylus mindorensis, is on the brink
of extinction. But now conservationists have released 50 juvenile Philippine
crocodiles which were raised in captivity into a lake on Luzon, the largest
island in the Philippines.
Crocodiles
have been bred in captivity by the Philippines government since 1987 but no one
had dared release any of the creatures until now. Many conservationists said
the project would not work because so many of the locals feared and hated the
animals that any released crocodiles would be hunted down and slaughtered. It
finally went ahead after researchers spent a decade working with local people
to convince them to allow the crocodiles to live in peace.
The larger and
more deadly saltwater crocodile is also found in the Philippines and its
presence has contributed to many people's hatred of the reptiles and their
eagerness to kill them. Calling someone a crocodile in the local language is
regarded as a gross insult.
Jan van der
Ploeg, of Leiden University in the Netherlands, who helped lead the programme,
said: "We had to make sure the threats to the species were addressed and
that local people were supportive. People still killed them out of fear, for
food or for fun. They would kill them to make sure they wouldn't eat livestock
or children.
"That we
were able to bring these animals out of the farm into the wild for the first
time is a great step. For a long time it was thought you couldn't reintroduce
them because of the rural population of people. Now we have done it."
Merlijn van
Weerd of the Mabuwaya Foundation, who led the project, said: "Many
conservationists had already given it up. So apart from establishing a viable
wild population of Philippine crocodiles the reintroduction also shows there is
hope for Philippine biodiversity at large."
The crocodile,
which is only found in the Philippines, is much rarer than the giant panda, the
orang-utan or the black rhino, he said. The species used to be common
throughout the archipelago but is now restricted to a handful of small islands.
Demand for
crocodile-skin handbags and shoes during the 1960s and 1970s was a prime factor
in the species being driven almost to extinction. Other threats include the use
of dynamite by fishermen to kill or stun fish, which often simultaneously kills
or maims the crocodiles. But loss of habitat is the single biggest threat,
driven by destruction of the rainforests to make way for rice paddies.
The young
crocodiles that were released into the wild at Lake Dicatian were about 4ft
(1.2m) long and when fully grown should reach 10ft. Despite their fearsome
armoury of flesh-tearing teeth, the animals only attack people when provoked.
Fish, shrimps, snails, rats, and snakes are their main prey but adults will
take chickens and dogs if given the opportunity.
Lake Dicatian
is part of the Northern Sierra Madre National Park which is the crocodile's
most important sanctuary. It was chosen for the release in part because no
humans live immediately beside it. However, a campsite and observation tower
have been built close to the lake in the hope of attracting eco-tourists to the
area.
Ten of the
released crocodiles were fitted with radio transmitters which allow scientists
to follow the animals' movements and see how well they adapt to their new home.
Little is known about the behaviour and needs of the species and the data is
expected to provide important information that can be used to improve the
success rates of future reintroductions.
The
reintroduction programme is supported by several UK conservation organisations,
including the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation, which provided funding, and
Flora and Fauna International.
The project is
part of the Conservation Leadership Programme, a coalition of conservation
organisations and BP, which is involved in schemes to help wildlife around the
world.
Kiragu Mwangi
of Birdlife International, one of the partner groups, said: "This is a
great achievement for the project and provides hope for the future of the
Philippine crocodile."
The crocodiles
released into the wild on 31 July were raised at the Palawan Wildlife Rescue
and Conservation Centre and the reintroduction programme was managed by the
Mabuwaya Foundation, both in the Philippines.
SHENZHEN EVENING NEWS / 深圳晚报 (China) 31 August 09 “这只灵龟有300岁！”嗨！骗谁呢？
这只“龙龟”开价800元。
昨天上午，读者李先生致电本报，急切地说： “有人在福田农批市场附近卖一只300年的野生老乌龟。 这灵龟不能卖啊，应该送到野生动物保护站。 ”记者马上赶到福田农批市场，见到了这只老龟和卖龟人。 最后查实，“300年灵龟”是假的。
“这龟长相挺稀奇”
昨天早上，李先生在福田农批市场正门看到一个男子拎着一只长相奇特的乌龟在卖。李先生说，他是从未见过这样的龟：背上有突起的棱角，尾巴上也有突起，身体有半个脸盆大，皮质粗糙，应该是野生的。
“啥老乌龟啊，骗人的”
接到报料后，记者立即赶到现场。附近的工作人员和摊贩听闻此事后却说：“嗨，啥300年的老乌龟啊，就是一堆骗子，专找傻瓜骗。”还有人说：“这里还有卖假野生龙胆草的，骗子说可以治心脏病，上次一个老头被骗走了800多块钱。”
记者随后找到了这位红衣卖龟人。仔细一瞧，这个大乌龟长相的确奇特。红衣男子说，他是在梧桐山附近工地发现的，至少有70岁了，是“龙龟”，卖价800元。
记者咨询了爱龟人士刘先生。刘先生说：“这种龟的确不常见，是外国品种，是小佛罗里达鄂龟。那些骗子专门挑这种不太常见的乌龟行骗。这种龟其实也就一两百元。”
http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2009-08-31/085616213674s.shtml
KALINGA TIMES (Bhubaneswar, India) 30 August
09 Rogue
crocodile captured by forest staff in Odisha
Kendrapara: Residents of a remote village of this coastal
Odisha district have heaved a sigh of relief with the state forest department
capturing a rogue and man-eating crocodile that had trespassed into habitation
areas.
A group of
skilled fishermen were especially pressed into service for the operation that
was carried out on Saturday. And the straying croc was caught deftly by the
group near Keredagada village on the downstream of Brahmani River near
Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary.
The croc had
made its way into a pond in the heart of the village. The alert villagers had
spotted the wild reptile and panic had spread across the village.
After being
informed, the forest department swung into action and immediately dispatched
the team to ensure villagers' safety, said a forest official.
The rampaging crocs
in recent past have devoured six humans. Last week alone preying crocs, who
strayed from their habitats into water bodies in and around the human
settlements, killed two persons in peripheral village of Bhitarkanika wildlife
sanctuary.
“The fishermen
group deployed by the department caught the croc alive by nets. The exercise
lasted for about half-an-hour. The awe-struck villagers watched the operation.
The trespassing reptile had caused no harm either to human life or to domestic
animal. However it is being believed that it was a man-eater,” the official
said.
The animal was
later released in the wild at a place far-off from the human habitations in the
core areas of the sanctuary, added sources.
The skilled
fishermen groups especially entrusted with disciplining rogue crocs are
adhering to localized indigenous technique. The groups have chased back a
number of straying crocodiles.
The deployed
fishermen, divided into four groups are stationed along the vulnerable
croc-infested water bodies. The group on boats and armed with bamboo sticks put
to use their expertise and chase the animals. If by chance the mission fails,
they are forced to net the crocodiles. Later the trapped animal is brought back
and released in Bhitarkanika's habitat, narrated the officials.
http://www.kalingatimes.com/odisha_news/news2009/20090830_Rogue_crocodile_captured.htm
BIJSKIJ WORKER' /
БИЙСКИЙ
РАБОЧИЙ
(Russia) 28 August 09 Змеи в
Приобском
районе
города
Бийска (Татьяна
Чуй)
Опасное
соседство
Змеи
замечены в
Приобском
районе,
заречье и
садоводстве
«Олеумщик»
Статья
про
нашествие
змей в
садоводстве
«Медик»
вызвала у
наших
читателей
состояние, близкое
к небольшой
панике. Даже
несмотря на
то, что
бийские
спасатели
успокоили:
никакой
угрозы нет и
сигналов о
встречах с гадюками
тоже. Однако
читатели
сообщили нам
сразу о
нескольких
случаях
столкновений
со змеями,
причем в
разных
частях
города.
Приобский
район
Конечно,
ползучие
большей
частью
облюбовали
именно
частный
сектор на
городских окраинах
и
садоводства.
Однако в начале
лета один из
наших
читателей
увидел змею
прямо на
улице
Воинов-Интернационалистов.
- Я
на машине
ехал, -
говорит
Анатолий. -
Вдруг смотрю
- что-то через
дорогу
перемещается.
Издалека не
понял, что
именно. А
поближе
подъехал -
змея. Жуткое,
надо вам
сказать,
зрелище.
Змея-то
достаточно
большая была.
Да еще,
считай, в
самом центре
города.
Заречье
В
заречной
части города
(непосредственно
- на улице
Садовой)
жители
частного
сектора со
змеей тоже
столкнулись
на улице.
Однако они
решили не
мириться с таким
соседством.
Это
моя жена
увидела, -
рассказал
нам по телефону
Виктор
Храмочкин. -
Змея ползла
со стороны
насыпи,
которую
сделали,
чтобы погреб не
заливало.
Супруга
такой
встречи не
испугалась.
Дело в том,
что в детстве
в деревне она
с матерью
ужика прикармливала.
Оттого и к
виду змей
более-менее
привычная.
Недолго
думая, жена
взяла лопату
да и
перерубила
ее. Я потом
посмотрел, а
в пасти зуб
ядовитый
торчит. Сама
змея была
темно-серого
цвета, почти
черная.
Уверен - это
гадюка. Я сам
из Средней
Азии, где
этого добра
много. Оттого
в змеях
чего-то
понимаю.
А
вообще, я так
считаю: все
эти твари от
мусора,
которым
бийчане
просто
завалились.
Почаще у себя
во дворе и на
улице
убирайте, глядишь,
и грызунов,
змей меньше
станет.
Садоводство
«Олеумщик»
Это
садоводство
находится в
нагорной
части за районом
частного
сектора
Мочище (по
маршруту № 11).
Оказывается,
и здесь в
последнее
время часто
видят змей.
Причем, как
утверждают
члены
садоводства,
именно
черных. А
значит, вполне
возможно, что
это гадюки.
Об этом нам
рассказала
читательница
Анна Карцева.
Раньше
у нас в садах
тоже
встречались
змеи, но
редко, а в
этом году
прямо
нашествие
какое-то, -
говорит Анна
Ивановна. -
Нынче летом
обнаружила,
что под
крыльцом
завелась
ползучая. Но
пока, похоже,
маленькая: длиной
с полметра,
толщиной -
полтора
сантиметра,
черного
цвета. Мы
видели, как
она ползла к
соседям - те
орехи
выращивают. С
тех пор, как
узнали о
таком
соседстве, по
огороду, хоть
он у нас и не
заросший, с
опаской
передвигаемся:
все больше в
сапогах или
ботинках. И я
вам точно
говорю - это
не уж, а гадюка.
А
буквально на
днях к нам в
редакцию
обратилась
другая
жительница
города, у
которой дача
также в
садоводстве
«Олеумщик».
Испуганная
женщина в
слезах
просила
помощи.
Вчера
вечером в мой
домик
заползла змея.
И теперь
боюсь туда
идти, чтоб
выгнать, -
рассказывала
нам
Валентина
Федоровна. - Позвонила
я спасателям,
а те сказали,
что приехать
не могут,
потому что
специалистов
по змеям у
них нету.
Помогите!
Ведь у меня
не уж, а
какая-то
ядовитая
гадина.
Сергей
Зиновьев,
дежурный
ЕДДС Бийской
службы
спасения,
подтвердил,
что такой
звонок поступал,
и они на
самом деле на
помощь не выехали.
Единственное,
что сделали
спасатели, так
это передали
телефон
бийчанки в
милицию,
чтобы на
садовый
участок
наведался
участковый.
Видимо, он и
есть
единственный
человек,
который не
только от
дебоширов да
грабителей
может спасти,
но еще и от
непрошеных ползучих
гостей.
Змеи
всякие нужны
Конечно,
вид у
ползучих,
мягко говоря,
непривлекательный.
Но нужно
понимать, что
подобно всем
диким
животным
пресмыкающиеся
составляют
часть
естественного
богатства страны,
необходимого
для нашего
выживания. И они,
кстати,
приносят
реальную
пользу. Например,
ужи
превосходно
охотятся на
грызунов.
Весьма
значимое
место в
природе
занимает и
гадюка,
требующая
если не
любви, то
уважения и к
себе, и к
своему
местообитанию.
К
тому же надо
понимать, что
та же гадюка
просто так
никогда не
нападет. А
вот если вдруг
вы вздумаете
ее
преследовать
или нечаянно
наступите ей
на хвост, то -
запросто.
Поэтому будьте
осторожны и
благоразумны,
и все будет в
порядке.
PRIME MEDIA (Vladivostok, Russia) 28 August
09 Владивосток
кишит
ползучими
гадами - Количество
змей,
пойманных за
лето в
краевой столице,
уже
превысило 180
особей
Владивосток: Количество
змей,
пойманных во
Владивостоке
в этом
сезоне, уже
превысило 180
особей, что значительно
больше, чем в
прошлом году
в это же
самое время,
сообщает
газета
"Владивосток".
Нынешнее
лето не
совсем
обычное.
Сначала было
сыро и
холодно, а затем
резко
потеплело. И
это стало
сигналом для
рептилий,
которые
отсиживались
в укромных
местах. Как
отметил
герпетолог
Виктор
Литвинцев,
почти
половина
всего улова –
ядовитые
змеи.
К
примеру, в
среду Андрей
Поликарпов
поймал на
улице
Короткой
(Садгород) восточного
щитомордника.
От своего
собрата –
каменистого
щитомордника
он отличается
не только
коричнево-серым
окрасом (брюшко
у него –
бело-чёрно-коричневое
с пятнышками),
но и
агрессивностью.
Таких гадов
лучше в руки
не брать. У
каменистого
щитомордника
окрас
оранжево-коричневый
с бурыми
полосами. Это
ядовитая
змея, и
встреча с
такой рептилией
может
завершиться
плачевно.
Сейчас
у змей сезон
размножения,
и они выползают
погреться,
пугая своим
видом горожан.
По
всем
вопросам
отлова
непрошеных
гостей
обращаться
по телефону 02.
http://primamedia.ru/news/28.08.2009-105417/p=
ALLEHANDA (Örnsköldsvik, Sweden) 27 August 09 Var finns snokarna? (Anders Lidén)
Snoken verkar
nu vara helt försvunnen ur den Västernorrländska faunan. I varje fall enligt
den inventering som Stockholms universitet genomfört i sommar.
Hur sällsynt
snoken är har forskarna dock haft dåligt grepp om, och därför arbetar man med
att lära sig mer om djurens fortplantning och utbredning.
Därför har man
också bett om tips på var snokar finns och har kontaktat ett stort antal
jordbruk, utan resultat. Det nordligaste fyndet forskarna gjort är från
Enånger.
Stockholms
universitet har dock inte helt gett upp chansen att hitta snokar längre norrut
och planerar därför att göra ett nytt försök nästa år. Då hoppas man också
kunna komma igång lite tidigare och dessutom få fler tips om var snok
eventuellt brukar hålla till.
Om någon
läsare känner till var det finns snokar tar länsstyrelsen gärna emot tips om
detta.
http://allehanda.se/start/kramfors/1.1308866
RTL HÍREK (Budapest, Hungary) 26 August 09 Műtét
előtt a sziámi iker csörgőkígyók - Szétválasztás nélkül nem
maradnának életben a vadonban
Két
összenőtt gyémánthátú csörgőkígyót találtak pár napja az egyesült
államokbeli Tucsonban egy építkezésen. A férfi, aki rábukkant a kígyókra,
rögtön felvette a kapcsolatot a Sivatagi Múzeum állatgondozójával.
A múzeum
szakértői megvizsgálták a különös lényt, és azt mondták, a két hüllő
a nyakánál lévő puha szövetnél nőtt össze. Mindkét állat külön fejjel
és külön belső szervvel rendelkezik. Tehát hivatalosan nem egy
kétfejű kígyóról van szó.
Hüllőkre
szakosodott állatorvosok műtéttel fogják kettéválasztani a bizarr
külsejű élőlényeket hamarosan. A múzeum biológusai ugyanis azt
mondták, ez elkerülhetetlen, hiszen szétválasztás nélkül nem maradnának életben
a vadonban. A kígyók valószínűleg egymást akadályoznák, mivel a két kígyó
két külön álló agya állandóan különböző, olykor pont ellenkező
információkat közölne. Így megnehezítenék, „megkeserítenék” egymás életét.
A kígyók
jelenleg 20 centi körüliek, és kb. olyan vastagok, mint egy ceruza.
Az orvosok
kicsit agggódnak a műtét miatt, hiszen a mérges kígyókat nagyon nehéz
altatni, mert harapnak.
http://www.rtlhirek.hu/cikk/279209
SIBKRAY / СИБКРАЙ (Novosibirsk,
Russia) 26 August 09 В
области
наблюдается
нашествие гадюк
Гадюка
кусают
каждого, кто
нечаянно
потревожит
ее покой. Яд
змеи, помимо
мощного токсического
действия,
влияет на
кровь, разрушая
эритроциты.
Кроме того,
могут
возникнуть
осложнения
на почки.
Исполняющий
обязанности
заведующего
хирургическим
отделением
центральной
больницы
Тогучинского
района Роман
Федоров
рассказал,
что только в
этом районе
уже
зарегистрировано
четверо
пострадавших
от укусов
гадюк. Двое
из них – дети.
Им
повезло, что
помощь
подоспела
вовремя, -говорит
доктор, -
поэтому
последствий
как таковых
нет. В
отделении
имеется противоядие
«Антигадюка»,
которое
доступно каждому
обратившемуся
к нам.
Как
сообщает
«Тогучинская
газета», с
каждым годом
ядовитых
пресмыкающихся
в районе только
прибавляется.
Возможно, что
масштабная
вырубка
деревьев,
лесные
пожары,
уменьшение
площади сенокосов
заставляют
пресмыкающихся
осваивать
новые
территории.
Плюс свою
роль играют
климатические
условия,
когда после
непродолжительных
плюсовых
температур
длительное
время идут
дожди и
увеличивается
влажность
воздуха, что
является
отличными
условиями
для размножения
змей. Гадюки
даже не
стесняются
пробираться
в дома,
устраивают
свои гнезда
на
приусадебных
участках…
По
словам
специалистов,
яд
обыкновенной
гадюки
вопреки
устоявшемуся
мнению – не
смертелен.
Если только
змея,
например, не
укусит в
голову
годовалого
ребенка.
Плотные
брюки,
закрытая
обувь - вот
ваша форма
одежды.
Решили
заняться прополкой
- не забудьте
надеть
перчатки. Если
змея и
прокусит
ткань,
концентрация
яда будет
намного
меньше. А вот
совсем
извести
гадюк не
реально.
По
словам
начальника
отдела
природных ресурсов
и охраны
окружающей
среды
Тогучинского
района
Михаила
Выжитовича, к
сожалению, не
существует
никаких
методов
химической
борьбы со
змеями, не
действуют
здесь и ультразвуковые
отпугиватели.
Я
считаю, что
нельзя с ними
бороться,
ведь природа
сама всё
отрегулирует.
Лучше просто
соблюдать
меры
предосторожности,
защищаться.
А
как
защищаться?
Завести ежа –
вот первое, что
приходит в
голову
обладателю
участка со
змеями.
Первый
раз слышу про
ежей.
Сомневаюсь,
что это
поможет. Ведь
еж активен
ночью, а змеи -
днем. И шансы
встретиться
у них
невелики.
Поэтому вот
вам более эффективный
метод борьбы.
Все
потенциальные
укрытия надо
уничтожить:
это завалы строительного,
садового
мусора,
какие-то глубокие
ходы в
подвалы,
компостные
ямы, старые
пни и так
далее, где
существуют
системы нор.
И не
пытайтесь
шуметь в
лесу, чтобы
отпугнуть
змей. Так
можно только
соседних грибников
распугать. А
змея - она
глухая и реагирует
только на
вибрацию.
Если вы рисковый
человек, то
можете
заставить ее
уползти,
сильно топая
по земле. Но
имейте в
виду: по мягкой
торфяной
подстилке
эти
колебания не
распространяются.
Поэтому на
торфяные болота
либо вообще
ни ногой,
либо ногой,
обутой в
резиновый
сапог. И
помните:
главный инструмент
грибника -
это палка. Ею
нужно исследовать
пространство
вокруг гриба,
прежде чем
хвататься за
него голыми
руками.
Кстати,
в
Новосибирской
области,
кроме гадюки
обыкновенной,
ядовитых
змей нет.
http://sibkray.ru/news/2009-8-27/4572/
THE TELEGRAPH (Calcutta, India) 25 August
09 Human-reared
crocodiles prey on humans (Lalmohan
Patnaik)
Cuttack: An unintended horror has visited villages
around the Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary as a conservation programme that
“rears and releases” crocodiles threatens to go wrong.
Endangered
saltwater crocodiles are gliding out of the sanctuary’s rivers and creeks at
will to hunt for humans in the neighbourhood, with wildlife experts blaming a
fault in the conservation project. They stressed that conservation itself is a
laudable objective but the possible loophole should be plugged.
All reptiles
tend to return to their birthplace, an expert said, and at Bhitarkanika, the
crocodiles are being released too far away from where they are being hatched,
causing them to stray as they try to return.
Lying in wait
near the banks of rivers they are entering, the reptiles have killed and eaten
three villagers in the past 20 days, terrorising a population of 30,000 living
downstream of the river Brahmani. The crocodiles have been hunting on ground
too, even dragging people off their crop fields.
The forest
department hired squads of skilled fishermen a month ago to beat back straying
crocodiles. But the killings have continued in Rajnagar and Rajkanika, some
80km from here in coastal Kendrapara, with villagers alleging the government
“cares more for crocodiles than human beings”.
Saltwater or
estuarine crocodiles are one of the world’s largest and fiercest predators, can
grow up to 20 feet and 1.5 tonnes, and are capable of explosive charges from
water or over land.
Sanjukta
Behera, 30, became the latest victim on Saturday, pulled into the river which
flows near the backyard of her home in Mahuri village.
“Sanjukta and
I had walked to the river to wash utensils. The crocodile was hiding in the
undergrowth,” said Rebati Behera, 32. “Sanjukta did not notice the animal till
it pounced on her.”
The villagers
protested against the crocodile conservation programme in front of the local
block office later in the day. “The government has been lukewarm to our
protests. It seems to care more for crocodiles than human beings,” said
Niranjan Behera.
Biswajit
Mohanty, secretary, Wildlife Society of Orissa, explained the government’s
mistake.
“The hatching
is being done at one place (Dangmahal) and the release at another (Bausagada,
12km to 19km away). The crocodiles are returning to their original place of
hatching, resulting in overcrowding. The hatching should have been distributed
over the area where they plan to release the reptiles,” he said.
Mohanty added
that the depletion of food for the crocodiles because of unchecked illegal
fishing was also driving them out of their habitat into the Brahmani, and
onwards into the Kharashrota, Hansua and Gobari rivers that flow near villages.
Officials of
the Rajnagar forest division admit that complaints are pouring in about
crocodile attacks.
Anadi Barik,
60, was killed while taking an early-morning bath in the river at Ranipokhari
on August 10. Chanchala Digal, 50, was killed at Trilochanpur on August 4.
Earlier, Bidyadhar Rout, 25, of Barajapur and Debendra Kumar Das, 24, of Vekta
had been dragged from their fields.
“We have hired
four groups of four fishermen each on yearly contracts. Their job is to find
the straying reptiles and chase them back into the Bhitarkanika river system,”
said Manas Ranjan Parida, a forest range officer in Kendrapada.
The latest
census had counted 1,572 estuarine crocodiles in Bhitarkanika, one of them the
planet’s largest crocodile at 7.1 metres or 23 feet.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090825/jsp/frontpage/story_11405406.jsp
NORRBOTTENS-KURIREN (Luleå,
Sweden) 24 August 09 Rutpytonorm omhändertogs (Linda Kask)
Boden: En 170 centimeter lång rutpyton är ingen
vanlig syn på gator och torg. Men tidigt på lördagsmorgonen omhändertogs en i
centrala Boden. Ormen uppmärksammades av förbipasserande när den ringlade sig
fram efter Drottninggatan i centrala Boden. Polispatrull kallades till platsen
och kunde, efter att expertis konsulterats, omhänderta rymlingen. Sedan fick
den vila ut hos Roland Ejerfors på Rolles Akvariecenter i Luleå. Ormen är ett
riktigt praktexemplar, meddelar han.
Den har nog
inte varit på rymmen särskilt länge. Den är i god kondition, fin i hullet, pigg
och glad.
För en med
ringa kunskaper i ormars liv och leverne kan det vara svårt att förstå hur en
orm beter sig när den är pigg och glad.
Den är aktiv,
klar i ögonen och den använder tungan, förklarar Roland Ejerfors.
Rutpytonormen
är inte giftig. Den livnär sig på gnagare och i vilt tillstånd även på fåglar.
Rutpytonormen kramar ihjäl sina byten. Den är van vid betydligt varmare klimat
än det svenska och finns på Nya Guinea, i Indonesien och Australien.
Det är en trädlevande rackare. Den har ingen egen
kroppstemperatur och fixar inte vårt klimat. Hade det varit lite mer höst här
nu hade ormen snabbt frusit ihjäl, säger Roland Ejerfors.
Han uppskattar
att djuraffärens nya inneboende är omkring tre-fyra år gammal.
På
söndagskvällen hade fortfarande ingen gjort anspråk på ormen. Roland Ejerfors
uppger att han låter den stanna i hans förvar tills dess att ägaren hör av sig.
Om så inte sker kommer den att säljas.
http://www.kuriren.nu/nyheter/artikel.aspx?articleid=5031289
REDNET /红网 (Shaoyang, China) 20 August 09 湖南绥宁发现中华小鲵 曾和恐龙同住地球（通讯员袁光汉）
Photo: 中华小鲵体长约10厘米，皮肤呈黑色
近日，在湖南省绥宁县黄桑自然保护区周围多条溪河段发现了濒临灭绝的珍稀动物中华小鲵。这种小鲵体长约10厘米，皮肤呈黑色，腹部有黄褐色斑，重量在200克左右。据当地村民反映，很多没有保护意识的村民每天用麻鱼机在此电捉小鲵，数量惊人。
据资料显示：中华小鲵是一种两栖爬行动物，中国特有的珍贵野生动物，有着3亿年生存历史，与恐龙同处一个发展时代，现存数目极为稀少。1986年，它与大熊猫一起被列入《中国濒危动物红皮书》。如此珍贵的动物希望有关部门加强保护，设立必要的保护区。
http://hn.rednet.cn/c/2009/08/20/1811377.htm
ÖSTERBOTTENS TIDNING (Jakobstad,
Finland) 20 August 09 Huggormen lurade under deras sang (Julia
Holmvik)
Ormbesök: Det är inte ovanligt att ormar smiter in i
hus via öppna dörrar. För Ingvald och Ann-Mari Wik hade en stor och dräktig
huggormshona gömt sig i sovrummet vid sommarstugan.
En
lördagseftermiddag för omkring två veckor sedan fick paret Wik en ordentlig
överraskning när de var ute på sommarstugan vid huvudsjön i Esse.
Ingvald låg
ute och solade i trädgården och Ann-Mari hade gått in för att hämta något från
sovrummet.
Jag sprang skrikande ut ur villan. Ingvald trodde mig inte när jag sa
att det fanns en stor orm i sovrummet, säger fru Wik när hon berättar om hur en
huggorm uppenbarade sig nära sängfötterna.
Hur ormen
kommit in i stugan vet ingen annan än ormen själv. Teorier finns.
Några dagar
tidigare hade Invald burit in ett kylskåp via köksdörren till sommarstugan.
Ormen hade troligtvis lyckats smita in, eftersom dörren legat på glänt ganska
länge.
Ormen hade
säkert sökt sig så långt in i stugan som möjligt för att söka skydd. Den måste
ha legat under sängen några dagar, säger Invald.
Det var den
största orm vi sett. Den var grå och grov så det måste ha varit en hona.
Hanarna är mörkare, fortsätter han.
Inte nog med
att huggormen var stor och grov, den var troligtvis dräktig också.
Följande dag
ringde vi till en god vän som jobbar på naturväktarna och enligt honom tyder
allt på att ormhonan skulle föda. Det är möjligt att hon kröp in just därför,
säger Ingvald.
Vi hade tur.
Tänk om ormen hade sprutat ur sig ungar också, säger Ann-Mari.
Paret Wik har
barnbarn som varit på besök till villan. Även om huggormen inte hann bita
någon, så var Ingvald och Ann-Mari tvungna att avliva den.
Det var det enda alternativet. I naturen får ormarna gärna
vara i fred, men det passar sig inte att ha dem under sin säng, tycker Ingvald.
Efter
ormscenariot har paret Wik noga kontrollerat området kring villan.
Det kan hända
vem som helst. Vi vill uppmana folk att vara försiktiga. Det gäller att spana
efter ormar så väl inomhus som utomhus, säger Ingvald.
Enligt biolog
Niclas Fritzén på Västra Finlands miljöcentral, är det inte alls så ovanligt
som man kan tro att ormar smiter in i sommarstugor och hus.
Ormar tycker
om att ligga vid dörrarna, troligtvis på grund av värmen från huset. Om man har
dörren öppen kan de smita in, säger Fritzén.
Det har varit
varmt och mycket sork i år. Det skapar goda förutsättningar för rikligt med
orm, menar Vincent Westrström på Västra Finlands miljöcentral i Vasa.
http://www.ot.fi/story.aspx?linkID=81556&storyID=46862
XINMIN NET / 新民网 (China)
18 August 09 71岁老伯钓到9.5公斤大乌龟
本报讯 “南北湖钓到19斤重的大乌龟，现养在得主家里。”8月16日晚， 记者根据市民来电并经多方打听得知， 钓到这只大乌龟的是家住南北湖石帆村的71岁老伯汤惠华。 这只龟几天前在南北湖中的北湖钓到的时候， 现场称得的重量是9.5公斤，目前养在他家的废弃浴缸里。
这只龟很凶很巨型
在石帆村，这只巨龟已经比主人还有名了，记者在村里问路时，提到汤惠华不一定知道，可提到那只大乌龟，却都欣然指点方向。
见到汤老伯时，他正从外面钓河蟹回来。随后，他急忙把记者带到了后院，指着一个废弃的浴缸说，乌龟就在里面。随后，汤老伯揭开盖在浴缸上的一块大石棉瓦，周围马上散发出一股很浓的腥味，巨型乌龟终于露出了真面目。
记者看到，这只大乌龟有普通脸盆大小，头部较粗大，眼睛细小，尾巴尖而长，两边都有棱角，尾背前边三分之二处有一条鳞皮状隆起棱背，并呈锯齿口状，背壳很薄，以棕褐色为主，四肢粗壮，爪子尖而有力。
或许是看到围观者众，乌龟也被激发出了凶性。只见它一个劲儿地想往浴缸外面爬，尖利的长爪子刮得浴缸壁吱吱作响。当汤老伯将其抱起来拍照时，它将嘴和爪子四处乱摆，试图摆脱控制。它如此凶的表现惹得大家纷纷大喊，要汤老伯赶紧放下，免得被抓伤了。
工具：一米细竹竿加三米
白棉线
诱饵：半只癞蛤蟆
当记者问起，这么重的乌龟是怎么钓起的时候，汤老伯得意地指着自己骑的那辆老式自行车书包架上的大网兜和几根钓竿说，当天钓到大乌龟的就是这套“设备”。原来，汤老伯十几年前从杭州钢铁厂退休回到南北湖老家后，自制了不少钓具，在这方面可算是个行家了。
“我那天是上午8点钟去北湖钓河蟹，一开始钓到了五六只河蟹，到11点30分左右， 钓到了这只大乌龟。”汤老伯拿出当天使用的工具，描述了当天的情景：他在一根一米长的细竹竿一端，拴上一根三米长的白棉线，白棉线的另一端打了一个活结，在活结中拴上半只癞蛤蟆，放入水中一段时间后，汤老伯感觉钓竿很沉重，诱饵被猛烈袭击，他就将钓竿顺势拉到河边，只见这只大乌龟小半部分露在水面上，大半部分仍浸在水里，由于实在太重了，用钓竿拉不起，汤老伯就一只手握住钓竿，一只手用网兜把大乌龟兜住，然后再用双手将它端起来。
汤老伯说，大乌龟个头大，吃得也多，饲养成本蛮高，前几天喂的是癞哈蟆和小鱼，感觉它不大爱吃，因此还特地买了一些猪肝，没一会就被吃掉一大半，剩下的打算留到晚上再喂。
如果是普通草龟
恐怕有上百年呢
考虑到这只乌龟的凶猛性，记者只好要求汤老伯继续将它饲养在自家浴缸里，然后抱着相机前往海盐县海洋与渔政管理站，向专家请教。
渔政站站长陈云对在海盐发现这么大的乌龟也感到颇为惊异：“我们只是前几年发现过一只五六公斤重的鳄龟，但像这样9.5公斤重的，的确很少听说。”他随后又找来了水利方面的专家一同研究。虽然他们都表示“只看照片很难确认到底属于哪种龟”，但经过初步判断，他们认为很有可能就是鳄龟。
陈云告诉记者，如果是鳄龟的话，最好的处理办法就是让有关专业部门托管。“鳄龟属于外来物种，如果将它就此放生，将有可能对本地生态产生严重影响。而鳄龟，尤其是这么大的鳄龟，是有一定观赏价值的，可以交给一些专业单位饲养。”
就在记者回到办公室后，渔政部门专家又打电话过来说，他们经过进一步的对比、分析，觉得这种龟是鳄龟的可能性有些小。“这样看来，是普通草龟的可能性更大。我们这几天会去实地观测。如果真是草龟的话，那么这么大个头，很有可能已经活了上百年了，那同样是非常珍贵的。”渔政专家说。
http://news.xinmin.cn/rollnews/2009/08/18/2395047.html
YSTADS ALLEHANDA (Sweden) 15 August 09 Hittade
orm på balkongen (Louise Cronholm & Frida Eriksson)
Hässleholm: Kvinnan på Kyrkgatan i Hässleholm fick en
ovälkommen sommargäst. I veckan hittade hon en orm ute på balkongen.
Polisen
larmades till adressen strax före klockan 23 på fredagskvällen. Men enligt inre
befäl vid Kristianstadpolisen kan ormen ha befunnit sig på balkongen ända sedan
i måndags.
Patrullen tog
kontakt med en expert och beskrev ormen. De fick då besked om att den är
ofarlig, säger informatör Mikael Persson på Skånepolisen.
Enligt inre
befäl i Kristianstad kan det röra sig om någon typ av korallorm.
Poliserna tog
med sig djuret till ett terrarium i Kristianstadstrakten, där den nu befinner
sig i tryggt förvar.
http://www.ystadsallehanda.se/article/20090815/HASSLEHOLM/692929174/0/KULTUR
TUổI TRẻ (Ho Chi Minh City?, Vietnam) 08 May
09 Cứu
rùa Việt
Photo: Rùa Hoàn Kiếm quý hiếm ở hồ Đồng Mô (Hà Nội) nặng 69kg thoát
ra ngoài trong cơn
lũ lịch
sử
tháng 11-2008
TTCT: “Hơn 50% loài rùa châu Á đang đứng trước
hiểm họa tuyệt chủng” - ông TimMc
Cormack, chuyên gia Chương trình bảo tồn rùa châu Á,
vừa
cho biết
như vậy trong đợt tập huấn nâng cao kiến thức và nhận định đặc điểm sinh thái
các loài rùa VN vào cuối tháng 4 tại Chi cục Kiểm lâm tỉnh Quảng Ngãi.
Khu vực Đông
Nam Á nói chung và VN nói riêng đang trở thành
“điểm
nóng” về
đa dạng
sinh học của thế giới. Các loài
rùa quý VN hiện
nay đang bị
đe dọa
nghiêm trọng
do tình trạng
phá rừng
gây tác động
xấu
đến
môi trường
sống
của
chúng và do tình trạng
săn bắt bừa bãi, mua bán
rùa bất hợp pháp theo kiểu “tận diệt”.
Thả rùa về... vườn
Từ năm 2004, Tổ chức Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (Mỹ), Trung tâm Giáo dục thiên nhiên (Hà Nội) phối hợp với Trung tâm bảo tồn rùa thuộc Vườn quốc gia Cúc Phương (Ninh Bình) thiết lập chương trình bảo tồn rùa châu Á tại Hà Nội nhằm nghiên cứu, bảo tồn các loài rùa quý hiếm ở VN và một s