By Herp News
As sea ice levels continue to decline in the northern hemisphere, scientists are observing an unsettling trend in harp seal young mortalities regardless of juvenile fitness. While a recent study found that in harp seal breeding regions ice cover decreased by up to 6% a decade from 1979 on, a follow-up study in PLoS ONE compared the rate of harp seal strandings to total ice cover from 1992 to 2010.
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Once extinct in the wild due to predation by rats, the Pinzón Island subspecies of the Galápagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra duncanensis) has returned to its native island thanks to a successful captive breeding program.
From Scientific American:
[…] Galápagos National Park and its partners launched a program to eradicate the rats and other invasive species throughout the archipelago, starting on smaller islands such as Pinzón, which as of last year was home to an astonishing 180 million rats. Last December more than 20,000 kilograms of poison were dropped on the 18-square-kilometer island. The poisons, which dissolve after a few days, were specially designed to attract rats but repel birds and other wildlife that might accidentally consume them. The rodents quickly took the bait and Pinzón has now been tentatively declared rat-free.
Late last month Galápagos National Park took the third step and returned 118 juvenile tortoises to Pinzón from a breeding center on Santa Cruz Island.
We wish the Pinzón Island tortoise well! Read the rest of the story here.
Photo: Scientific American/Island Conservation …read more
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By Herp News
A recent bust of pets and pot have one man facing nearly 30 criminal charges in New Hanover County, according to the District Attorney's Office.
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By Herp News
Canada Declares Champion: The Tortoise Torte Wins Tim Hortons Duelling Donuts Contest
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By Herp News
A loggerhead sea turtle that was rescued from a sand bar at Tybee's south end Thursday died on Sunday at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island.
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By Herp News
CHARLESTOWN, R.I. (AP) — A leatherback turtle has been freed after becoming caught in fishing nets off the Rhode Island coast.
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By Herp News
In 2010, Bulgarian airport authorities confiscated 108 African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) from a smuggler. Last month, the 28 parrots who survived the stress of being stuffed into dog kennels, constantly handled by humans, and the absence of their native habitat, completed their three-year journey to freedom.
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By Herp News
In 2010, Bulgarian airport authorities confiscated 108 African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) from a smuggler. Last month, the 28 parrots who survived the stress of being stuffed into dog kennels, constantly handled by humans, and the absence of their native habitat, completed their three-year journey to freedom.
…read more
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By Herp News
A recent bust of pets and pot have one man facing nearly 30 criminal charges in New Hanover County, according to the District Attorney's Office.
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I was awaken at three o’clock in the morning to what sounded like something in distress. Before getting out of bed I determined it was not a cell phone, low battery smoke detector, battery back up, or some other device as logically these items make a consistent noise. This sound was not consistent, this sound occurred at random times.
Thinking the sound could be an animal in distress I leap (literally) out of bed and grab for my glasses. I am on full alert as I exit the bedroom, turn off the house alarm and then stand perfectly still so I can determine where the sound is coming from.
Newt the cat rubbed against my leg greeting me to the cat-frolicing hour which cause me to gasp and bump into the wall behind me. Okay, Newt is not the source. That leaves 199 more animals to check.
I heard the sound again. It is not on this level. I dash downstairs to the gecko room. At the bottom of the stairs I open the garage door and cat number two comes slinking out of the garage hoping for a fur-rub or food. As far as she is concerned either would be acceptable.
Attention to the cat must wait. I walk through the garage looking for an unfortunate mouse the cat has caught, played with and it’s not dead yet — hey, that is why the cat is in the garage. No body. No sound.
Leaving the garage and entering the gecko room I go terrarium to terrarium looking at any gecko large enough to make the distress call. All is fine.
I hear the sound again and it’s in the direction of the garage. Off I go.
I stand very still in the garage waiting for the sound again. Both cats are in the garage with me when the distress sound happens. Both cats look quickly at the garage door. The sound is coming from outside.
Completely disregarding that I am essentially in my undies not suitable for a walk through the neighborhood I head outside. I stand perfectly still in our drive way, one minute, two minutes, three minutes, four minutes, and then five minutes.
I give up. I am standing half naked outside the house in my mismatched night gear (sleep is about comfort and not style), my hair is probably sticking straight up and dry spittle is probably sticking to my chin. Anyone seeing me would NOT think they were looking at a nice lady looking all smoldering and attractive. No, my neighbors would call the police thinking they’ve spotted the first zombie in Alabama.
I go back inside, lock doors, turn off lights, go back in the bed room where my hubby is sitting up in bed. He says, “Well, I’m wide awake now.”<br …read more
Read more here: Turtle Times
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By Herp News
A 5ft (1.5m) long pet lizard that went missing from a Swansea garden after being let out of the house for some exercise is found.
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Check out this video “Cool Chameleons,” submitted by kingsnake.com user variuss11.
Submit your own reptile & amphibian videos at http://www.kingsnake.com/video/ and you could see them featured here or check out all the videos submitted by other users! …read more
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By Herp News
SWANSEA, Wales, Aug. 18 (UPI) — A large pet lizard made a dash for freedom when it was let out into a garden in Swansea and a police hunt for it was on, officials in Wales said.
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By Herp News
A 5ft-long pet lizard has gone missing from a garden after being let out of the house for some exercise. South Wales Police said the…
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Frankie does what Frankie wants in Frankie’s yard. Frankie saw a big plastic lid in his yard so Frankie decided it was a slide. Frankie’s yard, Frankie’s rules.
It’s really hard to image what a sulcata tortoise playing on a slide would look like. When I shared how Frankie used a plastic lid for a slide people wanted to see for themselves.
So I posted this picture of Frankie on a slide
Frankie on his slide
But it’s the video everyone really wants to see. Right? Because seeing Frankie playing slide on a plastic lid that would be something.
Here it is. Frankie on his slide. Maybe it should be called a treadmill. Frankie is about five years old. Heavy metal rock seemed appropriate.
Oops, can’t post video here so please go directly to You TubeClick to see video on You Tube
PS I enjoy your comments.
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By Herp News
A 5ft (1.5m) long pet lizard has gone missing from a Swansea garden, after being let out of the house for some exercise.
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By Herp News
PHOTO: A sea turtle hatchling swims to the water at Guana Tolomato Mantanzas Research Reserve, courtesy Florida DEP Posted by Miranda Grossman / CBS 12 News TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Researchers at Florida's three National Estuarine Research Reserves are reporting that this year's sea turtle nesting season is boasting the second highest nest count on record at the reserves. …
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By Herp News
An emaciated loggerhead sea turtle is recuperating at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center after washing up on the south end of Tybee Island.
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By Herp News
Watch out for tortoises at Barefoot Beach because these slow-moving creatures can get crushed under vehicles leaving the parking lot. Joanna Fitzgerald, director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital, shares her tips.
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By Herp News
More than 100 reptile breeders and vendors have set up booths.
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By Herp News
But most of the stolen creatures, including snakes and a baby alligator, have not been found.
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By Herp News
York, PA – Lizard Lick Towing created a sensation Friday at the York Expo Center. Dozens of people stood in line waiting to meet Ron and Amy Shirley, two of the stars of the reality-TV show that runs weekly on cable's TruTV network and features the exploits of Ron Shirley and his crew as they
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By Herp News
The 5-foot-long lizard picked up along the frontage road of IH-35 on Wednesday was reunited with his owner Friday morning.
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By Herp News
A pair of lizards stolen from a NSW Central Coast reptile park last month have been reunited with their keepers.
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By Herp News
In a study of gray tree frogs, researchers discovered that females prefer males whose calls reflect the ability to multitask effectively.
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In the United States, most large scale “rescue” of reptiles means they’re seized from a bad or illegal situation and then killed. That’s been the case in Queensland, Australia, too — but no more.
Andrew Powell, Minister for the Environment and Heritage Protection of Queensland, overturned that policy, directing agencies that take in seized reptiles find them homes, whether in zoos or wildlife centers, or private homes by adoption.
From the Courier-Mail:
Mr Powell said the arrangement would save many animals from an uncertain fate.
“Every year our wildlife rangers are called on to help native birds and reptiles which, for a number of reasons, cannot be released into the wild,” he said.
“It may be because we can’t identify the area from which they came or that they were born in captivity.
“Some animals are the innocent victims of illegal activity, others are surrendered by wildlife carers whose circumstances have changed and they simply can no longer look after them.
“Historically they were offered to zoos and wildlife parks but, if they had no space, there was no alternative but to euthanise them.”
Although the growing No-Kill Movement has not frequently championed the cause of pets other than cats and dogs, the principles of animal rescue and sheltering it espouses apply to reptiles and other “non-cuddly” pets, too.
Far too many organizations that claim to be advocating for the “humane” or “ethical” treatment of animals resort to large-scale slaughter when it comes to reptiles, whether to make a court case stronger or simply because they lack awareness of, or connections to, existing reptile rescue networks run by seasoned herpers.
“What’s starting to happen here is a great step forward,” said Cindy Steinle of Small Scale Reptile Rescue in Wisconsin. “Reptile rescue has evolved greatly over the past decade to follow the lead of our counterparts working with other species of pet, and thankfully fewer animals are killed today, due to the partnership between rescues and the sheltering community.
“Just because an animal is not ‘cuddly’ does not make it undesirable as a pet, nor mean its life has no value.”
Photo: Jungle Carpet Python by Venom925
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By Herp News
Rescuers spot the disoriented, exhausted animal under a building, then gradually guide it back to the water
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By Herp News
A man is jailed for nine months for stealing a tortoise and a homeless man's mobile phone.
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By Herp News
Rescuers spot the disoriented, exhausted animal under a building, then gradually guide it back to the water
…read more
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By Herp News
In a large room that used to house aquatic mammals at the Minnesota Zoo, Erik Runquist holds up a vial and says, “Here are its eggs.” I peer inside and see small specks, pale with a dot of brown at the top; they look like a single grain of cous cous or quinoa. Runquist explains that the brown on the top is the head cap of the larva, a fact that becomes more clear under a microscope when you can see the encased larva squirm. I’m looking at the eggs of a Poweshiek skipperling, a species that is more imperiled than pandas, tigers, or bluewhales. Once superabundant, only several hundred Poweshiek skipperlings may survive on Earth today and the eggs I’m looking at are the only ones in captivity.
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By Herp News
While the olinguito looks like a wild, tree-climbing teddy bear with a cat’s tail, it’s actually the world’s newest mammalian carnivore. The remarkable discovery—the first mammal carnivore uncovered in the Western Hemisphere since the 1970s—was found in the lush cloud forests of the Andes, a biodiverse region home to a wide-range of species found no-where else. Dubbed the olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina), the new mammal is a member of a little-known, elusive group of mammals—olingos—that are related to raccoons, coatis, and kinkajous. However, according to its description in the journal Zookeys, the olinguito is the most distinct member of its group, separated from other olingos by 3-4 million years (or longer than Homo sapiens have walked the Earth).
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kingsnake.com is on the road to Daytona!
The kingsnake.com Zombiehunter truck is loaded up with “I Brake For Snakes” bumper stickers and RodentPro coupons and is en route to the National Reptile Breeders Expo in Daytona Beach, Florida.
To get your free kingsnake.com bumper sticker and RodentPro discount coupon, find us outside the Ocean Center Saturday and Sunday, parked outside the main entrance; you can’t miss us!
Since it’s been a while since kingsnake.com has been to Daytona, we’re going to do something special. We have about 60 kingsnake t-shirts left, the “My Snake Is Bigger Than Your Snake” shirts, and some “rare” “kingsnake racing” shirts that we’re going to bring to Daytona.
Everyone at the event who donates $10 to this years NRAAC Law Symposium can get one (while supplies last, of course!).
We never released the “kingsnake racing” shirts and only made a limited number (fewer than 50). The “My Snake Is Bigger” shirts are available in large, with only a couple 3XLs. The “kingsnake racing” shirts are available in XL and 2XL. Sorry, no smalls or mediums, these are the last of the last. Once they are gonel kingsnake.com t-shirts will only be available through our Cafe Press store.
Also, to help fund this year’s Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium in Washington D.C., the proceeds of all kingsnake.com display ad (banner) purchases or renewals from now until September 30 will be donated to NRAAC! With the symposium rapidly picking up size and speed as the date nears, and the goal to have 50 panelists and speakers lined up for this November’s meeting, now you can help do your part in supporting this important event and get something in return!
To buy display banners on kingsnake.com and help support the Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium at the same time, go to http://banner.kingsnake.com
For more info on this year’s free Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium at George Washington University, check out the NRAAC website. To register, please click here! …read more
Read more here: King Snake
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By Herp News
Police in Assam have arrested five out of six persons for smuggling the rare Tokay Gecko lizard, thought to cure cancer.
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By Herp News
Byline: Local cafe owner Jacci Jourdan and son Hector, who run the Fat Apple Cafe at Porthallow, like to raise money for local charities through a weekly book swap held in their cafe, and recently they presented a cheque to The Lizard lifeboat station. Page Content: These important funds allow the lifeboat to launch and assist a broken down fishing vessel. They invited The Lizard lifeboat …
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Biologists with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have suited up the continent’s most endagered toad with a little backpack in an effort to prevent the species from going extinct.
The backpack holds a radio transmitter that will be used to track the toads in their range.
Photo: US Dept. of the Interior …read more
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By Herp News
Posted Aug. 14, 2013, at 11:36 a.m. Last modified Aug. 14, 2013, at 4:36 p.m. Police caught an exotic lizard, identified as a South American Tegu, Tuesday afternoon near the Megunticook River in Camden.
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By Herp News
Aug. 15, 2013, 7:25 a.m. Australian Reptile Park keeper Nick Wilson with three baby Tasmanian devils, born at the Devil Ark four months ago. Photo: MAX MASON-HUBERS
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By Herp News
Police in Indonesia’s Aceh province are investigating the killings of three critically endangered Sumatran elephants, as conflicts with humans led to a series of elephant deaths across the province last month. Five elephants have died in Aceh since late June, including two orphaned calves, highlighting the need to mitigate conflicts between elephants and local communities as deforestation drives the animals into villages and plantations in search of food.
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By Herp News
In 1985, Li Hua visited a valley in the foothills of the Tibetan plateau. The area was better known for its panda population, but the oenologist realized that its high altitude, hours of sunshine, sandy soil and low precipitation also offered ideal conditions for growing grapes.
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By Herp News
My list includes a reptile expo at the Holiday Inn, movies at the library and in Memorial Park, a history program at McMenamins, and activities for the 55-and-older crowd at the community center.
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