Snakes in NJ

The presence of corn snakes and pine snakes has stopped development in Medford, NJ; the developer had too many hurdles, so dropped the plan. (News source.)

India Snakebites

Health Services Maharashtra (India) is looking into the increase in snakebites in that region, and is evaluating the medical treatment. (News source)

Sea Turtle Conservation

A UC Santa Cruz grad student is working with fishermen in several countries to decrease bycatch of sea turtles. (News source.)

Arkansas Hunts

Some various news on Arkansas' first alligator hunting season:

12 hunters were successful. (News source.)

One hunter was the first female hunter to snare a gator during an official state hunt. (News source.)

Alligators and Pollution

Alligators living in pesticide-ridden marshes are only hatching half the normal number of eggs. (News source.)

Vernal Pond Moves

A vernal pool, home to the scarce mole salamander, was moved when a manufacturer expanded in Virginia. (News source.)

Snake Attack

A woman was bitten by a snake along a trail in Gwinnet Co., Ga. The species is unknown, swelling resulted initially, she had to actually beat the snake off her leg. (News source.)

Cane Toads

When trapping cane toads, use soft mating calls rather than loud ones, research suggests. (News source.)

Baby Makes Three

Two "female" yacare caiman at the Blackpool Zoo (UK) turned out to be a pair, as keepers found a baby caiman wandering the enclosure. (News source.)

More From Trinidad

Trinidad wildlife officials are trying to find and relocate any washed-ashore anacondas before the fearful locals kill them. They also note that last year, a number of land turtles rafted over from the mainland. (News source.)

SC Gator Hunts

With other states starting alligator seasons, South Carolina (with an estimated population of 100,000) is seriously considering allowing public hunts. Limited hunts on private land are already in place. (News source.)

Uh, Oh: Geckos Can Bite!

Those mean, nasty giant day geckos, with jaws like "pliers," are being outed by the Hawaiian media. It's one thing to point to the ecological problems of invasive species, but demonizing a day gecko? Please.

Transparent Frogs

Japanese researchers have developed a strain of Rana japonica with pale transparent skin, allowing the organs to be seen as the frogs develop from tadpoles. (News source.)

New Snake in Vietnam

A new species of snake, a white-lipped keelback, is among a variety of new species discovered in Vietnam's Annamite mountain range. (News source.)

More Crocs in the News

Another large saltwater croc has moved into the pen of the late Eric, at the Australian Reptile Park. (News source.)

Cleveland, OH, police picked up an alligator found strolling loose. (News source.)

An alligator call in Las Cruces, NM, turned out to be an iguana instead. (News source.)

Pet Croc Fad is Global

Looks like baby crocodiles are the biggest fad pet in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, with pet shops taking orders on their waiting list. (News source.)

Pacific Chorus Frogs

The San Francisco Zoo is reintroducing Pacific chorus frogs that it reared from eggs and tadpoles, into the west side of the city. (News source.)

Rattler Bite

A White County, GA, man is recovering from severe symptoms from a rattlesnake bite. He is still in the ICU. (News source.)

Anacondas

Trinidadians on the southern tip of the island are keeping a close watch on floating vegetation swept there from the flooding rivers of the mainland; apparently, juvenile anacondas are hitching a ride. (News source.)

Fossil Snake

A fossil snake was found in India in association with sauropod eggs and hatchlings, possibly indicating predation. (News source.)

Snake Bite

A 16-year-old boy was bitten by a snake while walking in the mountains near El Monte, CA. The species was unknown, but the reaction (swelling, etc.) was relatively minor, according to responders. (News source.)

Shop Bite

An employee at Strictly Reptiles (FL) was bitten by a small western diamondback while cleaning the cage. (News source.)

Dwarf Crocs in Trouble

A population of dwarf freshwater crocodiles in north Australia may be in danger of an invasion by the cane toads. (News source.)

Home-Loving Crocodiles

Three saltwater crocodiles that were tagged with satellite trasmitters and relocated from 52 to 130 km from their home, managed to find their way back. (News source.)

Uganda Croc Attack

A man was killed by a crocodile while fishing near at Bwendero Island in Kalangala district, Uganda. (News source.)

NY Gator

A 3 1/2 foot gator was caught in a Suffolk Co., NY, river by two teenagers. (News source)

Turtle Poaching

Two Ontario men were caught poaching snapping turtles. (News source.)

Snapper

A snapping turtle first seen in a UK pond 17 years ago has finally been captured and relocated to a turtle sanctuary. (News source.)

Guilty or Not

An Illinois man is facing charges for selling a baby red-eared slider to an undercover DNR officer two years ago. The man sold it an a reptile expo he had organized, and believed that because he was a hobbyist, the FDA regulations didn't apply. (News source.)

Now, technically, the official exception to the FDA ruling is:

"The sale, holding for sale, and distribution of live turtles and viable turtle eggs not in connection with a business." (Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Volume 8, Sec. 1240.62)

So, I suppose it now depends on the court's definition of "business."

Treefrog Rediscovered

UK zoologist Andrew Gray has rediscovered a small nocturnal treefrog, Isthomhyla rivularis, in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, in Costa Rica. The frog hasn't been seen since the 1980s. (News source.)

Frog Malformations

The nutrients from farm runoff trigger a cascading series of events in the local ecology that increases frog deformities, according to a recent study. (News source.)

More on the Diver-Gator Attack

The son of the man whose arm was torn off in an alligator attack told reporters a little more about the event, noting that his father always checked for signs of gators before swimming. (News source.)

Sea Turtles

A sea turtle that had been treated at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, becoming an ambassador for the facility, has died of complications. (News source.)

Also, 25 loggerheads were released at the Indian River Lagoon, Florida. Researchers are trying to get the word out to commercial fishermen that changing their types of hooks in certain areas could do much to help preserve sea turtles while still continuing with the fishing industry. (News source.)

The Cost of a Snakebite

A New York woman, visiting Tucson, AZ, was bitten several times on her feet by a rattlesnake. Health care costs were over $90,000, and she's without medical insurance. (News source.)

State Amphibian

A Middle School campaign is pushing to make the spotted salamander the state amphibian for Ohio. (News source.)

Loggerhead Decline

A 5-year status report on endangered loggerhead sea turtles reaching the shore of North America shows that the species is starting to decline again, after a period of rising numbers. (News source.)

Snake Scare

Burr Ridge, Illinois, had a snake scare when a resident videotaped what she thought was a large boa constrictor or similar exotic species lounging in her driveway. Police were inundated with frightened callers when the video hit the web. Wildlife officials who viewed the tape recognized it as a native fox snake. (News source.)

Caiman Sentence

A Virginia man was sentenced with 20 days in jail for selling a caiman, illegal in that state. (News source.)

Croc Conference

A West African conference for crocodile conservation is scheduled in November in Niger. (News source.)

Confiscation

64 venomous snakes were confiscated from a Wayne, MI, home, after police were alerted that the owner had been bitten (his fourth time). The owner was not aware that the snakes were illegal in that city, and is cooperating with police. (News source.)

Sea Turtles

Over 100 million eggs are laid by sea turtles in five days at Ostional Beach in Santa Cruz. Photos at news source.

Asprin for an Invasive Headache

The USDA is dropping dead mice stuffed with asprin onto the forest canopy of Guam in an effort to eradicate the brown tree snake. Apparently, acetaminophen, the active ingredient in asprin, is a dangerous intoxicant for the reptiles. (News source.)

BBC Reptile Doc

Sir David Attenborough is scheduled to narrate two more BBC wildlife documentaries, including one (Life in Cold Blood) focusing on reptiles and amphibians. (News source.)

Fiji Smuggling

A California man was charged with smuggling endangered Fiji iguanas inside his prosthetic leg. (News source.)

VetScan

Purdue is testing VetScan for exotic animals, including reptiles. It will allow quick blood analysis so that vets don't have to send samples out to labs for testing. (News source.)

New Zoo Herp Venue

The Fort Worth Zoo (TX) is breaking ground on a new $18M, 30,000sf herpetarium that will house 165 species of reptiles and amphibians, called the Museum of Living Art. (News source.)

California Snakebites

A 10-year-old California boy playing barefoot in his backyard was bitten by a baby rattlesnake, inducing swelling and respiratory issues by the time the paramedics arrived. He was successfully treated at the hospital. (News source.)

A fishing writer for the Tahoe Daily Tribune was bitten by a rattlesnake while trying to photograph a cactus along Lake Havasu. (News source.)

Bullfrogs in Utah

Bullfrogs (illegal in Utah) have been found on a golf course and other locations in the Uinta Basin. (News source.)

CroFabR

Snakebite Season Still Cause for Concern This Fall
Post-Summer Antivenom Availability Remains Critical

Melville, NY - August 23, 2007 - Labor Day may mark the unofficial end of summer, but snakebite season is still going strong. In fact, approximately 20 percent of reported venomous bites take place during the months of September and October. Although the majority of snakebite incidents occur in the southern half of the U.S., every state had at least one reported bite last year.
Thanks in part to the availability of antivenom, widespread educational efforts and heightened media attention, only about a dozen North American crotalid bites result in death each year. An estimated 8,000 people are bitten annually, and the number of bites in any given season depends on a variety of factors including geography, rainfall and temperature.
"Some areas of the country have experienced higher than average rain fall this year, while others are experiencing drought. Both situations can persuade snakes to move into populated areas in search of food or water," said Erica L. Liebelt M.D. FACMT, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine Director, Medical Toxicology Services UAB School of Medicine.
"Unfortunately, we see numerous cases of a snake biting someone twice or biting two people because of a botched effort to catch or kill it after the first bite. People often want to capture the snake for identification purposes, but we don't need to see the snake to treat the patient. And, we don't want people bringing a snake into an ambulance or a hospital, even a dead one, especially since snakes still have a bite reflex for a short time after death," stated Dr. Liebelt. "The important thing is to get the victim to a hospital as quickly and calmly as possible. Infants, children and adults should all be treated with antivenom if they have a mild to moderate envenomation."
CroFabR Crotalidae Polyvalent Immune Fab (Ovine) is the only widely available antivenom for the management of patients with minimal or moderate North American crotalid snakebite envenomations in the United States (this includes pit vipers such as rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths/water moccasins). "We are working in partnership with the poison control centers to encourage every hospital to stock adequate supplies of antivenom, even if they expect to see just one snakebite patient a year," said Jackie Beltrani, Director of Institutional Sales and Specialty Marketing for Fougera, the marketer of CroFab. "Our goal is to ensure that no patient has to lose valuable treatment time being transferred to another hospital because the initial hospital didn't stock antivenom."

About CroFabR
CroFabR is indicated for the management of patients with minimal or moderate North American crotalid envenomation. Early use of CroFabR (within 6 hours of snakebite) is advised to prevent clinical deterioration and the occurrence of systemic coagulation abnormalities. The term crotalid is used to describe the Crotalinae subfamily (formerly know as Crotalidae) of venomous snakes that includes rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths/water moccasins. With the exception of coral snakes, CroFabR can treat mild to moderate envenomations from any venomous snake indigenous to the United States.
CroFabR works to stop venom from destroying tissue. It does not reverse the damage already done by the snake venom. The more time that elapses between the time of bite and the time of treatment the greater the chance of complications. The phrase "Time is Tissue" is often used to articulate the need to treat bites quickly to prevent tissue damage.
In October 2002, Fougera assumed responsibility for the distribution of CroFabR from Savage Laboratories. Both companies are divisions of Altana Inc. CroFabR was developed and is manufactured by Protherics PLC.

Important Safety Information
The most common adverse events reported in clinical studies were mild or moderate reactions involving the skin and appendages (primarily urticaria, rash or pruritus), which occurred in 14 out of 42 patients. Two patients experienced severe allergic reactions (severe hives and a severe rash and pruritus) following treatment. One patient experienced recurrent coagulopathy due to envenomation, which required re-hospitalization and additional antivenin administration. In clinical trials, recurrent coagulopathy (the return of a coagulation abnormality after it has been successfully treated with antivenin), characterized by decreased fibrinogen, decreased platelets and elevated prothrombin time, occurred in approximately half of the patients studied. Recurrent coagulopathy may persist for 1 to 2 weeks or more. One patient discontinued CroFabR therapy due to an allergic reaction. Patients with allergies to papain, chymopapain, other papaya extracts or the pineapple enzyme bromelain may also be at risk for an allergic reaction to CroFab. For additional information on adverse events, please refer to the full prescribing information for CroFab available at www.snakebitenews.com.

About Fougera
Fougera is a leading manufacturer and distributor of a wide range of multi-source topical and ophthalmic pharmaceuticals in prescription and over-the-counter dosage forms, as well as treatments for emergency/critical care.

Malaysian Croc Attack

A 36-year-old Malaysian man is recovering in the hospital after being attacked by a crocodile. The man was waist-deep in the river harvesting kayu bakau, and managed to fight off the reptile. (News source.)

Gator Mounted

The SC state contractor who trapped the alligator that bit the arm off a diver, will probably mount the head and offer it to the victim, who has expressed interest. (News source.)

Ball Python in California?

An email circulating around the Edwards Air Force Base showed a picture of a ball python underneath a car, warning people to check under their cars for snakes. The base naturalist did a little spiel about the perils of introduced exotics, etc. I'm betting, however, that the email is just another in a long line of "strange animal photos" circulating with deliberately falsified background details just to fool people. (News source.)

Belize Croc Attack

A 23-year-old bartender in Belize was found dead, having bled to death after a crocodile attack. (News source.)

Monitor Hunt

Englewood, Florida, police are posting fliers asking for information on a large monitor lizard seen in the area. They are trying to pinpoint its territory so that trappers can remove it. (News source.)

Bearded Dragon Emergency

A 12-inch bearded dragon ended up in the veterinary hospital after swallowing a 7-inch rubber lizard. The vet noted that owners should be careful about what they place with their pets. (News source.)

Snakes Aren't Party Tricks

An Oregon man almost died after putting his pet eastern diamondback into his mouth, at which point it bit his throat. (The man, of course, had had a few drinks and was trying to impress some friends.) A swelling tongue hindered his breathing, and the pressure forced blood out of his nose. Doctors administered a breathing tube and antivenom, then induced a coma for three days. (News source.)

Zoo Hatches Iguanas

A clutch of Utila Island spiny-tailed iguanas was hatched at the London Zoo. (News source.)

Venom at the Raceway

A trainer at the Keeneland Race Course received a 5-year suspension for various offenses, including possession of alpha-cobratoxin (which can be used to deaden pain). (News source.)

Timber Theft

A timber rattlesnake was stolen from the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center, Jonesboro, Arkansas. Staff came in to find a broken cage and a small amount of blood. Sources state that someone visited the local hospital that same night for snakebite. Police investigation continues. (News source.)

Mississippi Gators

The alligator season in Mississippi resulted in 66 reported gators harvested, another 90 caught-and-released. The largest was less than an inch longer than 13 feet. (News source.)