Friday, May 9, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Woman Helps Cobra
A woman in India found a wounded cobra, and treated it (antiseptic creams and feeding syringes of milk) despite neighbors requesting she put it back where she found it. (News source.)
Labels: cobras, culture, rehabilitation, snakes
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Death by Crocodile Brain
A crocodile in Zimbabwe was killed, and only its brain taken. It is a superstition in that region, that croc brains can be used to poison an enemy. (News source.)
Friday, April 18, 2008
Sea Turtle Fatality
A sea turtle dish was eaten by several minors in the Philippines, ending in one fatality and 10 or more in the hospital. (Bacterial toxin?) (News source.)
Labels: culture, mortality, sea turtle
Monday, April 14, 2008
Ukraine: Crocodile Monument
A monument has been opened in Mariupol, where a small crocodile escaped in May 2007, eluding capture for several months. (News source.)
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Snake for Dinner
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Don't Eat the Frogs
The Cambodian government is trying to curb eating a national delicacy, fried frogs, so that the amphibians can protect the rice crops from insect pests. (News source.)
Cane Toads
A parasitic worm may be the latest weapon in Australia's fight against the invasive cane toads. (News source.)
Sydney's Australian Museum is drawing the ire of Northern Territory residents because it put up husbandry instructions for cane toads. (News source.)
Sydney's Australian Museum is drawing the ire of Northern Territory residents because it put up husbandry instructions for cane toads. (News source.)
Labels: culture, disease, introduced, toads
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Snakes in a Jail Cell
A couple of snakes have been killed in the cell of a Nigerian rebel, whose organization claims the Nigerian government is trying to kill him that way. The government disagrees. (News source.)
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Snake Soup Crime
A Korean man was arrested for buying soup made from illegally caught wild snakes. It is legal in Korea to raise snakes for soup, but not to catch them in the wild. (News source.)
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Strange Snake in Nepal
A "seven-colored" snake is reported from a well in Nepal, creating a local sensation. (News source.)
Monday, March 10, 2008
Snakes and Spiders: Blame Culture for Phobias
Not long ago, there was a (dumb) study publicized about how children recognize snakes from other elongated animals, so this somehow explains why "everyone" is afraid of snakes. A more competent researcher has now pointed out that while snakes and spiders elicit attention, they certainly don't provoke automatic fear. For that, look to the media and other sources which spread negative reports about the animals. (As anyone who's done snake talks can attest, most children are excited to meet and touch snakes. Those who are fearful tend to a) have parents who have taught them to be afraid, or b) have had a specific negative experience (been bitten, or scared by one).)
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
India Snake Farming?
In response to the cultural instability with snake charmers made illegal in West Bengal, there are plans to create state-sponsored cooperative snake breeding farms (after a Chinese model), apparently for venom extraction. Might there be a possibility of harmless native species bred for the pet trade? India's wildlife laws may be too strict for that... (News source.)
Monday, February 18, 2008
Snake Charmers
Marrakesh, Morocco, snake charmers are facing calls for tourism boycotts, by a French animal rights group. The group alleges cruelty, the snake charmers claim the group is ignorant of actual practices. (News source.)
India's ban on snake charming is stirring more trouble, as native snake charmers in West Bengal (an estimated 100,000) are claimed to be on the verge of starvation, having no ration cards or voter identification cards. (News source.)
India's ban on snake charming is stirring more trouble, as native snake charmers in West Bengal (an estimated 100,000) are claimed to be on the verge of starvation, having no ration cards or voter identification cards. (News source.)
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Malaysia: Just Say No to Turtle Eggs
The Turtle Research and Rehabilitation Group at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu has launched a campaign to get 1 million Malaysians to pledge not to eat terrapin or turtle eggs for the rest of their life. (News source.)
Labels: conservation, culture, turtle
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Thailand Lizard Scandal
Well, not really, but apparently a couple of monitor lizards found mating behind the Government House in Bangkok set reporters into a frenzy. It's been suggested that the lizards somehow represent the government, as the Thai name for the lizard is also a derogatory term. (News source.)
Friday, February 1, 2008
Snake in the Rough
A South African golfer's tournament game ended abruptly when he followed a ball into the rough and got bit by a night adder. He was quickly hospitalized and successfully treated, but since he had left the course, tournament officials wouldn't let him continue playing. (News source.)
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Feast Over Frogs
Natauloa villagers on the Fiji island of Nairai saw their first frogs, as ten dead amphibians washed ashore after Cyclone Gene. They were planning to serve and eat them (thinking them a new type of fish) at a feast before the village spokesman found out and stopped them. They held the feast sans frogs. (News source.)
Freak Out Over Snakes
Villagers in Punjab, Pakistan, killed 103 snakes in a single day, after a man came across one while shoring up a canal bank. "The presence of large numbers of snakes spread panic among the villagers, who were moving temporarily to the nearby neighbourhoods." (News source.)
Monday, January 28, 2008
A New Threat to Varanus
Misguided attempts to find a cure for AIDS in Africa has led to the injection of white-throat monitor blood into patients. Besides being dangerous, and useless against AIDS, the practice could cause conservation problems for the species if the treatment becomes widespread. (News source.)
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Snake Catchers
Forestry officials in Nagpur, India, might give official recognition to legitimate snake-catchers, but are concerned about venom smugglers and other "fakes" in the snake trade. (News source.)
Frog Leg Fest
The 17th annual Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival in Florida drew thousands of people, and served up 7,000 pounds of frog legs and 3,000 pounds of gator tail. (News source.)
Monday, January 14, 2008
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Snake Charmers
In India, snake charming is illegal (apparently a conservation measure). Generations have passed along this tradition, and the current tribe members (bedias) are trying to band together and get governmental notice, as they have no other means of sustaining themselves. (News source.)
You'd think this would be good test case for commercial snake farming, venom extraction facility, etc., wonder if something along that line would be feasible.
You'd think this would be good test case for commercial snake farming, venom extraction facility, etc., wonder if something along that line would be feasible.
Mice: The Other White Meat
Traditionally, mouse sales at the Chau Hung Town, Vietnam, markets have gone to python owners. Now, mice are a delicacy and restaurants have increased their demand, raising prices on the rodents. One dealer sells 4 to 5 tons of mice every day. (News source.)
"She said mouse prices usually rose during the Mekong Delta's flooding season so python breeders were often priced out. True enough.
"Within 30 minutes, tens of python breeders were shaking their heads with disappointment because they couldn't buy mice at An's stall.
"'Mice in the U Minh District are favored most because they are fat but gentle,' An said. 'People don't like the kinds of mice that live in forests and are thin and savage.'" ...
"Restaurant chefs are fond of giant mice because of their tasty meat.
"'Now people fear bird flu if eating chicken and duck meat and the "blue-ear disease" of pigs if eating pork,' said Diem, the owner of a restaurant which specializes in field mouse dishes.
"'It's safer to eat mice.'" ...
"He said his job was dangerous because snakes also hunt for mice at night.
"He's often seen snakes lying in wait outside mouse nests and once he trod on a snake's tail.
"Many mouse hunters quit after being bitten by poisonous snakes."
"She said mouse prices usually rose during the Mekong Delta's flooding season so python breeders were often priced out. True enough.
"Within 30 minutes, tens of python breeders were shaking their heads with disappointment because they couldn't buy mice at An's stall.
"'Mice in the U Minh District are favored most because they are fat but gentle,' An said. 'People don't like the kinds of mice that live in forests and are thin and savage.'" ...
"Restaurant chefs are fond of giant mice because of their tasty meat.
"'Now people fear bird flu if eating chicken and duck meat and the "blue-ear disease" of pigs if eating pork,' said Diem, the owner of a restaurant which specializes in field mouse dishes.
"'It's safer to eat mice.'" ...
"He said his job was dangerous because snakes also hunt for mice at night.
"He's often seen snakes lying in wait outside mouse nests and once he trod on a snake's tail.
"Many mouse hunters quit after being bitten by poisonous snakes."
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
India: To Remove or Not to Remove
There's some community tension between those who want (often venomous) snakes to be removed from their yards, and those who think that's just paranoia. (News source.)
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Anaconda Suspected
The St. Charles Village pond (Trinidad) has something lurking in it, fishermen claim. An anaconda is suspected. (News source.)
Newt Pond Protection
There's a bit of controversy over a decision to set aside 5,000 acres of land containing striped newt ponds in the Apalachicola National Forest south of Tallahassee, Florida, protecting it from off-road recreational vehicle traffic. (News source.)
Labels: conservation, culture, salamander
Monday, November 26, 2007
A Boy and his Python
Here's a story from Cambodia about a six-year old boy and his pet 20-foot python. Not a good combination... (News source.)
Snakebite Stories
From around the world:
Hindu priests in Choto Pashla, India, say that cobra bites in their village must be treated traditionally; if they go to the hospital, it's "at their own risk." Villagers are torn, and government officials are puzzled as to why the traditional treatment seems to work some of the time (though not all the time). (News source.)
Australian doctors believe that too many deaths from brown snakes occur due to mishandling of treatment, and slow response after the bite to seek treatment. (News source.)
US Forces in Korea are warned not to play with snakes, as there are several venomous species in the area. One soldier was recently bitten by a viper while clearing brush. (News source.)
Hindu priests in Choto Pashla, India, say that cobra bites in their village must be treated traditionally; if they go to the hospital, it's "at their own risk." Villagers are torn, and government officials are puzzled as to why the traditional treatment seems to work some of the time (though not all the time). (News source.)
Australian doctors believe that too many deaths from brown snakes occur due to mishandling of treatment, and slow response after the bite to seek treatment. (News source.)
US Forces in Korea are warned not to play with snakes, as there are several venomous species in the area. One soldier was recently bitten by a viper while clearing brush. (News source.)
Friday, November 23, 2007
Snake Art for Auction
An interesting carved piece of aboriginal Australian art (depicting a snake on a limb) is going up for auction. The artist was Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri. It is expected to fetch more than $20,000. (News source.)
Friday, November 9, 2007
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Big Python Sighted
Stories of a "giant python" said to be four meters long are making the rounds in Algiers. The head, according to one witness, was the size of a giant potato. (News source.)
Monday, November 5, 2007
Snake Farming in Nepal
Commercial snake farming is being considered as an economical alternative to agriculture for a Nepal tribe (the Netuwa people, who have been have been traditional snake catchers for centuries). (News source.)
Bangladesh Charmer Dies
A Bangladesh snake charmer, who started the country's first commercial snake farm, has died after being bitten by two cobras he was playing with. (News source.)
Snake Soup Illegal
Restaurants in Guangzhou, China, that are caught selling snake dishes will be fined up to 100,000 yuan (about $13,000). Snake soup is popular, but illegal after a fatal epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome a few years ago. (News source.)
Friday, November 2, 2007
Australian Croc Jailed
An aggressive crocodile was put behind bars by police after lunging at fishermen. It will be moved to a croc farm. (News source.)
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Australian Croc Farm
A Northern Territory company, Porosus, is planning to develop crocodile farms, which should aid local economic development. (News source.)
Friday, October 26, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Gator Stories
An 8-foot gator has been aggressive towards residents of Lakewood Ranch, FL, and they want it trapped. (News source.)
A retiree in Sun City Center, FL, has been sabotaging alligator traps, claiming he is defending the gators and that people should just expect to live with them when they move into their habitat. (News source.)
A man swerved on the road to miss an animal, and ended up putting his SUV into a Palm Bay, FL, lake. Large alligators kept divers from retrieving the car. (News source.)
A retiree in Sun City Center, FL, has been sabotaging alligator traps, claiming he is defending the gators and that people should just expect to live with them when they move into their habitat. (News source.)
A man swerved on the road to miss an animal, and ended up putting his SUV into a Palm Bay, FL, lake. Large alligators kept divers from retrieving the car. (News source.)
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Coqui Eradication Misfire
Plans to have Hawaiian school children collect bounties for collecting the invasive coqui treefrogs misfired when a couple of schools questioned their participation. (News source.)
Labels: culture, frogs, introduced
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
International Snakebites
An Australian farmer was hospitalized after being bitten by a 1.5 meter brown snake. (News source.)
There's a good bit of controversy over the death of a young boy in India who died from snakebite; the parents say the hospital refused to treat until they had enough money for a security deposit, and the doctors say the boy was brought in too late to save. (News source.)
There's a good bit of controversy over the death of a young boy in India who died from snakebite; the parents say the hospital refused to treat until they had enough money for a security deposit, and the doctors say the boy was brought in too late to save. (News source.)
Monday, October 15, 2007
Uganda Croc
A 62-year-old crocodile died at the Buwama Crocodile Farm, Uganda, where it had been relocated in 2005 following decades of attacking fishermen at Lugaga Swamp. (News source.)
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Cobra Festival
Cobras are the primary attraction at the Hindu festival of Naga Panchami in Shirala, in the state of Maharashtra, India. (News source.)
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Sea Turtle Harvest Debate
More on the Fiji sea turtle banquet debate:
Communication breakdown blamed for turtle harvest
The turtle debate swims on
Communication breakdown blamed for turtle harvest
The turtle debate swims on
Labels: conservation, culture, legality, sea turtle
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Sea Turtle Meal
Fiji's Methodist Church is in trouble for using many more than the approved number of endangered sea turtles in their conference banquet. (News source.)
Labels: culture, endangered species, sea turtle
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
India Snake Wedding
A Hindu woman of the Vaishnav sect "married" a king cobra in a ceremony approved by local elders. The woman has left milk for the cobra on a regular basis, believing that it healed her. (News source.)
