21ST ST. NE, 200 block, March 29. A woman reported that she could not leave her apartment because a three-foot white snake was in the hallway. An animal control officer found an albino rat snake, which is native to the area and eats mice, rats and bugs. The snake was injured; it was taken to the shelter for evaluation and later to a rehabilitation center.
Category Archives: Snakes
King snake slithers into Watchet garden
A WATCHET man had the shock of his life when he discovered a foot-long snake while doing some gardening.
The man, who has not been named, found the slithering serpent yesterday afternoon.
After researching on the internet, the man realised it was a king snake – a native of the USA – and took it to keepers at Tropiquaria Zoo, near Watchet, who confirmed its identity.
Zoological director Chris Moiser said: “Despite the cold weather which lingered on until recently, the animal was in good health and was well able to defend itself. In fact it was one of the wildest that I have ever met.
“This one both strikes and shakes its tail, which will this species is a classic threat sign.”
Although indigenous to America, king snakes are one of the most popular snakes to be kept as pets in the UK.
Anyone who thinks the snake could belong to them is asked to contact Tropiquaria on 01984-640688.
Rhode Island’s New Reptile Laws Take Effect
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The new laws define all animals as one of three categories: Domestic Animals, Exempt Exotic Animals and Exotic Animals. Only animals classified as Exotic Animals, which includes any animal not on either of the other lists, will require a permit. Under the new laws, a Domestic Animal is any animal that has been bred to a degree that makes it distinguishable from wild individuals of their species.
An Exotic Animal is defined as “any vertebrate or invertebrate other than those defined as domestic animals, native wildlife, or exempt exotic animals under this regulation”. Any animals imported or possessed that does not fall under the Domestic Animal or Exempt Exotic Animals lists and does not have a permit can be confiscated. Permits will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will require that the animal is in a position where it can not escape.
Any amphibian that is “kept, housed or maintained” outdoors will require a permit. Indoor amphibians will no longer require a permit, as in an earlier draft, but all retail amphibian vendors must provide written notification to purchasers of the permit requirement and keep a sales log that includes the name and address of the buyer, and details of the species purchased. All species of turtles can be kept without a permit except endangered species, the red-eared slider turtle, the Argentina or Chaco tortoise; gopher tortoise and pancake tortoises.
All venomous snakes require a permit, except for boa and python species other than the emerald tree boa, green tree python, African rock python, reticulated python and all species of anaconda. Permits are also not required for some species of snake in the families Uropeltidae, Xenopeltidae, Typhlopidae, Leptotyphlopidae, Anomalepidae and Colubridae. Most species of lizard require that the owner has a permit, except for some species of skink, girdle-tailed lizards, geckos, iguanis lizards, agamid lizards and night lizards.
Snake hunt ends in tragedy
Berlin – A major three-week search operation for a venomous snake lurking in a house in Germany that has gripped the nation ended on Thursday with the reptile’s death and a painful bill for its owner.
“Everything has had a happy end,” said a spokesman for the town of Muelheim in western Germany.
“Not for the snake but for us.”
The young, 30-centimetre monocle cobra, which as adults can grow to 1,5 metres, slithered out of sight three weeks ago, prompting an evacuation and the fire brigade ripping up floorboards.
In the end the snake, which has not been named, got stuck in one of several traps set by the fire brigade and expired from exhaustion.
Its owner, 19, now has to pay up to €100 000 in costs, the town’s spokesman said.
Todays News
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Here is today’s news video. Videos are a lot better because they dont require you to sit and read for more than an hour to catch up on the news. They allow you to just turn up the volume, hit play and go about your morning listening to the important news stories that effect our hobby and industry. Goto you tube and subscribe to the news channel to stay up to date with all the news.
Missing Olathe Boa Constrictor Found
OLATHE, Kan. – A six-foot long boa constrictor that went missing from an Olathe townhouse for a week has been found. The Olathe Police Department reports that the snake was found in a small space inside the residence.
The owners notified Animal Control that the red-tailed boa was missing. According to experts, these types of snakes can crawl into very small spaces. Dan Lekie with the Johnson County K-State Research and Extension office advised that “a boa constrictor of this size can pose a threat to small animals; usually mice, rats or rabbits, but other small animals or pets would not be out of the question”.
Zoo Atlanta helps to save indigo snakes
Someday, 37 young eastern indigo snakes that arrived at Zoo Atlanta in January will grow up. Like others of their ebony ilk, they’ll be among the longest snakes in North America, non-venomous and able to chow on rattlesnakes but remain docile in human hands. Not that it will happen often — few zoo workers and no zoo visitors will ever see them.
They’re part of a larger movement to increase indigo snake populations in the Southeast and re-establish the threatened species in Conecuh National Forest, a suitably large longleaf pine habitat with gopher tortoise burrows the snakes use for shelter. Hatchlings from gravid female snakes captured in South Georgia will live in captivity till they’re large enough to carry tiny radio transmitters and avoid becoming prey themselves.
Beside the glamor on display at Zoo Atlanta, Georgia Aquarium and other animal attractions, this is just one ongoing behind-the-scenes research project. Among behavior and breeding studies, only a few deal with animals that can’t go on display and won’t live their lives in the care of humans. It’s delicate to balance a zoo’s level of care with the demands of wilderness.
“Animals that you never see — that’s somewhat atypical,” said Dwight Lawson, Zoo Atlanta’s senior vice president of collections, education and conservation. “You want to take extra precautions that they aren’t introduced to any exotic diseases and don’t want them to get habituated to humans.”
Some animals born or raised in Atlanta attractions have returned successfully to the wild. Golden lion tamarins from Zoo Atlanta moved to Brazil in 1994 and 1996. The Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell and the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga raised and released nearly 20 bog turtles in North Georgia.
Five sea turtles that usually live off the coast of North Carolina are currently in Georgia Aquarium’s warehouse. An abnormally frigid winter caused “catastrophic wildlife mortality,” said Gregory Bossart, Georgia Aquarium’s chief veterinary officer and senior vice president of veterinary services. For now, the aquarium will add to research on the effects of climate change on ocean life. If the turtles’ health continues to improve, they’ll be released in May.
“We’re excited an aquarium in a landlocked city is able to help,” Bossart said.
In each case, places known as tourist destinations are serving as laboratories. Government and nonprofit agencies might have interest, administrators and funding to save threatened species, but zoos and nature centers have the animal expertise.
“You’re strapped for cash to fund these programs, but the silver lining is that people are coming together,” said Lawson, of Zoo Atlanta. “It’s sparking new solutions to old problems.”
Conservation agencies in Alabama had long wanted to reintroduce the threatened indigo snake population to the state’s southern forests, and looked to Auburn University for help. In 2008, Auburn zoologist Jim Godwin had three female indigo snakes that produced nearly 30 hatchlings. The next year, it was eight adults and 60 offspring.
“These snakes are essentially eating machines,” Godwin said. “We really weren’t prepared for that.”
Enter Zoo Atlanta, with its animal-friendly facilities and reptile-loving staff. Brad Lock, a Zoo Atlanta veterinarian and assistant curator of herpetology, knows snakes sometimes want heat, a place to hide, a moist spot to shed. He knows to mimic the wilderness diet of an eating machine, too, with small fish, tadpoles, quail and mice of different sizes – “pinkies, fuzzies, hoppers,” he said. Later, they’ll dine on frogs, eggs, turtles and other snakes.
With a little help from humans, some snakes may be released later this year, project organizers hope. The indigos from Zoo Atlanta will get their shot at wild survival next year.
“It’s millions of years of adaptation, evolution or God’s influence. Man’s really good at copying it, but not so good at coming up with it,” Lock said. “It would be a shame to lose that.”
Indigo snakes by the numbers
5: states where eastern indigo snakes lived historically
2: states where eastern indigo snakes live currently, Georgia and Florida
37: number of indigo snakes cared for at Zoo Atlanta
18: number of indigo snakes likely to be released in Alabama this summer
2: meters, the typical length of a female indigo snake