Daily Reptile News

A World of Snakes in Arkansas: Man Claims He Owns More Snakes than the Little Rock, Ark. Zoo

It may not have the frills of a big zoo reptile house, but it still has the thrills. A Berryville, Ark. man has made his home a snake haven, or… world actually. Next door to his dwelling, nearly 50 snakes dwell.

At an early age, Dale Ertle was bitten with an uncommon passion.

“I’ve started collecting a few venomous snakes and cobras ever since I was 14 or 15,” says Ertle.

He’s spent nearly a half a century of collecting, learning, and preserving.

“I guess that’s all i know is snakes,” laughs Ertle.

After just a short conversation, it’s clear Ertle knows his reptiles. He can name each one in rapid fire, and he loves to share that knowledge.

“This is an albino python and he’s a baby,” says Ertle, holding a 10-foot snake.

The other thing he knows is people don’t know a lot about snakes.

And, many, don’t want to take the time to learn.

“We were always taught any snake is not a good snake unless it’s dead,” says Barb Harris, Ertle’s wife, of growing up.

Harris took a little convincing.

“It was about 3 or 4 days, maybe, that I’d been coming back and forth, you know, that I didn’t come out here,” says Harris, standing in front of ‘Snake World.’

‘Snake World’ sits on Ertle’s property, yards away from his home. That’s something that would many people shiver, but Ertle isn’t afraid.

“People are taught, from really young, to hate snakes. It’s not a born fear,” says Ertle. “I try to do my best to re-program people.”

Part of his passion is changing minds. Now, Harris even helps him fill his cages. She recently went on a midnight hunt for cottonmouth snakes.

“He’s very conscious of their ability to kill you,” says Harris.

She’s comforted by her husbands knowledge, and his priorities.

“Safety is a major issue,” says Ertle.

Ertle claims, in nearly 50 years, he’s never had a venomous snake get loose.

He takes special care to keep visitors safe, too, especially when he’s showing off one of his prize snakes, like his albino cobra.

Or his new western diamondback

“He is not people friendly,” laughs Ertle, over the sound of the snake’s rattle.

The snake was safely behind a pane of glass. That glass, Ertle says, gets a beating.

“He is definitely in strike mode right there,” says Ertle.

What might ‘strike’ you as surprising, is Ertle’s bite record.

“I’ve had venomous snakes for 45 years, and last year was my first time to ever be bit,” says Ertle.

A diamondback rattler bit him on the hand. He says by staying calm, and going to the emergency room, he was fine.

Many of Ertle’s snakes are dangerous.

“You would probably lose a limb if you were bit by it,” says Ertle of his new western diamondback.

Many of the snakes are not.

“You can tell he’s non-venomous because of the little head on him,” says Ertle of his king snake.

Ertle would like it if people knew the difference.

“A lot of these poor, harmless guys, get their heads chopped off out in their yard,” says Ertle of a non-venomous snake that looks almost identical to a coral snake.

“I’m out to preserve the snakes,” says Ertle. “I guess it’s different strokes for different folks, you know?”

Snake World is on HWY 62, just west of Berryville, Ark.

Biologist will discuss threatened gopher turtle at Reptile and Amphibian Festival

BROOKSVILLE — For nearly 18 years, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued permits to developers that allowed them to bury thousands of gopher tortoises in exchange for paying into a fund to buy land for tortoises elsewhere.

When the “pay-to-pave” program finally ended in 2007, no one was happier than George Heinrich, a St. Petersburg reptile biologist and former co-chairman of the Gopher Tortoise Council.

Despite the program’s intent, Heinrich contends the effort was short-sighted at best and, in the end, did next to nothing to protect the species.

“It’s a loss that we will never be able to make up, no matter how much land was bought,” Heinrich said. “It was disappointing that someone couldn’t come up with a better plan.”

It’s for that reason that Heinrich doesn’t see a very bright future for the gopher tortoise. With their natural habitat quickly disappearing, the hard-shelled critters are more threatened than ever. So much so that the animals were added two years ago to Florida’s threatened species list.

Heinrich remains more determined than ever to educate people about gopher tortoises and other native turtle species in the hope of slowing their decline.

Saturday, he’ll be among a dozen or so experts conducting workshops and lectures at the Chinsegut Nature Center’s 10th annual Reptile and Amphibian Festival.

A former biologist at St. Petersburg’s Boyd Hill Nature Park, Heinrich operates Heinrich Ecological Services, a St. Petersburg firm that specializes in education programs for the public and private sectors. Though he admits that contemporary conservation efforts have helped to somewhat slow their decline, Heinrich says he believes the greatest threat to the survival of Florida’s endangered reptiles and amphibians might always be the public’s misconception of them.

“Many people don’t understand the value these animals have to our ecology and the role they play in keeping things balanced,” Heinrich said. “Not knowing how to co-exist with the animals in your environment can be just as bad as deliberately working to destroy them.”

Hernando County, with its abundance of pine forests and sandy soil, is among the state’s most habitable areas for gopher tortoises. The creatures can easily dig burrows up to 40 feet long and 18 feet deep, creating a place where it can keep cool during the day and dodge predators. The burrows are known to provide shelter to 360 other species, including several rare species of frogs and snakes.

However, the places the tortoises call home appeal to humans too. As the building boom of the past three decades gobbled up habitat, more and more of the creatures began appearing in back yards. Heinrich says that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as the homeowner doesn’t attempt to feed or move the animal.

“The best thing you can do is leave them alone,” Heinrich said. “They wouldn’t build a burrow if there wasn’t enough food around. And because they have a homing ability that leads them home, moving them just puts them in danger of being struck by a vehicle.”

Though he discourages people from running out into the road to rescue a gopher from traffic, Heinrich says that the animal should always be moved to an area in the direction it was traveling.

Rainforest Reptile program coming to Foxborough, Oct. 22

FOXBOROUGH —

Rainforest Reptile Shows comes to the Chapel Meeting House, 56 Mill St., Foxborough on Friday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.

This fun, family event is free.  Rainforest Reptile Shows have more than 200 exotic reptiles as the stars of their interactive show, ranging from iguanas, Burmese pythons, boa constrictors, lizards, turtles and American Alligators.

Pre-registration is required. Contact Joy at 508-543-2018 or joy.titus@verizon.net.  Be sure to register earlyl, since seating is limited.  Refreshments will be served.

This event is hosted by the Friends of Camp St. Augustine. Sponsors for the Chapel Meeting House Event Series are, Gold: Invensys, Helen Ray Biggane Trust; Silver: ProMedDx, Sharon Credit Union, Barrows Insurance Agency, Foxboro Rotary, Rockland Trust Charitable Foundation; Bronze: Randolph Insurance, Rodman Ford, and Tree Tech.

Firefighters make unexpected discovery during call-out to Neville Gill Close, Wandsworth

Firefighters who were called out to a suspected blaze got something of a shock when they forced entry into a flat – only to discover a scene straight from “the Amazon”.

Crews were surrounded by rabbits, lizards and exotic birds when they entered the property in Knowles House, Neville Gill Close, at about 10.30pm on Monday.

Two fire engines from Wandsworth station, one from Tooting, another from Battersea and a hydraulic platform from Clapham fire station were called to the suspected fire.

However, the 20 firefighters who arrived discovered the cause of the problem was a man burning large quantities of incense or joss sticks on the seventh floor.

Crews forced entry after the man refused to let them in and discovered the animal house.

Green watch manager at Wandsworth, Winston Douglas, said: “It was a little bit different.

“If you can imagine – plants, hay on the floor, bamboo strung up to create an area for birds to sit on.

“Rabbits, lizards, a lot of flies and cockroaches. Honestly it was like walking into the Amazon.”

Watch manager Douglas said the matter was now being dealt with by police and Wandsworth Council’s social housing team.

Park program focuses on Michigan snake

Western Oakland County boasts plenty of opportunities to commune with nature.

But while there’s plenty of natural space, danger may be right around the corner, especially for those out with their pet.

Oakland County is host to Michigan’s only venomous snake, the eastern massasauga rattlesnake. While rare, Educational Resource Specialist Kathleen Dougherty with Oakland County Parks said the snake can still be found locally. The snake is a “species of special concern,” meaning there are some protections for the snake, as well.

“We work with the state on the status of the eastern massasauga, because Oakland County is one of its remaining locations where it still has habitat,” Dougherty said. “In a rapidly developing county like Oakland, there’s not many areas left.”

The eastern massasauga rattlesnake needs both wetland and upland habitats to survive, which is found in western Oakland County.

Oakland County Parks will sponsor a free, informal expo on the eastern massasauga rattlesnake this Saturday, Oct. 2, at Lyon Oaks Park on Pontiac Trail, just east of Old Plank Road.

Dougherty said the program is designed “for dog owners, but really it’s good for anyone who is interested in reptile conservation. It is a rare snake, but this gives people the tools and information they need so they know what to do and also to protect their pets.”

She said dogs can be of particular concern with the rattlesnake, because dogs tend to wander and explore using their noses.

“Dogs investigate things with their noses, which can provoke the snake to striking at it,” Dougherty explained. “That could put dog in respiratory distress.”

There are a number of snakes that look similar to the eastern massasauga, so the expo will include information on how to tell the difference. A live eastern massasauga rattlesnake will be on hand, as well, for visitors to see. The expo also includes information on its habitat and how to conserve it, its history, life cycle and more. An artist will be on hand to draw free caricatures of dogs and owners.

“People and snakes and our parks can exist together with some education and safety parameters,” Dougherty said.

If anyone sees a rattlesnake, Oakland County, wants to find out. Dougherty said there is a form available to report encounters.

The Rattlesnake Response for Dog Owners program takes place this Saturday at the Lyon Oaks dog park, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Lyon Oaks is located at 52221 Pontiac Trail in Wixom. A vehicle park pass is required for entry. Visit www.destinationoakland.com for more information.

NPUST wildlife center scores scaly breeding success

Efforts by the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology’s Rescue Center for Endangered Wild Animals to breed Chinese crocodile lizards have been a huge success.

The reptiles, which resemble both crocodiles and lizards, are descendents of four Chinese crocodile lizards confiscated by customs officials from a person’s luggage eight years ago.

There are now nearly 40 of the animals at the center, which plans to cooperate with China’s Guangxi Normal University and the Luokeng Conservation Area in transporting 20 of them back to mainland China to be released in the Mount Yao area.

The reptiles, which are referred to as living fossils given their 1.75-million-year history, are mainly found throughout Guangxi and Guangdong provinces, and in the mountains of northern Vietnam. Threatened by poaching and human infringement on their natural habitat, with only several hundred thought to still exist, the crocodile lizards are a Level One protected animal in China listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Pei Jai-chyi, director of the rescue center, said the four crocodile lizards were about two years old when they were confiscated. Over the following three years, the males and females naturally mated. Guangxi Normal University had also been trying for many years to breed the reptiles in captivity, but without success.

Pei said the crocodile lizards residing on Mount Yao go into hibernation each year. But while the rescue center has replicated a natural environment for them by creating a small valley with a stream running through it, and keeping the temperature at 19 degrees Celsius, they did not hibernate. Pei added it remains unclear whether this impacted the ability of the animals to mate.

Either way, the number of crocodile lizards at the facility has increased over the past eight years, attracting the attention of Guangxi Normal University and the Luokeng Conservation Area.

The rescue center began applying for export certification three years ago, Pei said, but there are still hurdles to be overcome in receiving approval from authorities in mainland China to import the animals.

There are still reports that crocodile lizards are consumed in soup in the mainland, making the effort to protect this rare animal all the more important.

Library hosts snake show

Colchester, Conn. —

More than 50 people packed Cragin Memorial Library to learn about snakes in Connecticut at a presentation by Department of Environmental Protection Wildlife Biologist Julie Victoria.

Ernie Boughton and his grandson Lucas Lawley, 10, both wanted to learn more about snakes.

“I always find them and catch them,” Lawley said. He had seen a snake in the wild, a ringneck snake.

“I could tell by the yellow rings on his neck,” Lawley said. “I hold them by the neck so they can’t bite you and hold their tails.”

Victoria explained snakes in Connecticut fall into three categories: Endangered, special concern and regulated. The two venomous snakes in Connecticut have never been seen in Colchester. However, northern copperheads have been seen in East Hampton, East Lyme and Salem. The endangered timber rattlesnake has been seen in East Hampton and Marlborough.

“The territory comes down the Connecticut River watershed and fans out at the shoreline,” Victoria said.

Victoria said nobody in Connecticut has died from snake venom in at least 20 years, but the scars from venom are disfiguring.

“Venomous or not, get in the car and go get medical help,” she said.

In the winter, snakes hibernate below the frost line, usually by the beginning of November. They eat a variety of foods including insects, worms, toads, mice, small mammals and birds, depending on the species.

Snakes in Connecticut range in size from seven to 68 inches.

“Snake skin is usually two to three times larger than the actual snake. When they wiggle their way out, they stretch it,” said Victoria, who had brought several skins with her. Maximum life span ranges from five to 50 years, depending on size.

The eastern milk snake was named by farmers who found them in cow barns.

“They thought they liked milk, but they’re really good mousers,” Victoria said. “You can’t get rid of the snake. You have to get rid of the mice.”

Dayna Beal, who came with her son, Sumner, and daughter Grace, 9, is a snake enthusiast.

“I used to jump into a snake pit when I was a teenager,” Beal said. “I was a nature director at a camp in Massachusetts.”

Other snakes are named based on their appearance, such as the Eastern Hognose.

“Its nose is kind of pointing like a pig,” Victoria said.

Join the fun now!!

Please click on the forum before you leave and join in the fun.