Daily Reptile News

Woman hooks 1025-pound alligator with fishing pole

When it comes to hooking reptiles with fishing poles, the only story that rings familiar is a tale my uncle tells of catching a medium-sized turtle while trolling through a pond.

While I have heard my fair share of great fishing tales and exploits, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that a person could successfully hook and catch a 1000-pound alligator.

Well, a Massachusetts woman named Mary Ellen Mara-Christian has now made my wildest dreams come true.

Hunting for reptiles with her husband and friends on Lake Moultrie, South Carolina, Mara-Christian hooked the catch of her life in a 13-foot, 1025-pound alligator.

Check out the CNN image of Mara-Christian and the gator here.

For two straight hours, Mara-Christian battled the monstrous creature before successfully reeling it in close enough to be secured.

“Your heart’s just pumping and pumping,” Mara-Christian said. “He was enormous. You could see this part of him coming out of the water, his big belly, then you saw his head. His head had to come out for me to shoot him.”

And shoot him they did, as the alligator hunters needed eight shots and multiple stabs with a knife to finally put the massive gator down.

“We had to stab him a couple of times to break his spinal cord,” Mara-Christian said.

In order to process the alligator for its meat – alligator meat is said to taste like a delicious mix of chicken and fish – the reptile was transported via tractor to a processing plant nearby.

Mara-Christian indicated that she will have much of the gator meat transported back to Massachusetts and the that the alligator itself will be returning with her, just stuffed and mounted

Alligator Hunting in South Carolina

Alligator hunting is a one-month seasonal sport in South Carolina where hunters are allowed to kill the creatures if they can successfully secure it and bring it aboard their boat.

Only 1,000 permits are available for the hunting season that runs from the second Saturday in September to the second Saturday in October, this year being September 11th to October 9th.

Per the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources website:

Alligators must be secured and brought to shore or alongside boat before dispatch. No shooting of free swimming or basking alligators is allowed in this program. No rifles are allowed, but handguns and bangsticks are permitted for dispatch. No bait, baited hooks, set hooks, or pole hunting is allowed (see regulations for more information about methods).

Only one (1) alligator can be taken per permit. Alligator must be four (4) feet or greater in length.

Others may assist permittee, but all participants (including permittee) must be licensed SC hunters.

Alligators may be taken in public waters, but not on Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) or USFWS Refuges, and on private land where permission is granted. Public alligator season permits cannot be used on lands enrolled in the Private Lands Alligator Program.

Alligator meat can be kept, but not sold. Hides and parts may be sold according to regulation.

Goodyear firefighters’ iguana removal spurs call for training

Goodyear firefighters saw a twist on the stereotypical cat stuck in a tree when they were called to remove a 5-foot iguana from a tree, authorities said.

The incident highlights potential dangers of keeping exotic animals as pets to owners and firefighters, and has prompted Goodyear firefighters to consider more training.

A man called firefighters about 6:15 p.m. Sept. 7 after he spotted the lizard in the backyard of his home on the 16300 block of West Fillmore Street, Goodyear fire spokesman Russ Braden said. Firefighters removed the lizard and placed it in a dog carrier they borrowed from one of the man’s neighbors.

When firefighters were unable to locate the iguana’s owner, an off-duty firefighter took the lizard to Capt. Ken Lawlor, who works out of a different station and volunteered to take the iguana to the Phoenix Herpetological Society the next morning.

The iguana, estimated to be about 8 to 10 years old, was in good condition when Lawlor brought it to the non-profit’s Reptile Sanctuary in northeast Scottsdale, curator Daniel Marchand said. The lizard’s owners claimed him a couple of days after he was brought in.

Lawlor said snake-removal calls are common and firefighters regularly train on the proper way to do it, but removing an iguana is unusual.

“It’s very unique,” he said. “This kind of raised an eyebrow.”

A lot of people keep exotic reptiles as pets. This can pose a threat to firefighters without proper training and to pet owners if they haven’t educated themselves about the animal, Marchand said.

Some reptiles, including iguanas, often become more aggressive as they mature, he said.

“If you want an exotic animal, you need to do your research and your homework. You have to understand how these animals work, why they become aggressive, why they do what they do,” Marchand said. “When you get into reptiles, they are extremely different and diverse in the sense that if you don’t know what they’re going to do or what their capabilities are, you can get yourself in trouble real fast.”

Last year, the herpetology society educated about 109,000 people, mostly children, at its Scottsdale facility about proper care, housing and feeding, he said. The organization holds yearly training sessions at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Buckeye, and offers training for hotels and other businesses around the Northeast Valley.

In addition, the sanctuary is setting up training seminars for Valley fire departments at an “affordable” price to teach firefighters basic reptile terminology and how to handle the exotic animals they could encounter on the job, Marchand said. Fire departments and other agencies, like Arizona Humane Society and Arizona Game and Fish Department, can call the organization for assistance.

“(We’re) trying to . . . make sure that all these types of organizations in the Valley are well-versed in how to handle the situation, or if they are just not comfortable with a situation, they can call us,” he said.

Lawlor said he took the idea of doing training on handling reptiles and other exotic animals to his training chief. The chief has not made a decision yet.

In the mean time, Lawlor can pass on the new information he learned to fellow firefighters.

“For me, this is more learning that I can bring back to my guys and teach them some more about this stuff,” he said.

Anyone who wants information about exotic animals or needs one removed can call the Phoenix Herpetological Society hotline at 602-550-1090.

Reptile House Expansion at the Chaffee Zoo

There are some big changes underway for part of Fresno’s Chaffee Zoo.

The zoo started the expansion of the reptile house this week.

This is the first large-scale exhibit change at the zoo in several years.

Four new enclosures are being added to the reptile house.

The new spaces will create some mini environments for snakes, turtles, frogs and lizards.

Mark Halborsen, Curator of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo said, “We’re going to be putting in four new multi-species enclosures that will encompass three of our older ones, so they’ll be extremely huge.”

The first two enclosures should be done by the end of October and they will display venomous snakes from Africa and South America.

Money for the project came from the Measure Z fund.

Injured lizard dies after raid on Coventry’s Hobdays pet shop

A LIZARD mutilated by sick burglars at a Coventry pet shop has died.

The Gecko had its tail torn off during a raid on Hobdays, in Walsgrave Road, in the early hours of Wednesday.

It initially survived the attack but died at 11.30pm that night, said shop boss Caroline Hobday.

As reported yesterday intruders also stamped on six tropical fish and tore feathers from exotic birds.

Three orange corn snakes and a parrot were also stolen, but a parakeet called Jack is believed to have bitten one of the burglars.

Caroline said many kind-hearted people visited the shop throughout the day to show their support.

“The general public and our customers have been very kind and called in through the day to see if we are OK,” she said.

“One lady, a customer for years, bought a bunch of flowers and a couple of cakes, which made the day more bearable.”

The pet shop has since had a new burglar alarm and sensors fitted, and a new window where they broke in.

Reptile shop makes pet-buying an interactive experience

A young boy loudly announced what most had already noticed at Hogtown Reptile Shop Saturday afternoon.

“It got out of the cage!”

The subject of concern, a 5-foot iguana, sat on top of a cage and lazily stared back at the finger pointing in its direction.

The owners smiled and explained that it didn’t need a cage.

Then they showed 4-year-old David Sneed the large tortoise strolling across the aisle, the possum sitting on the counter and the kinkajou, a small, rain forest mammal related to raccoons,  perched on a customer’s shoulder.

Doug Foster, Dave Neven and Chris Glass, the owners of Hogtown Reptile Shop, approach their business as an interactive experience. They have been working on creating that intimate atmosphere since May 1 when the shop first opened.

The trio, 51, 45 and 33 respectively, started Hogtown Reptile Shop because of their long-time love for reptiles. Glass bought his first snake at Foster’s old store, Hogtown Herpetological Supply, when he was 12 years old.

They are the only workers at Hogtown Reptile Shop, located at 2104 SW 34th St. near Sweetbay Supermarket. Glass said it makes the days long, but they aren’t hiring other people because he wants their customers to be given quality service when they come to the store, something that he believes is lacking in bigger chains like PetSmart.

“Employees have no idea what they’re talking about,” he said. “No offense, but they’re students just trying to get a paycheck.”

At Hogtown Reptile Shop, the owners breed more than 50 percent of the animals themselves.

Saturday marked the grand-opening celebration for the store. Regular customers and first-time customers alike eyed the corn snakes, played with the kinkajou and asked the owners questions.

At least 50 percent of the customers at Hogtown Reptile Shop are college students, Neven said.

Saturday was Kathryn Rush’s first time at the store. She brought along her son, David, who moved excitedly from one reptile to the next.

Rush brought David over on a wagon. They pass the store during their walks, and David was thrilled to stop this time, Rush said.

“He was playing with the iguana in the back, and then he found a tortoise walking around, and then a kinkajou was crawling all over him,” she said of their first trip. “It’s like a hands-on zoo.”

Matt Anderson, a senior at UF, is a regular at Hogtown. He came in to the grand opening to trade his big chameleon for a baby chameleon.

Anderson used to go to different stores before Hogtown opened. He said he comes to Hogtown now because there is a better selection, the workers are friendlier and the prices are more reasonable.

Because of the large variety of reptiles, there is a considerable range in prices. A yellow-bellied slider turtle can cost as little as $15, while a mata mata turtle costs $750.

Snakes can cost anywhere from $15 to $1,000. According to Neven, the biggest factor in price is the color. Albino and pied snakes are always more expensive.

The most popular pet is the leopard gecko because of the low maintenance and price, and the most exotic reptile in the shop is the alligator snapping turtle, but it is a felony to sell it. Instead, customers can pay $2 to feed it, adding to the interactive experience.

Alex Deme, a sophomore at Santa Fe College, took full advantage of the opportunity to participate Saturday.

He watched Glass’ possum, Chauncey, eat a mealworm and then decided to try one himself.

“It was juicy,” Deme said of the mealworm. “I bit into it, and it pussed out.”

Galapagos tortoises get new $1-million digs at San Diego Zoo

Something is new on Reptile Mesa at the San Diego Zoo: a $1-million upgrade to the enclosure for the zoo’s 17 Galapagos tortoises.

The Galapagos tortoises, an endangered species, exist in only two locations: The famous islands off Ecuador, and in zoos.

Many of the 17 have been at the San Diego Zoo since the 1930s; several are thought to be more than 100 years old. One of the zoo’s longtime patrons thought the big reptiles deserved better digs.

And so after some fundraising, the Fetter Family Galapagos Tortoise exhibit opens today.

Paris Hilton Saves Rabbits From Snakes

The socialite – who already has a menagerie of animals including dogs, a hamster and a miniature pig – took pity on the furry creatures after learning they were being sold at a pet shop as snake food.

She tweeted: “Feeding My Bunnies a Late Night Snack 🙂

“The bunnies were meant to be feeders. I saw them at the petstore & they told me they were for snake food and I had to save them.

“I rescued 20 of them. They are now happy living in my backyard. They are all so happy, so nice to have changed their fate. (sic)”

Meanwhile, Paris’ friends have revealed she has finally grown up since her arrest for cocaine possession and has turned her back on partying.

The 29-year-old hotel heiress – who was charged with possession of the drug after it was found in her handbag when she and boyfriend Cy Waits were searched by police in Las Vegas last month – has apparently turned her back on partying and wants to live a quieter life.

A source told E! News: “She’s actually enjoying laying low. As bad as this whole experience has been, she feels like everything happens for a reason and that it really made her slow down and appreciate life.

“She finally feels like an adult and doesn’t miss the clubs or party scene. She’s turned down lots of offers to host parties.”

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