For his next trick — excuse me, illusion — the Magical Mystery Phoenix will tell you all about what happens to innocent reptiles before they become your bags and belts. Except it’s not a trick. He seems dead serious. DEAD SERIOUS WARNING: The video after the jump is visually horrifying for anyone who likes animals, doesn’t like animals, or is indifferent to animals. But you really only need to play the audio in the background of your real work documents (i.e. this blog) for a few seconds to get the full effect of What the hell is this guy doing? Again!
Indonesian zoo welcomes births of 25 Komodo dragons, hatched in incubators
Indonesian zoo welcomes birth of 25 Komodo dragons
JAKARTA, Indonesia — An Indonesian zoo is welcoming the births of 25 endangered Komodo dragons, hatched after eight months in incubators.
Veterinarian Rahmat Suharta says the eggs, from three giant female lizards, hatched at the Surabaya Zoo in East Java over the past week.
He said Thursday that the babies, weighing between 2.8 ounces (80 grams) and 4.2 ounces (120 grams), brought to 69 the number of the giant lizards at the zoo, one of the largest in Southeast Asia. Eleven more eggs are expected to hatch in coming weeks.
Komodo dragons can be found in the wild primarily on the eastern Indonesian islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca. The lizards — thought to number around 2,500 — can grow longer than 10 feet (3 meters) and weigh 150 pounds (70 kilograms).
Man’s attempt to rid property of snakes goes wrong
A Monroe man’s attempt at snuffing snakes around his South 26th Street home with several fires went horribly wrong Wednesday afternoon. Instead of getting rid of the snakes, his wife ended up being taken to a local hospital with smoke inhalation and his shed was completely burned.
The man, whose name the Monroe Fire Department did not immediately release, apparently started several fires with pieces of paper in his shed and around his yard in an attempt to eliminate several snakes.
The shed caught fire and sent smoke billowing into the couple’s nearby home.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which started around 12:45, shortly after they arrived on the scene.
Monroe fire investigator Tommy James said the man will be cited for unauthorized burning and a Monroe police officer said the man will likely have to appear in court.
PETA Criticizes Jessica Simpson for Wearing Snake Skin
To Jessica Simpson, fashion is only skin deep!
PETA is calling out the Price of Beauty star, 29, for wearing exotic skins. The animal rights organization is also criticizing fellow snake-skin lover Catherine Zeta Jones as well as Victoria Beckham, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton for having scales in their ensembles.
Don’t like snake skin? Try these fun, new spring fashion trends instead!
In an effort to get A-listers to stop, Joaquin Phoenix is hosting a new PETA video — one of his first video appearances in months — on the skin trade that exists with such animals as alligators, lizards and snakes. (Watch the video here. Warning: the content is graphic and disturbing.)
“Did you know that mother snakes keep their eggs warm by wrapping their bodies around the eggs and then shivering to generate heat?” Phoenix, 35, says in the video short. “Exotic animals are mostly unknown to us, and so is what they suffer before being turned into belts and bags?”
Check out more stars who do good deeds
Phoenix — who had fans scratching their heads last year when he began making bizarre public appearances, claiming that he quit acting and was becoming a rapper — isn’t the only star PETA is thanking for his work for the ethical treatment of animals.
See more celeb male makeovers!
The organization commends that British comedian — and vegetarian! — Russell Brand for opting to wear fake snake.
PETA tells Us that they are sending their latest video to Simpson, Beckham, Parker and the other stars cited in the hopes they will change their fashion choices.
Customs’ 4,000 exotic reptiles seizures revealed
Wildlife minister Huw Irranca-Davies revealed the seizures in response to a question by Tory MP Andrew Rosindell.
All the animals were seized by HM Revenue and Customs under an international agreement banning the trade in endangered species, he said.
Officials also seized 322 endangered birds over the same period.
Home Office Minister Phil Woolas revealed the second set of figures in reply to a separate Commons question from Mr Rosindell.
Mr Irranca-Davies also revealed a breakdown of all the seizures made under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in the past four years.
In 2005-6, the total of animals seized was 1,336 – including 501 leopard tortoises, 220 caimans – a reptile related to the crocodile – 149 royal pythons and 170 terrapins – in 27 seizures.
This compared with 1,313 creatures in 2006-7 – including 325 terrapins, 294 spiny tailed lizards and 138 leopard tortoises – found in 38 seizures.
In 2007-8, a total of 21 seizures resulted in 347 reptiles being recovered, including 200 tortoises.
And in 2008-9, 1,044 specimens – including 356 turtles, 111 leopard tortoises, 100 hingeback tortoises and 98 spiny-tailed lizards – were found in 32 seizures.
New species of gecko discovered in Cambodian mountain range
Blending perfectly into the green of the tree underneath him, this new species of exceptionally well-camouflaged gecko has been discovered by a team of scientists in a previously unexplored part of Cambodia.
The species, named Cnemaspis neangthyi, was discovered during a reptile and amphibian survey in the rocky foothills of the Cardamom Mountains.
Its unique combination of colour pattern and scale characteristics mean it is almost undetectable when it blends in to the rock crevices and trees on which it lives.
It was found during a reptile and amphibian survey led by Dr Lee Grismer, La Sierra University and conservation charity Fauna & Flora International (FFI).
A statement from the FFI said: ‘Cnemaspis geckos have a relatively ancient body plan characterised by a broad flattened head, large forward and upward directed eyes, flattened body, long widely-splayed limbs and long inflected digits that help them to climb trees and hide within crevices.’
There are now 75 species of Cnemapsis known to science, of which 30 live in Southeast Asia.
FFI’s biological surveys of the Cardamom Mountains have shown the area to be one of the most important areas for biodiversity conservation in Asia.
The area is home to more than 62 threatened animals and 17 threatened tree species, many of them unique to the region.
The Cardamom Mountains contain three protected areas – Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary, Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary and the Central Cardamoms Protected Forest.
This gecko has been named after Cambodian scientist Neang Thy, who heads the FFI research group, in recognition of his studies into the country’s reptiles and amphibians.
He said: ‘I am very happy and proud to have a species named after me. It gives me much pleasure and makes me feel my work as a herpetologist is being recognised.
‘There are likely many more species to be discovered in the Cardamom Mountains.
‘Maybe this will also help to involve Cambodian people more in the conservation of species, landscapes and habitats.
‘If we do not do this, many animals in Cambodia may soon become extinct and we will not be able to show them to our children.’
The Greater Cardamoms cover over 2million hectares of forest, one of the largest remaining blocks of evergreen forest in South East Asia.
It is under increasing pressures from development, the FFI added.
House Republicans Say Interior Secretary’s Proposed Snake Ban Bad for Business
Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee seem never to be at a loss for words when it comes to Democratic initiatives. This week the GOP members are shaking their heads over Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s efforts to get a grip on invasive snakes invading national parks in Florida.
Going so far as to produce an image reminiscent of those 1950s and 1960s horror film posters, the Republicans headed into a subcommittee hearing on Secretary Salazar’s proposal with a suggestion that one and all Sit Back. Relax. Enjoy the Fright
Back in January the Interior secretary announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would propose to list the Burmese python and eight other large constrictor snakes that threaten the Everglades and other sensitive ecosystems as “injurious wildlife” under the Lacey Act. The secretary made the announcement at the Port of New York, which his staff says serves as the largest point of entry in the nation for imports of wildlife and wildlife products. Last year, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service inspectors at John F. Kennedy International Airport handled more than 27, 000 separate wildlife shipments valued at more than $1 billion, or 16 percent of all U.S. wildlife imports, according to a USFWS release.
This week the Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee assailed that move, saying it would hurt small business owners. They added that America’s sportsmen should be used to help fight the snakes spreading out across Everglades National Park, but noted that “hunters are currently only allowed to hunt snakes with their hands or a machete, making the sport incredibly inefficient and unpopular.”
Here’s what else the GOP had to say:
“Injurious” designation under the Lacey Act would make it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, buy or posses any of the nine constrictor snakes listed by the DOI. An outright ban on these nine constrictor snakes would result in significant economic damage to the pet industry, and those who support the sale and transportation of snakes and snake supplies. The Administration’s proposed policies are targeted at lawful pet owners and their private property and do NOTHING to address the stated concern over snakes currently existing in the wild in South Florida.Get the Facts
* There are approximately 3,800 pet retail stores across the country that average $3.5-5.25 million in annual snake sales.
* The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated the initial economic loss of snake supply revenue to be $3.6 to $10.7 million—that figure is believed to be greatly understated.
* In total, losses due to an “injurious” listing for Boa constrictors alone are expected to hit private pet dealers, pet supply stores and companies such Delta, FedEx, and UPS for a combined $1.6-$1.8 billion (Source: U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers.)
* The scope of this “injurious” listing is unprecedented and would cause severe economic pain for thousands of Americans by destroying livelihoods and possibly exacerbating the problem of constrictor snakes in South Florida as snake owners and breeders could then release their newly illegal snakes into the wild.
* Secretary Salazar based his decision on a 302-page report by the U.S. Geological Survey, which has been called into question by various scientists in a letter to the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee. The scientists called the report a “gross overestimate of potential habitat for these snake species” and noted the Everglades were the “the only known breeding population” for pythons as FWS notes “large constrictors are likely to be limited to the warmest areas of the US.”
* Proponents of the Lacey Act designation argue that these snakes were released into the wild by their pet owners. However, Hurricane Andrew, which devastated South Florida in 1992, completely destroyed a warehouse of exotic reptiles that potentially contained hundreds of Burmese pythons. This is thought to be a contributing factor to the prevalence of constrictor snakes in the Everglades.
* Sportsmen are good stewards of our public lands and their expertise and knowledge of the land should be used to help diminish the increasing snake population. Unfortunately, hunters are currently only allowed to hunt snakes with their hands or a machete, making the sport incredibly inefficient and unpopular.