A North Carolina man's mobile home was so crowded with reptiles that it could have been called "Jurassic Trailer Park."
Authorities found 154 snakes and lizards, including venomous cobras, vipers and Gila monsters inside the home of Walter Kidd, according to The Raleigh News and Observer.
Kidd's home was part zoo and part decrepit museum exhibit. About 60 of the animals were alive while many of the dead creatures were frozen or rotting, according to an earlier News and Observer report.
The Henderson County Sheriff's Office raided Kidd's trailer after he was bitten by a venomous snake, according to TV station WSPA.
Kidd was arrested on Aug. 15 and slapped with dozens of charges of owning exotic and protected reptiles without a permit, according to the Henderson County Sheriff's Office.
http://www.aol.com/2011/08/16/man-living-with-154-reptiles_n_928691.html?ir=Weird+News#s331924&title=Dolphin_Flip
Showing posts with label exotic pets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exotic pets. Show all posts
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Christian: The lion who lived on the King's Road (via Dawn Holloway)
It is almost exactly 40 years since two young Australians had what has become a famous encounter with a lion in the depths of the African bush.
The huge, powerful animal strode towards the men, and then instead of launching an attack, lolloped up to be hugged, petted and stroked.
The explanation for this extraordinary behaviour is that the men and the lion were old friends.
Almost incredibly, they had first met in a shop in London. John Rendall and Anthony "Ace" Bourke had come across "Christian" late in 1969, at what was then a zoo in the upmarket department store, Harrods.
"In the centre of it were these two beautiful, beautiful lion cubs," Mr Rendall told the BBC World Service's Witness programme.
He was immediately drawn to the male of the pair.
"He had a nature that was instantly attractive. You could see that he wasn't frightened, he wasn't distressed. He was just above it all. And that is very, very irresistible."
The two Australians, who had only just arrived in London, decided almost immediately that they would buy Christian.
After the Harrods staff had been convinced that they would be the right kind of owners, the friends paid 250 guineas - about £3,500 ($5,736) in today's money - and then walked out of the shop with the lion on a lead.
Remarkable relationship
Mr Rendall said they put their faith in the fact that lions are not solitary beasts. Unlike others in the cat family, they live in groups and have convivial instincts.
"If you have a lion by itself in any circumstances it is going to look for friends. And if there are no other lions it will create a friendship with human beings," he said.
And so this threesome began to forge a remarkable relationship, with the cub padding around their London flat, and the furniture shop below where his owners worked.
"We realised that we were living with an incredibly complex, intelligent animal," said Mr Rendall. "He was very observant, always looking."
But what of the dangers to other staff, customers and people passing in the street?
"You think, 'is someone going to come in the door now? Is someone going to bring a child - will they have a dog?'
"It was double-guessing to see that a 'situation' didn't arise. And I'm very proud to say that it didn't happen. You could see that he was a gentle, gentle creature."
And Christian was not living just anywhere. His flat was on the King's Road, the heart of "Swinging London" in the last days of the 60s.
The neighbourhood was home to rock stars and celebrity fashion designers. And as he prowled around the shop, the little lion became something of a celebrity himself.
There were television appearances - when he called by the BBC's studios our security men decided that although no dogs were allowed in, the regulations didn't actually mentions lions - and Christian was welcomed in.
Return to the wild
But nearly a year on Christian already weighed as much as a man, and he was growing fast. It was definitely time to find him more secure surroundings than his flat in Chelsea.
Eventually the renowned expert in lion behaviour, George Adamson agreed to try to release him into the wild in Kenya.
A year later John Rendall and Ace Bourke decided to go and see how their old friend was getting on. But would he remember them? How would he react?
Just a few weeks earlier another lion in the process of being returned to the wild in the same area had killed a man.
Eventually, in the depths of the bush in the remote Kora region, Christian came over the brow of a hill - now a really large creature with a fine mane.
"He starts walking very very slowly down towards us. The body language was of curiosity - not attack," said Mr Rendall. "Eventually we couldn't resist, and called him - and that's when he took off."
He bounced down the hill and into his friends' arms, letting them hug, play and wrestle with him.
"It was a euphoric moment."
Naive
The whole scene was captured on film, and decades later it surfaced on the internet.
Soon this dramatic revival of an unlikely friendship became a YouTube sensation, moving millions of people around the world.
In their recently re-published book A Lion Called Christian, John Rendall and Anthony Burke acknowledged that back in 1969 they were naive.
They concede that buying exotic animals only serves to fuel the trafficking of them.
Today Mr Rendall says nobody should try to raise a lion in an urban environment in the way that he did.
The dangers are obvious.
But Mr Rendall was profoundly influenced by his time with Christian.
He became interested in conservation work, and today he is heavily involved with the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust.
As for Christian, his re-introduction to the wild was successful.
He was last heard of crossing the Tana River and heading further north.
And it is very likely that right now there are lions prowling the Kenyan bush who are descendants of Christian the Lion from London.
By Alan Johnston
BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14240681
The huge, powerful animal strode towards the men, and then instead of launching an attack, lolloped up to be hugged, petted and stroked.
The explanation for this extraordinary behaviour is that the men and the lion were old friends.
Almost incredibly, they had first met in a shop in London. John Rendall and Anthony "Ace" Bourke had come across "Christian" late in 1969, at what was then a zoo in the upmarket department store, Harrods.
"In the centre of it were these two beautiful, beautiful lion cubs," Mr Rendall told the BBC World Service's Witness programme.
Christian visited the BBC studios in 1969
He was immediately drawn to the male of the pair.
"He had a nature that was instantly attractive. You could see that he wasn't frightened, he wasn't distressed. He was just above it all. And that is very, very irresistible."
The two Australians, who had only just arrived in London, decided almost immediately that they would buy Christian.
After the Harrods staff had been convinced that they would be the right kind of owners, the friends paid 250 guineas - about £3,500 ($5,736) in today's money - and then walked out of the shop with the lion on a lead.
Remarkable relationship
Mr Rendall said they put their faith in the fact that lions are not solitary beasts. Unlike others in the cat family, they live in groups and have convivial instincts.
"If you have a lion by itself in any circumstances it is going to look for friends. And if there are no other lions it will create a friendship with human beings," he said.
And so this threesome began to forge a remarkable relationship, with the cub padding around their London flat, and the furniture shop below where his owners worked.
"We realised that we were living with an incredibly complex, intelligent animal," said Mr Rendall. "He was very observant, always looking."
But what of the dangers to other staff, customers and people passing in the street?
"You think, 'is someone going to come in the door now? Is someone going to bring a child - will they have a dog?'
"It was double-guessing to see that a 'situation' didn't arise. And I'm very proud to say that it didn't happen. You could see that he was a gentle, gentle creature."
And Christian was not living just anywhere. His flat was on the King's Road, the heart of "Swinging London" in the last days of the 60s.
The neighbourhood was home to rock stars and celebrity fashion designers. And as he prowled around the shop, the little lion became something of a celebrity himself.
There were television appearances - when he called by the BBC's studios our security men decided that although no dogs were allowed in, the regulations didn't actually mentions lions - and Christian was welcomed in.
Return to the wild
But nearly a year on Christian already weighed as much as a man, and he was growing fast. It was definitely time to find him more secure surroundings than his flat in Chelsea.
Eventually the renowned expert in lion behaviour, George Adamson agreed to try to release him into the wild in Kenya.
A year later John Rendall and Ace Bourke decided to go and see how their old friend was getting on. But would he remember them? How would he react?
Just a few weeks earlier another lion in the process of being returned to the wild in the same area had killed a man.
Eventually, in the depths of the bush in the remote Kora region, Christian came over the brow of a hill - now a really large creature with a fine mane.
"He starts walking very very slowly down towards us. The body language was of curiosity - not attack," said Mr Rendall. "Eventually we couldn't resist, and called him - and that's when he took off."
He bounced down the hill and into his friends' arms, letting them hug, play and wrestle with him.
"It was a euphoric moment."
Naive
The whole scene was captured on film, and decades later it surfaced on the internet.
Soon this dramatic revival of an unlikely friendship became a YouTube sensation, moving millions of people around the world.
In their recently re-published book A Lion Called Christian, John Rendall and Anthony Burke acknowledged that back in 1969 they were naive.
They concede that buying exotic animals only serves to fuel the trafficking of them.
Today Mr Rendall says nobody should try to raise a lion in an urban environment in the way that he did.
The dangers are obvious.
But Mr Rendall was profoundly influenced by his time with Christian.
He became interested in conservation work, and today he is heavily involved with the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust.
As for Christian, his re-introduction to the wild was successful.
He was last heard of crossing the Tana River and heading further north.
And it is very likely that right now there are lions prowling the Kenyan bush who are descendants of Christian the Lion from London.
By Alan Johnston
BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14240681
Sunday, July 3, 2011
'Hungry' escaped snake found under kitchen sink
A missing boa constrictor that sparked a police hunt has been found – under the kitchen sink at its owner's home.
6:00AM BST 01 Jul 2011
Families were warned to keep their children and pets indoors after the deadly 7.5ft female snake, named Diva, went missing yesterday from its owner's home in Broom Crescent, Ipswich.
The snake was said to be "hungry and unfriendly", having not been fed for three weeks. Owner Abbigayle Harding, 27, said she feared her seven-year-old pet had escaped to find a mate because it was breeding season for boa constrictors.
She said the snake had broken a lock on her tank to get out.
Police said that they could not "rule out a danger to the public'' and that, although Diva was not venomous, she might bite if approached.
The snake normally eats small mammals but residents were warned that, when hungry, she could climb trees and pounce on her prey.
A nearby primary school banned its pupils from playing on its field, which was just 30 yards from the house.
The snake was found this afternoon, safe and well in the kitchen at Ms Harding's house.
Ms Harding told the BBC that she had an "inkling" that the snake could still have been in the house.
She used a dead rat to tempt Diva out from her hiding place under the kitchen sink, and said that she would be fitting two locks on the snake's tank to make sure that she did not escape again.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Deadly black widow found in Kent
 |
| Vet Mark Rowland with the deadly black widow |
by Alan McGuinness
Its venom is 15 times more deadly than a rattlesnake, it devours males after mating - and it's looking for a new home... in Kent.
A black widow spider was discovered by workers importing cars from the United States at Chatham Docks at the weekend.
It was trapped and taken to a Maidstone veterinary surgery in a Chinese takeaway carton.
Mark Rowland, the owner of Trinity Vet Centre and an expert in zoological medicine says he has never had to deal with something like this before.
He said: "The first thing we thought when it was brought in was: 'Thank god there are not any holes in this'. At least it was secure.
"The thing about Chinese takeaway cartons is that they have got firm lids you can put on.
"The guys had done a good job in entrapping it in that. Although it was not ideal it was better than it could have been.
"If it was brought in a box that would have been a bit more disconcerting.
"We just had to transfer it to a more secure container and double box it so it would not cause any problems."
A bite from a black widow spider can cause muscle pain and spasms, nausea, vomiting, a coma and even death.
"Statistically the fatality rate is five per cent - the only fatalities occur in older people, very young people or those who do not have as robust an immune system as normal.
"The effects of it can last for up to several weeks after - it is quite a nasty experience," said Mr Rowland.
Now he is searching for somewhere, or someone, to take the spider.
"I have started with the local zoological collections - I have contacted London Zoo.
"I have got quite a few contacts in the zoological world so we should be able to find somewhere for her.
"Wherever she goes they will have to have a dangerous wild animal licence because she is a potentially dangerous animal.
"That is why I am exploring this avenue first and then I will send it out to the general public.
"But that would be both irresponsible and illegal if they do not have a licence. Until that time she will remain here."
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2011-1/june/7/deadly_black_widow_found_in_ke.aspx
(Submitted by Neil Arnold)
Crocodiles in bedroom shock police team
London, June 8 : A team of policemen on a routine visit to a suburban home in south London had the shock of their life when they found four crocodiles in a bedroom.
The officers had visited the semi-detached house on an unrelated matter but made the surprise discovery of the reptiles in a bedroom, Daily Mail reported.
The West African dwarf crocodiles were crammed into makeshift tanks in the spare bedroom of the house in Waddon, Croydon, South London.
The largest of the reptiles, measuring over four feet, was in such a bad condition that it died soon after being transferred. The other three smaller female crocodiles were found in cramped and dirty pond liners.
The police called council licensing officers, who came to seize the crocodiles.
Rob Quest, manager of the London Animal Health Service, said he was shocked to discover it was rescuing crocodiles.
He said: "We were very surprised to get the phone call and to discover there were West African Dwarf Crocodiles.
"We are usually called in to collect venomous snakes."
The animals have since been transferred to Birdworld in Surrey where they are being fed on white mice and are happily sharing a large pond with terrapin turtles.
The owner of the protected animals did not have a licence for them and is expected to be charged with four counts under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 and faces a substantial fine.
--IANS
http://www.newkerala.com/news/2011/worldnews-3234.html
The officers had visited the semi-detached house on an unrelated matter but made the surprise discovery of the reptiles in a bedroom, Daily Mail reported.
The West African dwarf crocodiles were crammed into makeshift tanks in the spare bedroom of the house in Waddon, Croydon, South London.
The largest of the reptiles, measuring over four feet, was in such a bad condition that it died soon after being transferred. The other three smaller female crocodiles were found in cramped and dirty pond liners.
The police called council licensing officers, who came to seize the crocodiles.
Rob Quest, manager of the London Animal Health Service, said he was shocked to discover it was rescuing crocodiles.
He said: "We were very surprised to get the phone call and to discover there were West African Dwarf Crocodiles.
"We are usually called in to collect venomous snakes."
The animals have since been transferred to Birdworld in Surrey where they are being fed on white mice and are happily sharing a large pond with terrapin turtles.
The owner of the protected animals did not have a licence for them and is expected to be charged with four counts under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 and faces a substantial fine.
--IANS
http://www.newkerala.com/news/2011/worldnews-3234.html
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Mutant turtles terrorising London ponds
Evening Standard
25 May 2011
Hybrid turtles are taking hold of London's parks and ponds.
Experts studying 1,600 square kilometres of London and the home counties were shocked to find 10 species and several hybrids. They even found rare African turtles in a Camden park.
Despite culls, numbers are growing. Tom Langton of the London Natural History Society said: "We found a big increase in the sightings of terrapins, a type of turtle popular in the Eighties due to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cartoon series."
A government ban in 1997 has led to "lookalike" species being sold cheaply in pet shops. Mr Langton said he hoped all terrapins would be banned in the UK.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23953408-mutant-turtles-terrorising-london-ponds.do
25 May 2011
Hybrid turtles are taking hold of London's parks and ponds.
Experts studying 1,600 square kilometres of London and the home counties were shocked to find 10 species and several hybrids. They even found rare African turtles in a Camden park.
Despite culls, numbers are growing. Tom Langton of the London Natural History Society said: "We found a big increase in the sightings of terrapins, a type of turtle popular in the Eighties due to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cartoon series."
A government ban in 1997 has led to "lookalike" species being sold cheaply in pet shops. Mr Langton said he hoped all terrapins would be banned in the UK.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23953408-mutant-turtles-terrorising-london-ponds.do
Thursday, May 26, 2011
'Deadly' spider forces Crosby family from home
20 May 2011
A spider found in a bunch of bananas forced a Merseyside family to leave their home after they learnt it could be one the world's most poisonous.
Mandy and Darryl Ryan and their three young children moved out of their house in Crosby for eight days.
Mrs Ryan thought the spider was dead and before it ran off she took a photo of it. The picture showed it could be a deadly Brazilian wandering spider.
The family moved back in after Mr Ryan trapped it in a sandwich box.
He wore protective gloves and used a small mirror to look behind kitchen units at the family home on College Road North.
Pet shop
After setting sticky insect traps, the spider was found alive in the dishwasher.
Mrs Ryan said: "I brought the shopping home and noticed in a little bag of bananas that it was all black.
"It looked like one had rotted, so I opened the bag and the spider was sitting on top.
"I thought it was dead so I took a few photos of it. Then all of a sudden it jumped over my hand.
"I tried to catch it with a glass but it escaped into the dishwasher."
The spider is to be passed on to a pet shop which specialises in spiders and lizards.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-13476690
A spider found in a bunch of bananas forced a Merseyside family to leave their home after they learnt it could be one the world's most poisonous.
Mandy and Darryl Ryan and their three young children moved out of their house in Crosby for eight days.
Mrs Ryan thought the spider was dead and before it ran off she took a photo of it. The picture showed it could be a deadly Brazilian wandering spider.
The family moved back in after Mr Ryan trapped it in a sandwich box.
He wore protective gloves and used a small mirror to look behind kitchen units at the family home on College Road North.
Pet shop
After setting sticky insect traps, the spider was found alive in the dishwasher.
Mrs Ryan said: "I brought the shopping home and noticed in a little bag of bananas that it was all black.
"It looked like one had rotted, so I opened the bag and the spider was sitting on top.
"I thought it was dead so I took a few photos of it. Then all of a sudden it jumped over my hand.
"I tried to catch it with a glass but it escaped into the dishwasher."
The spider is to be passed on to a pet shop which specialises in spiders and lizards.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-13476690
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Ohio Ban On Exotic Pet Sales To Expire This Week (Via HerpDigest)
Ohio Ban On Exotic Pet Sales To Expire This Week
April 2, 2011, COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An order that banned buying and selling bears, crocodiles and other exotic animals in Ohio is set to expire without intervention by state officials.
Former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland issued the 90-day emergency executive order Jan. 6 before leaving office. It banned new exotic pets and allowed existing pets to be kept only under tough new rules in one of the few states where wild pet ownership was largely unchecked. It was part of a deal that help keep pet and livestock restrictions proposed by the Humane Society of the United States off the ballot.
The Columbus Dispatch reports Republican Gov. John Kasich's administration has confirmed he won't renew the order. State natural resources officials are expected to release information this week about what happens when the order expires.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
EcoHealth Alliance Calls for Improved Education Surrounding Exotic Pet Ownership (Via Herp Digest)
EcoHealth Alliance Calls for Improved Education Surrounding Exotic Pet Ownership
Movie Release Raises Questions And Concerns About Exotic Pets
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EcoHealth Alliance today announced the critical need for greater awareness and education for consumers purchasing exotic pets. The allure of non-traditional, exotic pets continues to sway consumers to purchase a myriad of non-native species including reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds and mammals. With the release of the animated feature film, Rango, pet retailers will likely experience a dramatic spike in reptile sales. The movie centers around a chameleon as the focal character played by Johnny Depp. Pet trends are often influenced by pop culture, raising concerns about the inadequate education surrounding exotic pet ownership.
"In the past decade alone, two billion live animals were imported to the U.S. with more than 90 percent of those animals intended for commercial sale. The wildlife trade generates billions of dollars of revenue in the U.S. and the countries of origin"
"We believe exotic pet ownership can be managed in a conscientious manner by retailers and consumers as long as factors of conservation, disease, and animal welfare are appropriately addressed. We urge consumers to get the essential facts to make an informed decision as opposed to an impulse buy," said Dr. Peter Daszak, Disease Ecologist and President of EcoHealth Alliance.
EcoHealth Alliance urges consumers to ask three major questions before purchasing an exotic pet for their family. First, ask the pet retailer if the animal is captive bred. Wildlife removed from their natural environments are vulnerable to stress and disease. Studies show that 90 percent of wild-caught reptiles will die prematurely, with only 1 out of 10 reptiles achieving full life expectancy. This can have devastating effects on wild populations around the world. Second, inquire what special needs and care will be required to keep the pet in good health. Many exotic pets require specialized food, lighting, housing, supplies and maintenance and can live for many years beyond a child's initial interest. Lastly, discuss the amount of time that must be allotted for the pet's daily care and welfare. With these questions answered then consider how the needs of this new pet will affect your family's daily routine and activities, while keeping in mind the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) warnings regarding contact between reptiles and small children, the elderly, and other persons at higher risk of salmonellosis that may live in your home.
There are solid examples of rising pet sales associated with popular movies featuring charismatic animals. The popularity of the film, The Princess and the Frog, was related to increased amphibian sales in 2009. That year, an outbreak of Salmonella typhimurium sickened 85 people from 31 states across the U.S. The illness was linked to contact with infected pet frogs. The median age of affected individuals was five years with 79 percent of the cases under the age of 10.
Another film, Finding Nemo, prompted an international demand for clownfish from tropical fish dealers. Often the initial nostalgia wears off leaving the average consumer less animated when contemplating the major responsibility of owning an exotic pet.
The U.S. is the world's largest importer of wildlife. "In the past decade alone, two billion live animals were imported to the U.S. with more than 90 percent of those animals intended for commercial sale. The wildlife trade generates billions of dollars of revenue in the U.S. and the countries of origin," said Dr. Daszak. It is estimated that a large portion of global wildlife trade is illegal and reptiles represent 69 percent of that illegal wildlife trade. The excessive demand for wild animals can ultimately deplete native wildlife populations up to 70 percent.
"The volume of wildlife arriving at U.S. ports is enormous fueling the potential to create wide-ranging negative impacts. Our main concerns include the animals' welfare, the commonality of releasing exotic pets into the wild, the spread of disease from infected pets to people and native wildlife, and ultimately the extinction of a species," said Dr. William Karesh, International Wildlife Veterinarian and Executive Vice President of Health and Policy at EcoHealth Alliance.
Exotic pet ownership continues to increase according to the American Pet Products Association's National Pet Owners Survey. Last year, 62 percent of U.S. households owned a pet, equating to 71.4 million homes. It was also estimated that Americans spent $47.7 billion on pets in 2010. The urgency for improved education surrounding the ownership of an exotic animal is vital for the health of both pet and family.
About EcoHealth Alliance
Building on 40 years of innovative science, EcoHealth Alliance (formerly Wildlife Trust) is a non-profit international conservation organization dedicated to protecting wildlife and safeguarding human health from the emergence of disease. The organization develops ways to combat the effects of damaged ecosystems on human and wildlife health. It specializes in saving biodiversity in human-dominated ecosystems where ecological health is most at risk from habitat loss, species imbalance, pollution and other environmental issues. EcoHealth Alliance scientists also identify and examine the causes affecting the health of global ecosystems in the U.S. and more than 20 countries worldwide. EcoHealth Alliance's strength is founded on innovations in research, education, training, and support from a global network of EcoHealth Alliance conservation partners. For more information, visit www.ecohealthalliance.org. EcoHealth Alliance is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization.
Contacts
EcoHealth Alliance Anthony M. Ramos, 1-212-380-4469 Mobile: 1-914-787-963
Movie Release Raises Questions And Concerns About Exotic Pets
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EcoHealth Alliance today announced the critical need for greater awareness and education for consumers purchasing exotic pets. The allure of non-traditional, exotic pets continues to sway consumers to purchase a myriad of non-native species including reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds and mammals. With the release of the animated feature film, Rango, pet retailers will likely experience a dramatic spike in reptile sales. The movie centers around a chameleon as the focal character played by Johnny Depp. Pet trends are often influenced by pop culture, raising concerns about the inadequate education surrounding exotic pet ownership.
"In the past decade alone, two billion live animals were imported to the U.S. with more than 90 percent of those animals intended for commercial sale. The wildlife trade generates billions of dollars of revenue in the U.S. and the countries of origin"
"We believe exotic pet ownership can be managed in a conscientious manner by retailers and consumers as long as factors of conservation, disease, and animal welfare are appropriately addressed. We urge consumers to get the essential facts to make an informed decision as opposed to an impulse buy," said Dr. Peter Daszak, Disease Ecologist and President of EcoHealth Alliance.
EcoHealth Alliance urges consumers to ask three major questions before purchasing an exotic pet for their family. First, ask the pet retailer if the animal is captive bred. Wildlife removed from their natural environments are vulnerable to stress and disease. Studies show that 90 percent of wild-caught reptiles will die prematurely, with only 1 out of 10 reptiles achieving full life expectancy. This can have devastating effects on wild populations around the world. Second, inquire what special needs and care will be required to keep the pet in good health. Many exotic pets require specialized food, lighting, housing, supplies and maintenance and can live for many years beyond a child's initial interest. Lastly, discuss the amount of time that must be allotted for the pet's daily care and welfare. With these questions answered then consider how the needs of this new pet will affect your family's daily routine and activities, while keeping in mind the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) warnings regarding contact between reptiles and small children, the elderly, and other persons at higher risk of salmonellosis that may live in your home.
There are solid examples of rising pet sales associated with popular movies featuring charismatic animals. The popularity of the film, The Princess and the Frog, was related to increased amphibian sales in 2009. That year, an outbreak of Salmonella typhimurium sickened 85 people from 31 states across the U.S. The illness was linked to contact with infected pet frogs. The median age of affected individuals was five years with 79 percent of the cases under the age of 10.
Another film, Finding Nemo, prompted an international demand for clownfish from tropical fish dealers. Often the initial nostalgia wears off leaving the average consumer less animated when contemplating the major responsibility of owning an exotic pet.
The U.S. is the world's largest importer of wildlife. "In the past decade alone, two billion live animals were imported to the U.S. with more than 90 percent of those animals intended for commercial sale. The wildlife trade generates billions of dollars of revenue in the U.S. and the countries of origin," said Dr. Daszak. It is estimated that a large portion of global wildlife trade is illegal and reptiles represent 69 percent of that illegal wildlife trade. The excessive demand for wild animals can ultimately deplete native wildlife populations up to 70 percent.
"The volume of wildlife arriving at U.S. ports is enormous fueling the potential to create wide-ranging negative impacts. Our main concerns include the animals' welfare, the commonality of releasing exotic pets into the wild, the spread of disease from infected pets to people and native wildlife, and ultimately the extinction of a species," said Dr. William Karesh, International Wildlife Veterinarian and Executive Vice President of Health and Policy at EcoHealth Alliance.
Exotic pet ownership continues to increase according to the American Pet Products Association's National Pet Owners Survey. Last year, 62 percent of U.S. households owned a pet, equating to 71.4 million homes. It was also estimated that Americans spent $47.7 billion on pets in 2010. The urgency for improved education surrounding the ownership of an exotic animal is vital for the health of both pet and family.
About EcoHealth Alliance
Building on 40 years of innovative science, EcoHealth Alliance (formerly Wildlife Trust) is a non-profit international conservation organization dedicated to protecting wildlife and safeguarding human health from the emergence of disease. The organization develops ways to combat the effects of damaged ecosystems on human and wildlife health. It specializes in saving biodiversity in human-dominated ecosystems where ecological health is most at risk from habitat loss, species imbalance, pollution and other environmental issues. EcoHealth Alliance scientists also identify and examine the causes affecting the health of global ecosystems in the U.S. and more than 20 countries worldwide. EcoHealth Alliance's strength is founded on innovations in research, education, training, and support from a global network of EcoHealth Alliance conservation partners. For more information, visit www.ecohealthalliance.org. EcoHealth Alliance is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization.
Contacts
EcoHealth Alliance Anthony M. Ramos, 1-212-380-4469 Mobile: 1-914-787-963
Friday, February 11, 2011
Roaches are forever as novel Valentine's gift
NEW YORK | Fri Feb 11, 2011 7:20pm GMT
NEW YORK (Reuters) - In what is described as the perfect Valentine's Day gift, New York's Bronx Zoo is offering the chance to name a Madagascar hissing cockroach after that special someone in your life.
"Flowers wilt. Chocolates melt. Roaches are forever," the zoo said on its website about the name a roach gift, which was also billed as a limited Valentine's Day offer.
More than 1,000 people chose the cockroach option for their Valentine in the first 24 hours of the offer this week, a zoo spokesman said.
The recipient of the present gets a certificate explaining that there is a special insect living at the zoo with his or her name on it.
The $10 (6 pounds) donation for the gift will go to helping preserve wildlife and forests in Madagascar, according to the zoo, which has some 58,000 Madagascar specimens that need names.
The Madagascar is the largest and noisiest variety of cockroach.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/11/oukoe-uk-valentine-cockroaches-idUKTRE71A67920110211
NEW YORK (Reuters) - In what is described as the perfect Valentine's Day gift, New York's Bronx Zoo is offering the chance to name a Madagascar hissing cockroach after that special someone in your life.
"Flowers wilt. Chocolates melt. Roaches are forever," the zoo said on its website about the name a roach gift, which was also billed as a limited Valentine's Day offer.
More than 1,000 people chose the cockroach option for their Valentine in the first 24 hours of the offer this week, a zoo spokesman said.
The recipient of the present gets a certificate explaining that there is a special insect living at the zoo with his or her name on it.
The $10 (6 pounds) donation for the gift will go to helping preserve wildlife and forests in Madagascar, according to the zoo, which has some 58,000 Madagascar specimens that need names.
The Madagascar is the largest and noisiest variety of cockroach.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/02/11/oukoe-uk-valentine-cockroaches-idUKTRE71A67920110211
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Snake missing for a month found on Boston subway
Associated Press
Posted: 02/04/2011 09:01:49 AM PST
Updated: 02/04/2011 09:01:50 AM PST
BOSTON -- Transit officials say a 3-foot-long boa constrictor that slithered away from its owner on a Boston subway car a month ago was found on an adjoining car Thursday.
A commuter spotted Penelope the snake and alerted a train attendant at a Red Line station. Transit authority officials took the train out of service to search it. Finally at 8:30 p.m., train attendant Sharon Lynch -- a snake owner herself -- caught the snake.
Penelope's owner, 30-year-old Melissa Moorhouse of Allston, had traveled around with the snake around her neck and lost it between two stations Jan. 6. She's thrilled to have her pet back, and says she'll pay more attention the next time she takes Penelope out in public.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/weird-news/ci_17293859?nclick_check=1
Posted: 02/04/2011 09:01:49 AM PST
Updated: 02/04/2011 09:01:50 AM PST
BOSTON -- Transit officials say a 3-foot-long boa constrictor that slithered away from its owner on a Boston subway car a month ago was found on an adjoining car Thursday.
A commuter spotted Penelope the snake and alerted a train attendant at a Red Line station. Transit authority officials took the train out of service to search it. Finally at 8:30 p.m., train attendant Sharon Lynch -- a snake owner herself -- caught the snake.
Penelope's owner, 30-year-old Melissa Moorhouse of Allston, had traveled around with the snake around her neck and lost it between two stations Jan. 6. She's thrilled to have her pet back, and says she'll pay more attention the next time she takes Penelope out in public.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/weird-news/ci_17293859?nclick_check=1
Friday, February 4, 2011
Pet snake starts fire in Dorset house
4 February 2011 Last updated at 08:10
A pet snake started a fire at a house in Dorset.
Firefighters were called to the property in St Cleeve Way in Ferndown, near Bournemouth, at 0620 GMT when a fire alarm activated.
The household's pet snake had dislodged its heat lamp, burning some bark in its vivarium and the table underneath.
Dorset Fire and Rescue said the retained crew from Ferndown put out the fire using buckets of water. The snake escaped unharmed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-12363541
A pet snake started a fire at a house in Dorset.
Firefighters were called to the property in St Cleeve Way in Ferndown, near Bournemouth, at 0620 GMT when a fire alarm activated.
The household's pet snake had dislodged its heat lamp, burning some bark in its vivarium and the table underneath.
Dorset Fire and Rescue said the retained crew from Ferndown put out the fire using buckets of water. The snake escaped unharmed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-12363541
Saturday, January 29, 2011
'Godzilla-like creature' nabbed in Calif. town
Owner reunited with 5-foot-long lizard that wandered free for a couple days
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 1/26/2011 9:41:39 PM ET
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Animal services officers often get calls reporting "huge," monstrous reptiles, only to arrive and find an itty-bitty garden snake.
But people strolling along Grambling Way, near Massachusetts Avenue, in Riverside Tuesday got a shock when they found they were sharing the sidewalk with a five-foot-long monitor lizard.
"It was just walking along," said John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Department of Animal Services. "People were stunned by the size of this thing. It looks like the size of a small alligator."
Animal control officer Jenny Selter was dispatched to the scene. "She said she saw it and almost jumped back in her truck," Walsh said. "The residents were freaking out because here's the Godzilla-like creature walking down the sidewalk."
Selter managed to get a catch pole — a long pole with a loop at the end that's used to handle vicious dogs — around the animal's neck, Welsh said. It was docile at first, but then it started hissing.
A police officer grabbed the lizard's body while Selter held onto its sharp, lashing tail, and together they put it in a compartment of her truck that's usually used for large dogs.
Black-throated monitor lizards are carnivorous, legal to own in California and native to the African grasslands and parts of Asia. Juveniles go for about $100 in pet stores, but they grow.
Back at the shelter, staff found the reptile was well-behaved for a monitor lizard.
"The last one we had was nasty. But this one doesn't hiss and we were able to walk it around. It was investigating and didn't snap at anyone," Welsh said. "We suspect that it's been someone's pet for a long time, because it's so big. I think they might let it wander around the house. Maybe it sleeps on a bean bag?"
Later Wednesday, owner Tom Casarez Jr. of Riverside was reunited with the lizard, named Elmer, Welsh said on the Animal Services website.
Casarez told officers that Elmer had been missing since Sunday. Elmer's tank was being cleaned, and a door in the residence was left open, allowing the lizard to slip out unnoticed.
Welsh said Animal Services officers visited Casarez's home and determined Elmer was being properly cared for.
Noting that Elmer is a carnivore, Welsh said there hadn't been any reports of missing pets in the neighborhood.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41267913/ns/us_news-weird_news/
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 1/26/2011 9:41:39 PM ET
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Animal services officers often get calls reporting "huge," monstrous reptiles, only to arrive and find an itty-bitty garden snake.
But people strolling along Grambling Way, near Massachusetts Avenue, in Riverside Tuesday got a shock when they found they were sharing the sidewalk with a five-foot-long monitor lizard.
"It was just walking along," said John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Department of Animal Services. "People were stunned by the size of this thing. It looks like the size of a small alligator."
Animal control officer Jenny Selter was dispatched to the scene. "She said she saw it and almost jumped back in her truck," Walsh said. "The residents were freaking out because here's the Godzilla-like creature walking down the sidewalk."
Selter managed to get a catch pole — a long pole with a loop at the end that's used to handle vicious dogs — around the animal's neck, Welsh said. It was docile at first, but then it started hissing.
A police officer grabbed the lizard's body while Selter held onto its sharp, lashing tail, and together they put it in a compartment of her truck that's usually used for large dogs.
Black-throated monitor lizards are carnivorous, legal to own in California and native to the African grasslands and parts of Asia. Juveniles go for about $100 in pet stores, but they grow.
Back at the shelter, staff found the reptile was well-behaved for a monitor lizard.
"The last one we had was nasty. But this one doesn't hiss and we were able to walk it around. It was investigating and didn't snap at anyone," Welsh said. "We suspect that it's been someone's pet for a long time, because it's so big. I think they might let it wander around the house. Maybe it sleeps on a bean bag?"
Later Wednesday, owner Tom Casarez Jr. of Riverside was reunited with the lizard, named Elmer, Welsh said on the Animal Services website.
Casarez told officers that Elmer had been missing since Sunday. Elmer's tank was being cleaned, and a door in the residence was left open, allowing the lizard to slip out unnoticed.
Welsh said Animal Services officers visited Casarez's home and determined Elmer was being properly cared for.
Noting that Elmer is a carnivore, Welsh said there hadn't been any reports of missing pets in the neighborhood.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41267913/ns/us_news-weird_news/
'Godzilla-like creature' nabbed in Calif. town
Owner reunited with 5-foot-long lizard that wandered free for a couple days
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 1/26/2011 9:41:39 PM ET
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Animal services officers often get calls reporting "huge," monstrous reptiles, only to arrive and find an itty-bitty garden snake.
But people strolling along Grambling Way, near Massachusetts Avenue, in Riverside Tuesday got a shock when they found they were sharing the sidewalk with a five-foot-long monitor lizard.
"It was just walking along," said John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Department of Animal Services. "People were stunned by the size of this thing. It looks like the size of a small alligator."
Animal control officer Jenny Selter was dispatched to the scene. "She said she saw it and almost jumped back in her truck," Walsh said. "The residents were freaking out because here's the Godzilla-like creature walking down the sidewalk."
Selter managed to get a catch pole — a long pole with a loop at the end that's used to handle vicious dogs — around the animal's neck, Welsh said. It was docile at first, but then it started hissing.
A police officer grabbed the lizard's body while Selter held onto its sharp, lashing tail, and together they put it in a compartment of her truck that's usually used for large dogs.
Black-throated monitor lizards are carnivorous, legal to own in California and native to the African grasslands and parts of Asia. Juveniles go for about $100 in pet stores, but they grow.
Back at the shelter, staff found the reptile was well-behaved for a monitor lizard.
"The last one we had was nasty. But this one doesn't hiss and we were able to walk it around. It was investigating and didn't snap at anyone," Welsh said. "We suspect that it's been someone's pet for a long time, because it's so big. I think they might let it wander around the house. Maybe it sleeps on a bean bag?"
Later Wednesday, owner Tom Casarez Jr. of Riverside was reunited with the lizard, named Elmer, Welsh said on the Animal Services website.
Casarez told officers that Elmer had been missing since Sunday. Elmer's tank was being cleaned, and a door in the residence was left open, allowing the lizard to slip out unnoticed.
Welsh said Animal Services officers visited Casarez's home and determined Elmer was being properly cared for.
Noting that Elmer is a carnivore, Welsh said there hadn't been any reports of missing pets in the neighborhood.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41267913/ns/us_news-weird_news/
msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 1/26/2011 9:41:39 PM ET
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Animal services officers often get calls reporting "huge," monstrous reptiles, only to arrive and find an itty-bitty garden snake.
But people strolling along Grambling Way, near Massachusetts Avenue, in Riverside Tuesday got a shock when they found they were sharing the sidewalk with a five-foot-long monitor lizard.
"It was just walking along," said John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Department of Animal Services. "People were stunned by the size of this thing. It looks like the size of a small alligator."
Animal control officer Jenny Selter was dispatched to the scene. "She said she saw it and almost jumped back in her truck," Walsh said. "The residents were freaking out because here's the Godzilla-like creature walking down the sidewalk."
Selter managed to get a catch pole — a long pole with a loop at the end that's used to handle vicious dogs — around the animal's neck, Welsh said. It was docile at first, but then it started hissing.
A police officer grabbed the lizard's body while Selter held onto its sharp, lashing tail, and together they put it in a compartment of her truck that's usually used for large dogs.
Black-throated monitor lizards are carnivorous, legal to own in California and native to the African grasslands and parts of Asia. Juveniles go for about $100 in pet stores, but they grow.
Back at the shelter, staff found the reptile was well-behaved for a monitor lizard.
"The last one we had was nasty. But this one doesn't hiss and we were able to walk it around. It was investigating and didn't snap at anyone," Welsh said. "We suspect that it's been someone's pet for a long time, because it's so big. I think they might let it wander around the house. Maybe it sleeps on a bean bag?"
Later Wednesday, owner Tom Casarez Jr. of Riverside was reunited with the lizard, named Elmer, Welsh said on the Animal Services website.
Casarez told officers that Elmer had been missing since Sunday. Elmer's tank was being cleaned, and a door in the residence was left open, allowing the lizard to slip out unnoticed.
Welsh said Animal Services officers visited Casarez's home and determined Elmer was being properly cared for.
Noting that Elmer is a carnivore, Welsh said there hadn't been any reports of missing pets in the neighborhood.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41267913/ns/us_news-weird_news/
5-foot Monitor Lizard, 'Godzilla-Like Creature,' Freaks Out Residents In California Neighborhood
01/25/11 10:37 PM
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Animal services officers often get calls reporting "huge," monstrous reptiles, only to arrive and find an itty-bitty garden snake.
The 5-foot Monitor lizard wandering around a condo complex in the city of Riverside was way bigger than animal control officer Jenny Selter could have imagined.
"She said she saw it and almost jumped back in her truck," said John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Animal Services. "The residents were freaking out because here's the Godzilla-like creature walking down the sidewalk."
Selter managed to get a catch pole – a long pole with a loop at the end that's used to handle vicious dogs – around the animal's neck, Welsh said. It was docile at first, but then it started hissing.
A police officer grabbed the lizard's body while Selter held onto its sharp, lashing tail, and together they put it in a compartment of her truck that's usually used for large dogs.
Black-throated Monitor lizards are carnivorous, legal to own in California and native to the African grasslands and parts of Asia. Juveniles go for about $100 in pet stores, but they grow.
Back at the shelter, staff found the reptile was well-behaved for a Monitor lizard.
"The last one we had was nasty. But this one doesn't hiss and we were able to walk it around. It was investigating and didn't snap at anyone," Welsh said. "We suspect that it's been someone's pet for a long time, because it's so big. I think they might let it wander around the house. Maybe it sleeps on a bean bag?"
Welsh thinks the scaly pet might have escaped its cage or gotten loose while its owner was away, and he hoped its owner comes to claim it soon.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/26/5foot-monitor-lizard-godz_n_814145.html
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Animal services officers often get calls reporting "huge," monstrous reptiles, only to arrive and find an itty-bitty garden snake.
The 5-foot Monitor lizard wandering around a condo complex in the city of Riverside was way bigger than animal control officer Jenny Selter could have imagined.
"She said she saw it and almost jumped back in her truck," said John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Animal Services. "The residents were freaking out because here's the Godzilla-like creature walking down the sidewalk."
Selter managed to get a catch pole – a long pole with a loop at the end that's used to handle vicious dogs – around the animal's neck, Welsh said. It was docile at first, but then it started hissing.
A police officer grabbed the lizard's body while Selter held onto its sharp, lashing tail, and together they put it in a compartment of her truck that's usually used for large dogs.
Black-throated Monitor lizards are carnivorous, legal to own in California and native to the African grasslands and parts of Asia. Juveniles go for about $100 in pet stores, but they grow.
Back at the shelter, staff found the reptile was well-behaved for a Monitor lizard.
"The last one we had was nasty. But this one doesn't hiss and we were able to walk it around. It was investigating and didn't snap at anyone," Welsh said. "We suspect that it's been someone's pet for a long time, because it's so big. I think they might let it wander around the house. Maybe it sleeps on a bean bag?"
Welsh thinks the scaly pet might have escaped its cage or gotten loose while its owner was away, and he hoped its owner comes to claim it soon.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/26/5foot-monitor-lizard-godz_n_814145.html
5-foot Monitor Lizard, 'Godzilla-Like Creature,' Freaks Out Residents In California Neighborhood
01/25/11 10:37 PM
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Animal services officers often get calls reporting "huge," monstrous reptiles, only to arrive and find an itty-bitty garden snake.
The 5-foot Monitor lizard wandering around a condo complex in the city of Riverside was way bigger than animal control officer Jenny Selter could have imagined.
"She said she saw it and almost jumped back in her truck," said John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Animal Services. "The residents were freaking out because here's the Godzilla-like creature walking down the sidewalk."
Selter managed to get a catch pole – a long pole with a loop at the end that's used to handle vicious dogs – around the animal's neck, Welsh said. It was docile at first, but then it started hissing.
A police officer grabbed the lizard's body while Selter held onto its sharp, lashing tail, and together they put it in a compartment of her truck that's usually used for large dogs.
Black-throated Monitor lizards are carnivorous, legal to own in California and native to the African grasslands and parts of Asia. Juveniles go for about $100 in pet stores, but they grow.
Back at the shelter, staff found the reptile was well-behaved for a Monitor lizard.
"The last one we had was nasty. But this one doesn't hiss and we were able to walk it around. It was investigating and didn't snap at anyone," Welsh said. "We suspect that it's been someone's pet for a long time, because it's so big. I think they might let it wander around the house. Maybe it sleeps on a bean bag?"
Welsh thinks the scaly pet might have escaped its cage or gotten loose while its owner was away, and he hoped its owner comes to claim it soon.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/26/5foot-monitor-lizard-godz_n_814145.html
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Animal services officers often get calls reporting "huge," monstrous reptiles, only to arrive and find an itty-bitty garden snake.
The 5-foot Monitor lizard wandering around a condo complex in the city of Riverside was way bigger than animal control officer Jenny Selter could have imagined.
"She said she saw it and almost jumped back in her truck," said John Welsh, spokesman for Riverside County Animal Services. "The residents were freaking out because here's the Godzilla-like creature walking down the sidewalk."
Selter managed to get a catch pole – a long pole with a loop at the end that's used to handle vicious dogs – around the animal's neck, Welsh said. It was docile at first, but then it started hissing.
A police officer grabbed the lizard's body while Selter held onto its sharp, lashing tail, and together they put it in a compartment of her truck that's usually used for large dogs.
Black-throated Monitor lizards are carnivorous, legal to own in California and native to the African grasslands and parts of Asia. Juveniles go for about $100 in pet stores, but they grow.
Back at the shelter, staff found the reptile was well-behaved for a Monitor lizard.
"The last one we had was nasty. But this one doesn't hiss and we were able to walk it around. It was investigating and didn't snap at anyone," Welsh said. "We suspect that it's been someone's pet for a long time, because it's so big. I think they might let it wander around the house. Maybe it sleeps on a bean bag?"
Welsh thinks the scaly pet might have escaped its cage or gotten loose while its owner was away, and he hoped its owner comes to claim it soon.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/26/5foot-monitor-lizard-godz_n_814145.html
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Snake Owners See Furry Bias in Invasive Species Proposal
By LESLIE KAUFMAN
Published: January 8, 2011
Until recently, Jeremy Stone lived happily in Lindon, Utah, with his wife and four children, and an annex full of baby ball pythons and boa constrictors.
The Stone family shares a passion for slithering pets. Mr. Stone’s son Zach got his first boa, a specially bred variety that glows yellowish orange, as a reward for doing his summer chores at age 6.
But like many snake lovers, Mr. Stone has been seething at the American government since early last year, when it sought to ban the importation and interstate transportation of nine species of foreign snakes. The federal Fish and Wildlife Service said the animals, if freed, posed a serious risk to native ecosystems across the southern United States.
“It is a joke,” Mr. Stone said of the science behind the government’s decision.
Mr. Stone makes his living breeding snakes with genetic mutations, like albinism, that make them attractive to buyers. His animals, raised in captivity, pose no threat, he said. They would be picked off in an instant in the wild and would have no idea how to fend for themselves. And if they escaped from their warm annex in Lindon, he added, they would die from the cold.
When the Fish and Wildlife Service moved to ban trade in the snakes, which include boas and species of anacondas and pythons, it argued that they met the legal criteria for being both injurious and invasive. Invasive species — from Asian carp, which threaten the Great Lakes, to zebra mussels, which spread exponentially — are a serious environmental concern, one that is often not dealt with until a species has become firmly established. The Fish and Wildlife Service argues that in the case of the snakes, they are trying to get ahead of the problem.
But it is the first time the government has tried to list animals so widely held as pets. Roughly one million Americans are believed to own snakes of the types listed by the Interior Department, according to the United States Association of Reptile Keepers, and 31,000 were imported in 2008, the most recent year for which the government has data. Trade in these species is big business: more than $100 million annually. Those with rare colors can fetch upward of $75,000.
The move to ban the snakes has set off a swell of anger among aggrieved snake owners and breeders, who have the most to lose financially, as well as a smattering of academic herpetologists, zookeepers and representatives of international conservation groups. When the regulations came up for public review, they flooded the government with objections.
At the heart of their arguments is a critique of the emerging science of invasive species risk assessment. And their response has highlighted the challenges that the government faces as it increasingly moves to protect native flora and fauna not just from current invasive species but also from future threats.
The reptile keepers group, which claims 12,000 professional breeders and sellers as members, has filed formal objections with the Interior Department and is threatening a lawsuit based on what it says is the government’s poor scientific evidence.
Andrew Wyatt, the president of the association, argues that the government is now promoting a native-species-only agenda favored by environmental groups.
“This has implications for every animal interest out there, right down to family pets,” he said, adding that by such standards, “all amphibians are injurious and cats and hogs can’t be far behind.”
The battle goes back to 2006, when the South Florida Water Management District petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the snakes under the Lacey Act, which would make it a crime to transport them into the United States or across state borders.
Burmese pythons — some thought to be dumped by pet owners and some that escaped — were establishing themselves across the Everglades, where they were swallowing up everything from endangered Key Largo wood rats to alligators. The population has been expanding northward at roughly three and a half to six miles a year — Indy 500 speeds in reptilian terms.
In recent years, Florida officials had taken significant steps to limit ownership of invasive snakes within the state but still wanted more to be done. What was to protect the Everglades from a snake bought in Georgia and carried across state lines?
To ban the snakes under federal law, the government would have to show that they posed a threat to native plants, crops or animals. With very little science available about how reptiles that come from distant places like subtropical Asia and Africa might fare in America, the United States Geological Survey was asked to assess the risk.
The agency looked at many factors, including the damage in the Everglades. It also turned to a computer model to determine what parts of the country might have a hospitable climate for the species. The scientists looked at variables including mean monthly temperatures and rainfall at a wide range of elevations in the native habitats of the animals and matched them to patterns in the United States.
They estimated that suitable climates for the Burmese python in particular might include the 11 southernmost states from California to North Carolina. If global warming continued apace, the geological survey added, the snakes might even be at home in New York City by 2100. The national news media gave gleeful attention to the prospect of a snake invasion.
But soon after, biologists at the City University of New York did their own modeling, using more factors and different ones like precipitation during the wettest periods of the year, and came up with only Florida and South Texas as possible habitats for the snakes. Independent studies of snakes captured in the Everglades and taken north to Gainesville, Fla., and South Carolina found that most of the animals died when left outside in winter in those regions.
These findings were further bolstered when an unusual cold snap in the Everglades last January left a large number of Burmese pythons dead on canal banks and levees.
The studies have fired up the snake industry, which sees them as proof that the government is pursuing a hostile and unwarranted agenda. Mr. Stone, the breeder, said that the government regulations, which do not prevent breeding and owning but do prevent transportation across state lines, would ruin his business and thousands like it.
“The reptile industry would suffer a crushing blow, over something that does not make sense,” he said.
Dr. Elliott Jacobson, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Florida and a specialist in reptiles, also sees the government’s science as skewed. He loves snakes so much that he keeps 140 as pets and houses them in a guest cottage and in the bedrooms once occupied by his sons, now grown. But he said he suspected that the government was less sympathetic to his pets than to more cuddly creatures.
“The impact of feral cats, for example, on wildlife is much greater than what the Burmese pythons can do,” he said, noting that a cat eats much more than a snake of the same size.
But Thomas Strickland, assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, said that the government was not going to back down and that it would approve the regulations by next summer. The science is solid, Mr. Strickland said, and the geological survey will soon publish a peer-reviewed answer to its critics.
Like other invasive species, snakes are a real and growing problem, he said. “You are not dealing with hamsters here,” he said. “I was down in the Everglades, and it took four people to hold a 19-foot Burmese python. These things wreak havoc.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/science/earth/09snakes.html?pagewanted=2&ref=us
Published: January 8, 2011
Until recently, Jeremy Stone lived happily in Lindon, Utah, with his wife and four children, and an annex full of baby ball pythons and boa constrictors.
The Stone family shares a passion for slithering pets. Mr. Stone’s son Zach got his first boa, a specially bred variety that glows yellowish orange, as a reward for doing his summer chores at age 6.
But like many snake lovers, Mr. Stone has been seething at the American government since early last year, when it sought to ban the importation and interstate transportation of nine species of foreign snakes. The federal Fish and Wildlife Service said the animals, if freed, posed a serious risk to native ecosystems across the southern United States.
“It is a joke,” Mr. Stone said of the science behind the government’s decision.
Mr. Stone makes his living breeding snakes with genetic mutations, like albinism, that make them attractive to buyers. His animals, raised in captivity, pose no threat, he said. They would be picked off in an instant in the wild and would have no idea how to fend for themselves. And if they escaped from their warm annex in Lindon, he added, they would die from the cold.
When the Fish and Wildlife Service moved to ban trade in the snakes, which include boas and species of anacondas and pythons, it argued that they met the legal criteria for being both injurious and invasive. Invasive species — from Asian carp, which threaten the Great Lakes, to zebra mussels, which spread exponentially — are a serious environmental concern, one that is often not dealt with until a species has become firmly established. The Fish and Wildlife Service argues that in the case of the snakes, they are trying to get ahead of the problem.
But it is the first time the government has tried to list animals so widely held as pets. Roughly one million Americans are believed to own snakes of the types listed by the Interior Department, according to the United States Association of Reptile Keepers, and 31,000 were imported in 2008, the most recent year for which the government has data. Trade in these species is big business: more than $100 million annually. Those with rare colors can fetch upward of $75,000.
The move to ban the snakes has set off a swell of anger among aggrieved snake owners and breeders, who have the most to lose financially, as well as a smattering of academic herpetologists, zookeepers and representatives of international conservation groups. When the regulations came up for public review, they flooded the government with objections.
At the heart of their arguments is a critique of the emerging science of invasive species risk assessment. And their response has highlighted the challenges that the government faces as it increasingly moves to protect native flora and fauna not just from current invasive species but also from future threats.
The reptile keepers group, which claims 12,000 professional breeders and sellers as members, has filed formal objections with the Interior Department and is threatening a lawsuit based on what it says is the government’s poor scientific evidence.
Andrew Wyatt, the president of the association, argues that the government is now promoting a native-species-only agenda favored by environmental groups.
“This has implications for every animal interest out there, right down to family pets,” he said, adding that by such standards, “all amphibians are injurious and cats and hogs can’t be far behind.”
The battle goes back to 2006, when the South Florida Water Management District petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the snakes under the Lacey Act, which would make it a crime to transport them into the United States or across state borders.
Burmese pythons — some thought to be dumped by pet owners and some that escaped — were establishing themselves across the Everglades, where they were swallowing up everything from endangered Key Largo wood rats to alligators. The population has been expanding northward at roughly three and a half to six miles a year — Indy 500 speeds in reptilian terms.
In recent years, Florida officials had taken significant steps to limit ownership of invasive snakes within the state but still wanted more to be done. What was to protect the Everglades from a snake bought in Georgia and carried across state lines?
To ban the snakes under federal law, the government would have to show that they posed a threat to native plants, crops or animals. With very little science available about how reptiles that come from distant places like subtropical Asia and Africa might fare in America, the United States Geological Survey was asked to assess the risk.
The agency looked at many factors, including the damage in the Everglades. It also turned to a computer model to determine what parts of the country might have a hospitable climate for the species. The scientists looked at variables including mean monthly temperatures and rainfall at a wide range of elevations in the native habitats of the animals and matched them to patterns in the United States.
They estimated that suitable climates for the Burmese python in particular might include the 11 southernmost states from California to North Carolina. If global warming continued apace, the geological survey added, the snakes might even be at home in New York City by 2100. The national news media gave gleeful attention to the prospect of a snake invasion.
But soon after, biologists at the City University of New York did their own modeling, using more factors and different ones like precipitation during the wettest periods of the year, and came up with only Florida and South Texas as possible habitats for the snakes. Independent studies of snakes captured in the Everglades and taken north to Gainesville, Fla., and South Carolina found that most of the animals died when left outside in winter in those regions.
These findings were further bolstered when an unusual cold snap in the Everglades last January left a large number of Burmese pythons dead on canal banks and levees.
The studies have fired up the snake industry, which sees them as proof that the government is pursuing a hostile and unwarranted agenda. Mr. Stone, the breeder, said that the government regulations, which do not prevent breeding and owning but do prevent transportation across state lines, would ruin his business and thousands like it.
“The reptile industry would suffer a crushing blow, over something that does not make sense,” he said.
Dr. Elliott Jacobson, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Florida and a specialist in reptiles, also sees the government’s science as skewed. He loves snakes so much that he keeps 140 as pets and houses them in a guest cottage and in the bedrooms once occupied by his sons, now grown. But he said he suspected that the government was less sympathetic to his pets than to more cuddly creatures.
“The impact of feral cats, for example, on wildlife is much greater than what the Burmese pythons can do,” he said, noting that a cat eats much more than a snake of the same size.
But Thomas Strickland, assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, said that the government was not going to back down and that it would approve the regulations by next summer. The science is solid, Mr. Strickland said, and the geological survey will soon publish a peer-reviewed answer to its critics.
Like other invasive species, snakes are a real and growing problem, he said. “You are not dealing with hamsters here,” he said. “I was down in the Everglades, and it took four people to hold a 19-foot Burmese python. These things wreak havoc.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/science/earth/09snakes.html?pagewanted=2&ref=us
Snake Owners See Furry Bias in Invasive Species Proposal
By LESLIE KAUFMAN
Published: January 8, 2011
Until recently, Jeremy Stone lived happily in Lindon, Utah, with his wife and four children, and an annex full of baby ball pythons and boa constrictors.
The Stone family shares a passion for slithering pets. Mr. Stone’s son Zach got his first boa, a specially bred variety that glows yellowish orange, as a reward for doing his summer chores at age 6.
But like many snake lovers, Mr. Stone has been seething at the American government since early last year, when it sought to ban the importation and interstate transportation of nine species of foreign snakes. The federal Fish and Wildlife Service said the animals, if freed, posed a serious risk to native ecosystems across the southern United States.
“It is a joke,” Mr. Stone said of the science behind the government’s decision.
Mr. Stone makes his living breeding snakes with genetic mutations, like albinism, that make them attractive to buyers. His animals, raised in captivity, pose no threat, he said. They would be picked off in an instant in the wild and would have no idea how to fend for themselves. And if they escaped from their warm annex in Lindon, he added, they would die from the cold.
When the Fish and Wildlife Service moved to ban trade in the snakes, which include boas and species of anacondas and pythons, it argued that they met the legal criteria for being both injurious and invasive. Invasive species — from Asian carp, which threaten the Great Lakes, to zebra mussels, which spread exponentially — are a serious environmental concern, one that is often not dealt with until a species has become firmly established. The Fish and Wildlife Service argues that in the case of the snakes, they are trying to get ahead of the problem.
But it is the first time the government has tried to list animals so widely held as pets. Roughly one million Americans are believed to own snakes of the types listed by the Interior Department, according to the United States Association of Reptile Keepers, and 31,000 were imported in 2008, the most recent year for which the government has data. Trade in these species is big business: more than $100 million annually. Those with rare colors can fetch upward of $75,000.
The move to ban the snakes has set off a swell of anger among aggrieved snake owners and breeders, who have the most to lose financially, as well as a smattering of academic herpetologists, zookeepers and representatives of international conservation groups. When the regulations came up for public review, they flooded the government with objections.
At the heart of their arguments is a critique of the emerging science of invasive species risk assessment. And their response has highlighted the challenges that the government faces as it increasingly moves to protect native flora and fauna not just from current invasive species but also from future threats.
The reptile keepers group, which claims 12,000 professional breeders and sellers as members, has filed formal objections with the Interior Department and is threatening a lawsuit based on what it says is the government’s poor scientific evidence.
Andrew Wyatt, the president of the association, argues that the government is now promoting a native-species-only agenda favored by environmental groups.
“This has implications for every animal interest out there, right down to family pets,” he said, adding that by such standards, “all amphibians are injurious and cats and hogs can’t be far behind.”
The battle goes back to 2006, when the South Florida Water Management District petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the snakes under the Lacey Act, which would make it a crime to transport them into the United States or across state borders.
Burmese pythons — some thought to be dumped by pet owners and some that escaped — were establishing themselves across the Everglades, where they were swallowing up everything from endangered Key Largo wood rats to alligators. The population has been expanding northward at roughly three and a half to six miles a year — Indy 500 speeds in reptilian terms.
In recent years, Florida officials had taken significant steps to limit ownership of invasive snakes within the state but still wanted more to be done. What was to protect the Everglades from a snake bought in Georgia and carried across state lines?
To ban the snakes under federal law, the government would have to show that they posed a threat to native plants, crops or animals. With very little science available about how reptiles that come from distant places like subtropical Asia and Africa might fare in America, the United States Geological Survey was asked to assess the risk.
The agency looked at many factors, including the damage in the Everglades. It also turned to a computer model to determine what parts of the country might have a hospitable climate for the species. The scientists looked at variables including mean monthly temperatures and rainfall at a wide range of elevations in the native habitats of the animals and matched them to patterns in the United States.
They estimated that suitable climates for the Burmese python in particular might include the 11 southernmost states from California to North Carolina. If global warming continued apace, the geological survey added, the snakes might even be at home in New York City by 2100. The national news media gave gleeful attention to the prospect of a snake invasion.
But soon after, biologists at the City University of New York did their own modeling, using more factors and different ones like precipitation during the wettest periods of the year, and came up with only Florida and South Texas as possible habitats for the snakes. Independent studies of snakes captured in the Everglades and taken north to Gainesville, Fla., and South Carolina found that most of the animals died when left outside in winter in those regions.
These findings were further bolstered when an unusual cold snap in the Everglades last January left a large number of Burmese pythons dead on canal banks and levees.
The studies have fired up the snake industry, which sees them as proof that the government is pursuing a hostile and unwarranted agenda. Mr. Stone, the breeder, said that the government regulations, which do not prevent breeding and owning but do prevent transportation across state lines, would ruin his business and thousands like it.
“The reptile industry would suffer a crushing blow, over something that does not make sense,” he said.
Dr. Elliott Jacobson, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Florida and a specialist in reptiles, also sees the government’s science as skewed. He loves snakes so much that he keeps 140 as pets and houses them in a guest cottage and in the bedrooms once occupied by his sons, now grown. But he said he suspected that the government was less sympathetic to his pets than to more cuddly creatures.
“The impact of feral cats, for example, on wildlife is much greater than what the Burmese pythons can do,” he said, noting that a cat eats much more than a snake of the same size.
But Thomas Strickland, assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, said that the government was not going to back down and that it would approve the regulations by next summer. The science is solid, Mr. Strickland said, and the geological survey will soon publish a peer-reviewed answer to its critics.
Like other invasive species, snakes are a real and growing problem, he said. “You are not dealing with hamsters here,” he said. “I was down in the Everglades, and it took four people to hold a 19-foot Burmese python. These things wreak havoc.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/science/earth/09snakes.html?pagewanted=2&ref=us
Published: January 8, 2011
Until recently, Jeremy Stone lived happily in Lindon, Utah, with his wife and four children, and an annex full of baby ball pythons and boa constrictors.
The Stone family shares a passion for slithering pets. Mr. Stone’s son Zach got his first boa, a specially bred variety that glows yellowish orange, as a reward for doing his summer chores at age 6.
But like many snake lovers, Mr. Stone has been seething at the American government since early last year, when it sought to ban the importation and interstate transportation of nine species of foreign snakes. The federal Fish and Wildlife Service said the animals, if freed, posed a serious risk to native ecosystems across the southern United States.
“It is a joke,” Mr. Stone said of the science behind the government’s decision.
Mr. Stone makes his living breeding snakes with genetic mutations, like albinism, that make them attractive to buyers. His animals, raised in captivity, pose no threat, he said. They would be picked off in an instant in the wild and would have no idea how to fend for themselves. And if they escaped from their warm annex in Lindon, he added, they would die from the cold.
When the Fish and Wildlife Service moved to ban trade in the snakes, which include boas and species of anacondas and pythons, it argued that they met the legal criteria for being both injurious and invasive. Invasive species — from Asian carp, which threaten the Great Lakes, to zebra mussels, which spread exponentially — are a serious environmental concern, one that is often not dealt with until a species has become firmly established. The Fish and Wildlife Service argues that in the case of the snakes, they are trying to get ahead of the problem.
But it is the first time the government has tried to list animals so widely held as pets. Roughly one million Americans are believed to own snakes of the types listed by the Interior Department, according to the United States Association of Reptile Keepers, and 31,000 were imported in 2008, the most recent year for which the government has data. Trade in these species is big business: more than $100 million annually. Those with rare colors can fetch upward of $75,000.
The move to ban the snakes has set off a swell of anger among aggrieved snake owners and breeders, who have the most to lose financially, as well as a smattering of academic herpetologists, zookeepers and representatives of international conservation groups. When the regulations came up for public review, they flooded the government with objections.
At the heart of their arguments is a critique of the emerging science of invasive species risk assessment. And their response has highlighted the challenges that the government faces as it increasingly moves to protect native flora and fauna not just from current invasive species but also from future threats.
The reptile keepers group, which claims 12,000 professional breeders and sellers as members, has filed formal objections with the Interior Department and is threatening a lawsuit based on what it says is the government’s poor scientific evidence.
Andrew Wyatt, the president of the association, argues that the government is now promoting a native-species-only agenda favored by environmental groups.
“This has implications for every animal interest out there, right down to family pets,” he said, adding that by such standards, “all amphibians are injurious and cats and hogs can’t be far behind.”
The battle goes back to 2006, when the South Florida Water Management District petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the snakes under the Lacey Act, which would make it a crime to transport them into the United States or across state borders.
Burmese pythons — some thought to be dumped by pet owners and some that escaped — were establishing themselves across the Everglades, where they were swallowing up everything from endangered Key Largo wood rats to alligators. The population has been expanding northward at roughly three and a half to six miles a year — Indy 500 speeds in reptilian terms.
In recent years, Florida officials had taken significant steps to limit ownership of invasive snakes within the state but still wanted more to be done. What was to protect the Everglades from a snake bought in Georgia and carried across state lines?
To ban the snakes under federal law, the government would have to show that they posed a threat to native plants, crops or animals. With very little science available about how reptiles that come from distant places like subtropical Asia and Africa might fare in America, the United States Geological Survey was asked to assess the risk.
The agency looked at many factors, including the damage in the Everglades. It also turned to a computer model to determine what parts of the country might have a hospitable climate for the species. The scientists looked at variables including mean monthly temperatures and rainfall at a wide range of elevations in the native habitats of the animals and matched them to patterns in the United States.
They estimated that suitable climates for the Burmese python in particular might include the 11 southernmost states from California to North Carolina. If global warming continued apace, the geological survey added, the snakes might even be at home in New York City by 2100. The national news media gave gleeful attention to the prospect of a snake invasion.
But soon after, biologists at the City University of New York did their own modeling, using more factors and different ones like precipitation during the wettest periods of the year, and came up with only Florida and South Texas as possible habitats for the snakes. Independent studies of snakes captured in the Everglades and taken north to Gainesville, Fla., and South Carolina found that most of the animals died when left outside in winter in those regions.
These findings were further bolstered when an unusual cold snap in the Everglades last January left a large number of Burmese pythons dead on canal banks and levees.
The studies have fired up the snake industry, which sees them as proof that the government is pursuing a hostile and unwarranted agenda. Mr. Stone, the breeder, said that the government regulations, which do not prevent breeding and owning but do prevent transportation across state lines, would ruin his business and thousands like it.
“The reptile industry would suffer a crushing blow, over something that does not make sense,” he said.
Dr. Elliott Jacobson, a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Florida and a specialist in reptiles, also sees the government’s science as skewed. He loves snakes so much that he keeps 140 as pets and houses them in a guest cottage and in the bedrooms once occupied by his sons, now grown. But he said he suspected that the government was less sympathetic to his pets than to more cuddly creatures.
“The impact of feral cats, for example, on wildlife is much greater than what the Burmese pythons can do,” he said, noting that a cat eats much more than a snake of the same size.
But Thomas Strickland, assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, said that the government was not going to back down and that it would approve the regulations by next summer. The science is solid, Mr. Strickland said, and the geological survey will soon publish a peer-reviewed answer to its critics.
Like other invasive species, snakes are a real and growing problem, he said. “You are not dealing with hamsters here,” he said. “I was down in the Everglades, and it took four people to hold a 19-foot Burmese python. These things wreak havoc.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/science/earth/09snakes.html?pagewanted=2&ref=us
Monday, October 4, 2010
Scorpions and tarantulas found in Preston alleyway
1 October 2010
Two scorpions and 15 baby tarantulas have been found abandoned in an alleyway in Preston, Lancashire.
A member of the public spotted them on Saturday and took them to the police who alerted the RSPCA.
The RSPCA has released details about the discovery to try to trace their owners.
"They had obviously been kept by someone who knew about spiders because some of them are quite unusual," animal welfare officer John Littlewood said.
"We are hoping that the owner will come forward," he added.
"People should not abandon dangerous exotics like this.
"Anyone who found them - including a young child - could still have been bitten, even though the spiders are very young."
'Lucky still alive'
The scorpions - an Asian forest and an emperor - are one cm in length.
Among the tarantulas was a sunburst, which is one of the most aggressive tarantulas.
They are all being cared for at the Bugworld Experience in Liverpool.
Curator Jenny Dobson said: "Most that we've managed to identify are not commonly kept tarantulas and would be very difficult to look after.
"It's not the kind of thing that should be dumped in a back street".
She said all the creatures were lucky to be alive in the cold weather.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-11457332
(Submitted by Dawn Holloway)
Two scorpions and 15 baby tarantulas have been found abandoned in an alleyway in Preston, Lancashire.
A member of the public spotted them on Saturday and took them to the police who alerted the RSPCA.
The RSPCA has released details about the discovery to try to trace their owners.
"They had obviously been kept by someone who knew about spiders because some of them are quite unusual," animal welfare officer John Littlewood said.
"We are hoping that the owner will come forward," he added.
"People should not abandon dangerous exotics like this.
"Anyone who found them - including a young child - could still have been bitten, even though the spiders are very young."
'Lucky still alive'
The scorpions - an Asian forest and an emperor - are one cm in length.
Among the tarantulas was a sunburst, which is one of the most aggressive tarantulas.
They are all being cared for at the Bugworld Experience in Liverpool.
Curator Jenny Dobson said: "Most that we've managed to identify are not commonly kept tarantulas and would be very difficult to look after.
"It's not the kind of thing that should be dumped in a back street".
She said all the creatures were lucky to be alive in the cold weather.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-11457332
(Submitted by Dawn Holloway)
Scorpions and tarantulas found in Preston alleyway
1 October 2010
Two scorpions and 15 baby tarantulas have been found abandoned in an alleyway in Preston, Lancashire.
A member of the public spotted them on Saturday and took them to the police who alerted the RSPCA.
The RSPCA has released details about the discovery to try to trace their owners.
"They had obviously been kept by someone who knew about spiders because some of them are quite unusual," animal welfare officer John Littlewood said.
"We are hoping that the owner will come forward," he added.
"People should not abandon dangerous exotics like this.
"Anyone who found them - including a young child - could still have been bitten, even though the spiders are very young."
'Lucky still alive'
The scorpions - an Asian forest and an emperor - are one cm in length.
Among the tarantulas was a sunburst, which is one of the most aggressive tarantulas.
They are all being cared for at the Bugworld Experience in Liverpool.
Curator Jenny Dobson said: "Most that we've managed to identify are not commonly kept tarantulas and would be very difficult to look after.
"It's not the kind of thing that should be dumped in a back street".
She said all the creatures were lucky to be alive in the cold weather.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-11457332
(Submitted by Dawn Holloway)
Two scorpions and 15 baby tarantulas have been found abandoned in an alleyway in Preston, Lancashire.
A member of the public spotted them on Saturday and took them to the police who alerted the RSPCA.
The RSPCA has released details about the discovery to try to trace their owners.
"They had obviously been kept by someone who knew about spiders because some of them are quite unusual," animal welfare officer John Littlewood said.
"We are hoping that the owner will come forward," he added.
"People should not abandon dangerous exotics like this.
"Anyone who found them - including a young child - could still have been bitten, even though the spiders are very young."
'Lucky still alive'
The scorpions - an Asian forest and an emperor - are one cm in length.
Among the tarantulas was a sunburst, which is one of the most aggressive tarantulas.
They are all being cared for at the Bugworld Experience in Liverpool.
Curator Jenny Dobson said: "Most that we've managed to identify are not commonly kept tarantulas and would be very difficult to look after.
"It's not the kind of thing that should be dumped in a back street".
She said all the creatures were lucky to be alive in the cold weather.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-11457332
(Submitted by Dawn Holloway)
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