Frog Poisoning by Shamans

Two Chilean shamans are being sought by police after they used extracted poison from a dart frog in a traditional healing ceremony that went wrong. (News source.)

Fear and Loathing in LA

Bigots in Oakdale, Lousiana, are spreading rumors about a high-end python breeder who lives in the area. They tell the police that cats and dogs are missing, so it must be the python guy... Apparently, these villagers are dumb enough to think that someone with thousand-dollar boids is going to feed parasite-ridden free-roaming pets instead of quality captive-bred lab rodents. What's worse, the Allen Parish Sheriff's Office and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officials don't bother pointing out the obvious flaw in such reasoning, but just imply they can't do anything about it. (News source.)

Reptile Art Prints

I have started a new product line alongside my book publishing venture: reproduction prints from vintage natural history plates. Several snakes and other reptiles are now available in print and greeting card formats from my reptile art print gallery. Other species (invertebrates and birds to start) will be added soon.

Uganda Man Killed by Croc

Despite warnings not to bathe in a lake at night, a Uganda man ignored them and was killed by a crocodile. (News source.)

Killer Croc Killed

Police in the Solomon Islands killed a crocodile they believe recently took a 7-year old boy. (News source.)

Set Up Python Capture?

USARK suspects that animal rights activists who are pushing for the ban on pythons may have set up a recent large python capture (and photo-op) in Tampa. (News source.)

Malawi Croc Attacks

A Dutch national was attacked by a crocodile while he swam in a Malawi river. Elsewhere in the country, a woman was killed by crocodiles as she was fetching water. (News source.)

Reptile Zoo Fined

An Ontario serpentarium operator was charged with possession of four native species (some considered endangered in Ontario) and fined $8,000 (CAN). (News source.)

Python Ban Opinion Letter

An excellent opinion released by Dr. William Kirby, here.

Culture, Politics, and Crocodile Trappers

An interesting article here, from Nigeria.

Gopher Tortoise Poaching

Someone has killed and eaten at least 13 gopher tortoises in the Wabasso Scrub Conservation Area (Florida). (News source.)

Axolotl Research

Scientists are looking to the Mexican axolotl as a model for spinal cord regeneration. (News source.)

Frog Embryos and Snakes

Embryos of a red-eyed tree frog can detect the motion of snakes, and hatch early accordingly. (News source.)

Frogs Linked to Salmonella Outbreak

The CDC is saying that a recent salmonella outbreak is connected to aquatic frogs, though I don't see anything specifically tying them all together. (News source.)

Smuggled Lizards in His Underwear

Enough said. (News source.)

More Python Ban Material

PIJAC and others are trying keep the Senate from banning all pythons, latest news here.

Professional herpetologists have weighed in to call the justification for such a ban unscientific.

Old Tortoise Dies

An old tortoise (Aldabra?) died at its French home. News reports say it was 146 years old.

Roomba vs Viper

An Israeli woman found that her Roomba had swept up a small viper. (News source.)

Missouri Turtle Dealer Sentenced

A Missouri turtle farmer was sentenced for shipping native and endangered species without permit to Japan. (News source.)

More Herp Attacks

A young Israeli man was killed by a venomous snake bite while hiking in South America. (News source, and here.)

Crocodiles killed a 13-year old Angolan boy, and a 12-year old Zambian girl.