December 2011 volume 26, issue 12 Doug Taylor will be speaking about Mussaranas and other interesting herps he keeps. For more information check out: Www.DougTaylorReptiles.com Next Meeting: December 11, 2011 Upcoming Events…… 2 General information 3 Letter from the President……………….. 4 $500 Reward for Spotting a South Florida Rainbow Snake…………………...…. 8 PCBs In Turtles…….. 10 Outreach : Belling- ham Vet Tech Pro- gram………………………..…. 12 Classifieds…………….. 14 Contacts & Suggested Vets…………….. 15 Membership Application……………….. 16 Inside this issue: January PNHS Newsletter Deadline: Dec. 30, 2011 Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society Meeting Location: Highline Community College Board Meeting 4 p.m. 2400 S. 240th St., Des Moines, WA General Meeting: 6 p.m. Speaker Presentation: PNHS: Come to hear a fascinating presentation! “Herp of the Month” for December: Herps of North America Photo of Mussaranas courtesy of Doug Taylor Reptiles.
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Transcript
December 2011 volume 26, issue 12
Doug Taylor will be speaking about Mussaranas and
other interesting herps he keeps.
For more information check out:
Www.DougTaylorReptiles.com
Next Meeting:
December 11, 2011 Upcoming Events…… 2
General information 3
Letter from the
President………………..
4
$500 Reward for
Spotting a South
Florida Rainbow
Snake…………………...….
8
PCBs In Turtles…….. 10
Outreach : Belling-
ham Vet Tech Pro-
gram………………………..….
12
Classifieds…………….. 14
Contacts &
Suggested Vets…………….. 15
Membership
Application………………..
16
Inside this issue:
January PNHS
Newsletter Deadline:
Dec. 30, 2011
Pacific Northwest
Herpetological Society
Meeting Location:
Highline Community College Board Meeting 4 p.m.
2400 S. 240th St., Des Moines, WA General Meeting: 6 p.m.
Speaker Presentation:
PNHS:
Come to hear a
fascinating
presentation!
“Herp of the Month” for December:
Herps of North America
Photo of Mussaranas courtesy of Doug
Taylor Reptiles.
Pa g e 2
Upcoming PNHS Events
December 2011: PNHS Elections: Snail Mail ballots are not necessary due to all nomi
nees for positions were unopposed.
December 11, 2011: PNHS Regular Meeting
Herp-of-the-Month: Herps of North America
Speaker: Doug Taylor, topic “ Mussaranas & More ”
January 15, 2012: PNHS Regular Meeting
2012 Board Members officially sworn in.
Herp-of-the-Month: “ L arge Lizards ”
Speaker: Dr. Robert Sprackland, topic TBA
February 13, 2012: PNHS Regular Meeting
Herp-of-the-Month: Calling all Chelonians!
( T urtles, Tortoises & Terrapins )
Speaker: Jerry Novak of Pacific Northwest Turtleworks, topic TBA
Plan Ahead:
June 2nd—3rd, 2012: Emerald City Reptile Expo, Seattle Center Exhibition Hall
Page 2
General Information
The Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society (PNHS) is a non-profit organi-
zation registered with the State of Washington. PNHS is dedicated to the
education of its members and the public, as well as the conservation, ecol-
ogy, and captive care and breeding of reptiles and amphibians. The society
also takes an active role in legislative and environmental issues affecting
these animals and their habitats.
Meeting Information
PNHS holds its general meeting on the third Sunday of every month (with
exceptions for holidays) at 6:00pm at Highline Community College in Des
Moines, Building 12 Room 101. The Board meeting begins at 4:00pm.
Doors open at 5:30. Other business and socialization occurs between 5:30
and 6; then the General Meeting starts. Meetings are open to the public,
and the society encourages anyone with an interest in herpetology to at-
tend. Please purchase a membership to show your support for the society.
Animal Donations
Looking to adopt, release an animal or donate cages and equipment?
Please contact the Adoptions Committee by email at adop-
[email protected], or by voicemail at 206- 583-0686. We will contact you
and make arrangements.
Other Donations
The Adoption Committee receives minimal financial support from the Soci-
ety, so donations of money, food, cages, and equipment are always needed
and appreciated. Please contact the Adoption Chair to make a donation.
Adoptions
To adopt an animal that is in the care of the Committee, you must be pre-
sent at the meeting, be a current member (of at least one month), and be
over 18 years of age or have parental consent. For more details see the
web site or contact the Adoption Chair.
Newsletter Information
A monthly newsletter absorbs the lion’s share of the price of a PNHS mem-
bership. In order to keep it interesting, we encourage contribution of origi-
nal articles, book reviews, letters, ads, and cartoons for publication.
Items for incorporation into articles are also welcome, though with no guar-
antee of their use. Submissions may be sent to the Newsletter Committee
or to the Society through the contacts listed on the following page.
Editorial Policy
The views expressed in this publication are solely the views of the authors
and not necessarily the views of the Society, its members, or the Newsletter
Committee. The Newsletter Committee reserves the right to edit all submis-
sions including advertisements.
General information &
guidelines
re PNHS’ Monthly Meetings
are a great place to learn
something new, purchase
feeders at a discount, and
meet new people
V o l . 2 6 N o . 1 2 Pa g e 3
Above: Both Green Tree Python
Photos courtesy of the Adams’
Family.
Page 4
Letter from the President By Aimee Kenoyer
Continued...
Disclaimer: some photos contained in the article are of
graphic nature. If you are sensitive to such things, please
be aware.
Hey PNHS – Some of my letters are silly, some are fluff, some are political, and some strive to pro-
vide knowledge, or at least to make people think. I hope that after the last few years, I’ve managed to
add something to your life, or to make you get out and get active to make a positive impact for herps
in our community. In this, my second-to-last LFTP, I’d like to write to you from my heart.
I recently picked up a foster ball python. Her name was “Coils” and she was four years old. Her peo-
ple had picked her up as a pipsqueak. Apparently what began as trouble shedding when she was a ju-
venile had, over time, developed into severely fragile skin which would damage so easily that eventu-
ally, her caging was merely a tank with substrate and a water source. Her skin had been easily-broken
for her entire life. They were unwilling to take her to a qualified exotic veterinarian, and so surren-
dered her to PNHS.
After a great deal of questioning regarding husbandry as well as the exchange of photos – Were they
feeding live? What were her temps and humidity? What sort of cage decorations did she have? – a
story came into place, as often does when people get a pet and are not always sure where to find ap-
propriate information regarding care. If her people were to be believed, she had eaten regularly,
weekly, and had normal elimination habits as well as behavior. From the blurry pictures sent to me,
she was apparently very thin. Also, for the first few years her vivarium was extremely dry – after
which time, they over-compensated and went in the opposite direction in an attempt to fix the prob-
lem, including a waterfall and misting system. Poor scaly baby, and poor people struggling through
with bad advice.
.
Page 5
The first day, I changed her name to Arpi, Finnish for “scar”, in place of her generic name. I made
an appointment with Dr. Elizabeth Kamaka for two weeks hence and put her in a tub with only pa-
per towels and a water bowl. She seemed normal in behavior and attitude, and had only one fresh
lesion. I fed her, and she took the frozen/thawed mouse quite readily. I began to feel a bit of hope.
Although I was concerned about kidney problems, severe malnutrition, and infection, I still hoped
that maybe proper husbandry and perhaps medication would put some weight on her bones and
help her skin heal. Despite chronic and perpetual injury, she seemed good-natured and easy-going
like any other ball python. She did have a bit of stuck shed on her face and neck, but I left it for the
time being as I was afraid of hurting her.
Chronic parasitic infection could have explained her condition. Arpi had no signs of respiratory
infection,, parasites, or any other obvious cause for her skin problems. At this point, she was perky
and beginning to get a bit irritable with the doctor, which are all good signs in terms of her chances
for any sort of recovery. After consultation, we decided that we would try to fatten her up and give
her a chance to begin recovery. Perhaps her people really hadn’t fed her every week? Maybe it was
simply being underfed, combined with the poor husbandry? I’ve certainly nursed enough BPs back
to healthy weight in the past, that I was willing to give it a go. I was beginning to feel cautiously
optimistic, despite her poor appearance. We decided to also add weekly fluids with a Vitamin B
boost.
Vol. 26, No. 12
Letter From The President, Continued...
Continued...
I met them and picked up Coils in a
cardboard box, in a parking lot – rou-
tine for foster pick-up and delivery. She
was emaciated, showed signs of de-
hyrdration, and covered with scars as
well as bruises, indicated by pink
patches under her scales.
Earlier today I took her to see Dr. Ka-
maka. After Arpi had a thorough exam,
which she tolerated fairly well, the doctor
left with a fecal sample to check for para-
sites. Arpi curled up in a towel over a
heat pad while we waited for results.
V o l . 2 6 , N o . 1 2 Pa g e 6
Although her appetite was good, the boost to immune function certainly couldn’t hurt a girl in her condi-
tion. When Dr. Kamaka inserted the needle to administer the first dose, Arpi’s skin tore. I have never seen
anything like this in over five years of fostering ball pythons, and neither had the doctor or her technicians.
She wasn’t thrashing around, and the injection was properly placed; her skin was simply so weak that a
large piece tore off like thin fabric when she wrapped around the doctor’s hand. Unfortunately, this
changed everything. Hope drained away as we surveyed the large wound. How could you stitch it, with her
skin so weak? And, as her muscle and underlying tissue was exposed, even a bandage would not help her;
the muscle tissue would have become dry, and the chances of deeper infection would have been very high.
A vet visit that had been fairly pleasant and optimistic was suddenly very sad as we talked it over and de-
cided the only compassionate choice was humane euthanasia. Her skin was so very delicate that closing the
lesion would have been almost impossible, and her overall condition so poor that healing would have been
protracted and likely resulted in more suffering over time. So today, I witnessed the euthanasia of one of
my fosters for the first time. I have lost a couple over the years to disease and old age, and when I was
Adoptions Coordinator I authorized it on animals I hadn’t seen, but never been faced with this ugly deci-
sion in person.
Is it possible there was no way to prevent this? Is it possible she was carrying some bizarre disease, or con-
genital defect, that caused her problems? Of course, either scenario is possible. However, there is a take-
home message from this case, for all of us who own herps and are feeling the tightening straps of economic
hardship.
Letter From The President Continued….
V o l . 2 6 , N o . 1 2 Pa g e 7
This girl suffered and bled and had pieces of her skin sloughing off or tearing away for four years – four
years! – and her owners never took her to a vet. This condition certainly did not happen overnight. They
felt bad, I’m sure, but still watched her suffer and worsen for years. The professed reason? They’d had a
poor experience with a Chinese Water Dragon several years in the past which a vet was unable to save.
They felt that taking their snake to the vet would be a waste of time and money. So, they simply watched
her suffering as time went on. I understand that not everyone realizes we’re here as a resource; I under-
stand that when they went to their pet store to get advice, they thought they were doing what was right. I
understand that the services of a good vet can be expensive – but that’s part of the deal when you get a pet.
At the very least, they could have taken her to a vet for compassionate euthanasia to end her suffering. This
would have been harder on her owners, yes, but in the best interests of their pet as a means to end her pain.
I like to think no one in our group would allow a similar situation to evolve with one of their own animals.
Although PNHS’ Adoptions and rescue program does not exist to serve as a receptacle for unwanted vet-
erinary cases (we don’t have the time, personnel, or financial backing for this), at least I hope our members
are aware that we are here as a resource of last resort. It’s embarrassing to call a vet and make an appoint-
ment if you feel that you can’t afford proper care and it’s difficult to ask for euthanasia as a solution, but
how do these factors stand up to pain and suffering in an innocent animal? I know that euthanasia is a hard
choice and a difficult option. As much as I knew that Arpi was not fixable and that her condition was not
something that could be reversed with time and love, it still hurt me to make the choice to euthanize – and
she’s merely a foster I have had for only two weeks. However, I couldn’t in good conscience look at my-
self in the mirror if I had chosen to let her continue suffering when there was another option. In these
times of extreme economic hardship for so many of us, we need to remember that our herps can’t always
tell us how miserable they are or that they’re in pain. Sometimes putting off that vet visit is not just a mat-
ter of economics, but about the suffering of an animal that has no voice.
Aimee Kenoyer
PNHS President
Letter From The President Continued….
Page 8
Vol. 26, No. 12
vation. “We hope that by offering a reward, we can rediscover this amazing reptile and implement con-
servation measures to ensure its survival into the future.”
The South Florida Rainbow Snake is a harmless aquatic snake that feeds exclusively on the American eel.
It is known from just three specimens, the last of which was collected in 1952 near Fisheating Creek in
Glades County, Florida. In early October 2011, the U S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the snake ex-
tinct, thereby denying it protections under the Endangered Species Act. The Service made its determina-
tion without conducting any focused surveys for the reclusive reptile and despite anecdotal evidence of
snakes eating eels in the Fisheating Creek area.
“It’s heart-wrenching to think the South Florida Rainbow Snake could be lost forever,” said Collette Ad-
kins Giese, a Center for Biological Diversity attorney focused on the protection of imperiled reptiles and
amphibians. “But if we can find these snakes, they’d be very likely to get protection under the Endan-
gered Species Act , the most powerful tool in the country for saving plants and animals from extinction.”
The Service announced the extinction of the South Florida Rainbow Snake in response to a petition filed
by the Center for Biological Diversity seeking Endangered Species Act protection for the snake and
more than 400 other aquatic species in the southeastern United States. If rediscovered, the Rainbow
Snake would receive an in-depth scientific review along with 374 species from the petition (including 114
Reward Offered:
For Sighting of South Florida Rainbow Snake
Feds may have prematurely declared species extinct;
Reward intended to spur rediscovery and protection
To join PNHS, please print & complete the following application,
enclose your yearly or multi-yearly membership fee and return to:
PNHS Membership Secretary
P.O. Box 27542
Seattle, WA 98165
Membership applications and fees may also be received at the monthly meetings by the Membership Secretary. With your yearly or multi-year membership fee you will receive the monthly PNHS E-Newsletter, access to membership pricing for adoption ani-mals, and the opportunity to participate in the many outreaches and special “Members Only” events held throughout the year.