Bay Area Amphibian & Reptile Society April 2013

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION FOR THE BAY AREA AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE SOCIETY

BEHIND BAARS April 2013

Foley - See article inside! - ŠJoanne Hiratsuka Petersen

Next Club Meeting:

General Meeting Friday, April 26 @ 8:00pm (doors open 7:30pm) Cubberley Community Center, Room H-6, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto

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President’s Report Contents President’s Report - 2 Events & Activities - 3 Sulphur Creek Reptile Rally - 5 Editorial: Keeping Reptiles - 6 Treasurer’s Report - 8 Membership Report - 8 In the News - 9 Herp of the Month - 10 Board Notes - 11 Editor’s Shelf - 12 Member Showcase - 13 Board Members & Contacts -14 Membership Form - 15

Hello BAARS Members and Supporters, At last month’s general meeting, Erica Strand, who has herped in Australia, gave an excellent talk on the evolution of Sea Snakes. Erica is a long-term BAARS member, and in some ways it might be appropriate to say that she’s ‘Grown up with BAARS’. Thanks, Erica, for a great presentation!

BAARS’ next general meeting, in April (on the 26th), will feature Brian Gundy, a very successful breeder and fellow herp enthusiast. Brian will be discussing husbandry of ball pythons—feeding, breeding, incubation, and how to take care of the babies after they hatch. Brian will also be giving a demonstration of how to probe a snake to determine its sex, which can be an intimidating activity if you haven’t done it before. Brian runs a business “For Goodness Snakes”, doing educational reptile programs for schools and other organizations.

In May, we’ll hear from one of BAARS’ longtime speakers and supporters, Dr. Bob Norris, Chief of Emergency Medicine at Stanford. Dr. Norris will be speaking on venomous snake bites as well as arthropod risks (spiders, scorpions, ticks, mosquitoes) as they relate to field collecting.

We have a number of educational programs coming up (please check the website for the latest updates). On April 21st, we have the Earth Day Celebration at the Westwind Barn in Los Altos. This is a great venue located in the hills above Foothill Community College, and features a lot of other conservation groups (including Leopards Etc, which usually brings their large felines). On April 27th, we have the “Summit for the Planet” at Mt Madonna School, which is located on Skyline up in the redwoods (right next to M.t Madonna Park).

Let’s all try to bring at least one friend to the next BAARS general meeting.

There’s a lot that BAARS has to offer, but we need help to get the word out!!

Sincerely,

Scott Alexander, BAARS Interim President, 2013

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UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES Contact Joanne Petersen, joanne.hiratsuka@gmail.com, if you'd like to help BAARS participate in these shows. More details are on our website.

April 2013 April 21

1 pm - 4 pm

Los Altos Hills Earth Day Celebration, Westwind Community Barn 27210 Altamont Road, Los Altos Hills. More information.

April 26

BAARS General Club Meeting

April 27

Summit for the Planet, Mt. Madonna School, Watsonville

8 pm

9 am - 1:30 pm

April 27-28 10 am - 5 pm

Speaker: Brian Gundy on Boas and Pythons

Mt. Madonna School is sponsoring a Walk-a-Thon and Eco-Carnival on Earth Day to inspire today’s youth and their families on how they can take meaningful action on important environmental issues. Bring your herps and educate folks!

Reptile Breeders Show, Lodi The Reptile Breeders Show is the place to go if you want to see a good selection of local breeders' herps. Admission $10 adults, $7 children, under 3 are free.

May 2013 May 3

BAARS Board Meeting

May 3

NCHS is proud to present an evening with Erik Loza in Old Sacramento

May 18

Family Science Day, Hartnell College, Salinas

8 pm

7 pm - 9pm

11 am - 3 pm

Ask a board member for the location since it changes every month.

Courtyard D'Oro, 1107 Front Street, Old Sacramento, CA 95814. Map: http://courtyarddoro.com/ . Arrive early to find parking.

Erik is an exceptional photographer, field herper, and reptile keeper of many species. His presentation will highlight a trip he and his wife made in July 2010 to photograph the "Great Migration" of wildlife through the Maasai Mara of Kenya.

Hartnell College in Salinas sponsors this science day. So many young people (and their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, too) haven't had any kind of animal experience outside of what they might have at their schools. It will be a great opportunity to educate them about the wonderful world of herps.

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May 18

Hayward Animal Shelter Mural Dedication and Open House

1 pm- 5 pm

See here: http://www.haywardanimals.org/ Contact Pete Marshall (PMarshall@calwater.com)

May 24

BAARS General Club Meeting

8 pm

Speaker: Bob Norris

Summer 2013 July 27

Reptile Rally, Sulphur Creek Nature Center

11 am - 3 pm

The Bay Area Amphibian and Reptile Society (BAARS) will be sharing their amazing array of reptiles. Bring the family and slither into an exciting day of learning about snakes, lizards, turtles, and tortoises. Phone: (510) 881-6747.

Website: http://www.haywardrec.org/events.html

Summer

BAARS Turns 30!

See upcoming newsletters for flashbacks and a mid-summer birthday party announcement. Email behindBAARS@gmail.com with historical stories and photographs for the newsletter!

TBD

Pepperwood Farm Herpetelogical Field Trip - More info soon!

BAARS is 30 years old!

4/23/2004 - BAARS General Meeting From the BAARS Photo Archive

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Sulphur Creek Reptile Rally Report

by Pete Marshall

These are just a few pictures of the goings on at the Reptile Rally at Sulphur Creek Nature Center.

So, if you have not had a chance to go to this show, I hope this will help motivate you into doing so next year.

You don't need animals to come, so don't let that stop you.

Just come on down and hang out with the group and help out when someone needs a break. And the park itself is really beautiful, so head out and have a good time.

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Editorials & Opinions All opinions expressed in this section are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the BAARS Club or its Board.

REASONS FOR KEEPING REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS AS PETS

By Scott Alexander, Interim President of BAARS Hello BAARS Members and fellow Herp Enthusiasts: As reptile and amphibian keepers, it behooves us to know which organizations might be working against our ability to keep our animals, and to be aware of legislation that might restrict our rights. There are several well-organized, well-funded groups that have taken the position that NO ONE should keep reptiles, since they are “wild animals”, and they should be left in the wild. The purpose of this column is to detail the specific positions of these organizations, point out basic flaws in their positions, and encourage like-minded herpers to be informed and take action to protect our rights.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)[7] (which doesn’t operate any animal shelters), asks for donations to “help prevent cruelty”, but publicly and privately is also working to ensure that no one can keep reptiles. The HSUS has a published position that no one should keep reptiles; much of this paper [2] is based on outdated information. More recently, (Jan 2013) the HSUSs’ president, Wayne Pacelle, writes that the ban on constrictors (four species) doesn’t nearly go far enough, as he states in his editorial “The Way Washington Works”. PETA [8] also has a very similar agenda to that of HSUS and it is also contrary to our interests as reptile keepers, although it’s not possible, in the scope of this column, to document and refute each position of the HSUS and PETA. Suffice it to say that the largest animal welfare group in the United States, which is very well mobilized and coordinated on the political and lobbying fronts, is actively campaigning against all reptile keepers.

Personally, I have multiple breeding programs where I am actively trying to breed endangered species of reptiles. Over the decades, I have actively educated the general public about the importance of habitat preservation. However, let’s face facts. If the animals are NOT protected in their home countries, and are being eaten into extinction, I believe that we have a MORAL OBLIGATION to breed these rare species.

For example, the Radiated Tortoise, from Madagascar, is now considered critically endangered[1], and continues to be eaten in southern Madagascar. Although there are some efforts to promote “grass roots” conservation efforts in Madagascar, it’s very difficult to convince a hungry man that he shouldn’t feed his family. These tortoises are also listed on the US endangered species list, and I’ve made substantial personal sacrifices so that I might be able to get a breeding group of these, in order to produce them for the future of the species. If the HSUS had their way, no one would breed these in the United States, since no one would have these “wild animals” in captivity.

The Burmese Star Tortoise (Geochelone platynota) has been eaten by the native Burmese for hundreds of years. More recently, it’s been exported to China and other countries. Even though it’s believed to be functionally extinct in Myanmar, it is still being collected and sold on the market in Myanmar and in Thailand. This is a species that could benefit from ex situ breeding efforts (captive breeding outside of the native range of the species), and is one of the species I’m currently working with. There is a huge problem with various species of turtles and tortoises being exported throughout south-east Asia to meet demands in China (primarily for food and traditional Chinese medicine).

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Captive breeding efforts of common species has also lessened the demand for wild-caught specimens.

Nowadays, many species of reptiles are captive bred and not taken from the wild. The vast majority of bearded dragons, leopard geckos, and crested geckos are now bred in captivity; these three species are also some of the most popularly kept pet reptiles. This reduces one of HSUS’s main arguments against keeping reptiles as pets, that imported reptiles are mistreated and suffer high mortality rates.

Another reason to keep reptiles and amphibians in captivity is for them to act as “Animal Ambassadors” in educational programs. Through education we inform the general public about the need for habitat conservation and the plight of these species. By interacting with these animals and by being informed, the public is much more likely to appreciate these animals and take action to help protect the natural environment that these animals come from. One of the cornerstones of many conservation efforts, education is one of the core BAARS tenants.

Amphibians are in dramatic decline throughout much of their original ranges. This has not been given much attention by the popular press, and I’m glad to help educate folks about the plight of these animals.

Captive breeding efforts, both by zoological institutions and advanced hobbyists, may be the best chance for survival for some of these species. Although I don’t keep amphibians myself, some club members do have “Amphibian Ambassadors”, and I’m glad that we can be a small part of a solution by helping educate people and motivate people to help preserve habitat and informing them. The Amphibian Ark (www.amphibianark.org) is an organization which facilitates the captive breeding of amphibians and works closely with both zoological institutions and private facilities.

The ability of us hobbyists to keep our animals are threatened by legislation and large “animal rights” organizations (e.g. PETA and the HSUS) who don’t recognize the contributions that our animals and that we make. I strongly encourage our members to support organizations representing our interests, both the United States Association of Reptile Keepers (www.USARK.org) and the United States Herpetoculture Alliance (www.usherp.org). In California, there is a current effort to ban the selling of all reptiles at flea markets, which seems harmless enough. However, many of the large commercial reptile shows could also be banned under provisions in this bill (CA Assembly Bill 339). Although BAARS is not a political organization, I strongly encourage our members to be informed about this legislation and follow up on the suggested actions to protect our rights. (http://usark.org/press-releases/ca-ab-339-new-action-required/) Those that fundamentally disagree with our ability to keep our animals are well funded and well organized.

I encourage members and supporters to spread to inform others why we keep “wild animals”, to help educate them, and to explain why we don’t agree with PETA and the HSUS. SOURCES [1] International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN’s) “Red List” (see www.redlist.org).

[2]http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/exotic_pets/facts/reptile_trade.html “Live Reptile Trade”, The reptile trade puts human health, the environment, and the animals at risk [3]http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2012/01/constrictor-snake-news.html “The Way Washington Works”, Jan 17, 2013 [4]http://usark.org/press-releases/ca-ab-339-new-action-required/ US ARK information on CA Assembly Bill 339 [5]http://usherp.org/ Website for the United States Herpetocultural Alliance [6]http://www.amphibianark.org/ Amphibian Ark Project, Keeping threatened amphibian species afloat [7]http://www.humanesociety.org Website for HSUS [8]http://www.peta.org Website for PETA

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Treasurer’s Report

by Scott Petersen This report covers the club’s fiscal activities for March 2013.

As you can see from the chart below, the monthly cash flow for the club during the month of March was negative. Income for the month came from donations associated with food during the general meeting and rodent sales, as well as two members renewing their memberships. The expenses for the month included our general room rental, hardcopy newsletter printing and postage, and California Franchise Tax Board payment.

With two out of the last three months showing a negative cash flow, the first quarter also ended with a negative cash flow. While the club still has $2309 in the bank, and a number of membership renewals reminders recently having been sent out, we will continue to monitor this situation.

Cumulative Posting Date: to Date 1/31/2013 2/28/2013 3/31/2013 Expenses $884.44 $452.39 $237.53 $194.52 Income: $539.17 $205.72 $245.70 $87.75 Cash flow: -$345.27 -$246.67 $8.17 -$106.77

Membership Secretary’s Report Do you know when you joined BAARS? We are working on updating our database and would like to have your join-date as part of our records. Please contact Membership.BAARS@gmail.com to complete YOUR record.

Celebrating 5 years as BAARS members:

Celebrating 10 years as BAARS members:

February: Setiva Woodring

January: Carol Horn Cory Gardiner Ray Will

July: Wolfgang and Peggy Keil Theresa Touchatt Cosme Silfa October: Samantha Murakami

October: Colin and Dianne Flagg

November: Louisa Jaskulski (rejoined)

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In the News Stolen Goods

London, Mar 27 (ANI) (submitted by Pete Marshall): A boozy reveller from Coventry suffered a real hangover from hell when he woke up next morning to discover he had bought a 10ft stolen python.

Dwayne Matthews agreed to buy the pinched monster snake off a traveller during a drunken night with pals, the Mirror reported. But he woke up the next morning to discover the African rock python - called Bruce - rearing up at his mate who was sleeping on the sofa. Matthews' solicitor described the bizarre incident as "like a sub-plot from a Guy Ritchie film." After finding the reptile trying to eat his pal, the shocked 29-year-old grabbed a duvet and threw it over the beast. Matthews was arrested after trying to palm the 14kg python off on a reptile shop. He was handed a suspended eight-week prison sentence after admitting receiving stolen goods. The drama began on January 11 when a traveller offered to sell the snake to Matthews and his drunken pals. His solicitor, Richard Baker, told magistrates in Coventry that the group were all the worse for wear. The python was stolen with eight others from an outhouse in Coventry in January. Police told pet shops about the raid and the next day a local reptile store got a call from Matthews asking if they wanted to buy a snake. He was also told to pay 85 pound costs and an 80 pound victim surcharge. (ANI) Source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/man-buys-stolen-python-immediately-224008045.html

Florida Python Hunt

The Great South Florida Python Hunt ended with the nearly 1600 hunters capturing 68 snakes. For differing opinions of the hunt, check out the links below. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/02/130219-florida-pythons-huntinganimals-snakes-inv asive-science/ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/22/120122-florida-python-huntopinion-science-invasiv e-species/

Spotted Salamanders Are Solar-powered Spotted salamanders are in a long-term mutually beneficial relationship with photosynthetic algae.

Read all about it here: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23090-zoologger-the-first-solarpowered-vertebrate.html

Henriette is Dreaming of a Stud!

San Rafael owner of an eastern box turtle is looking for a stud male for mating. Hopefully her biological clock allows for her to reproduce; She is at least 40 years old. We found Henriette, our turtle, in 1976 on a Pennsylvania road with a severely cracked shell, obviously struck by a car. My cousin nursed her back to health in San Rafael, and she’s since transitioned to our atrium since 2004, munching on night crawlers, snails, occasional crickets, bananas and other fruit.

Please, contact Bob Suess at 415-497-4130 or bob.suess@outlook.com.

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Herp of the Month Herp of the Month at the April General Meeting: Chameleons and Skinks When you bring an animal, make sure: ● It is in a suitable and secure container. ● Your animal is healthy and energetic. ● It is not aggressive or very shy. ● Supply heat, moist towels, or water if needed. ● If you want to present (2 minutes), be prepared; practice ahead of time what you would like to share ● Think of something unusual about your animal; be ready to answer questions from the audience.

The Year in Herps April: Chameleons and Skinks May: Box Turtles June: Amphibians and Water Turtles July: Small Lizards: e.g. Geckos, Anoles, Bearded Dragons August: Tortoises September: Pythons & Boids October: Creepy Crawlies (Arachnids, Insects)

See your herp in the newsletter!

Submit a paragraph (or two) and good-quality photograph, drawing, or comic of your animal to the newsletter editor at behindBAARS@gmail.com.

Foley - by Joanne Hiratsuka Petersen Foley is our blue tegu, a variation of the Argentina black & white tegu that was bred for the light blue tint he gets on his lighter colored scales, especially when he's put in the sun. His skin feels like a beaded purse.

He's about 2 years old in this photo and about half-grown; when fully grown he'll be about 4 feet long. Tegus are omnivorous; when he was a baby, he loved chasing down crickets and also ate chopped grapes. Now he eats dubias, chopped fruit, scrambled or hard-boiled eggs, ground raw turkey, and pinkies.

Tegus are smart and can be trained to respond to a dog clicker; they can be litter box trained too! They are social and love to be with people -almost like dogs. Foley is a big baby and loves to be held.

Out of all our herps, our tegus are our favorites because they're friendly and enjoy interaction with us. They'll even sit in our laps and watch tv at night ;-)... Ok, maybe they're just sleeping, but they're still with us and not trying to get away. Such lovable lizards!

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BAARS Board Report

Highlights from April 5 Board Meeting present: Scott P, Gil, Dorothy, Joanne, Aleks, Kyna, and Erik We discussed the annual Pinnacles and Pepperwood trips. After some discussion about membership interest, scheduling difficulties, time and effort to organize, etc., , it was decided not to organize a formal Pinnacles’ trip this year. There will also not be a Pepperwood trip this spring. Keep your eyes and ears open for spontaneously arising events and for what might come up in fall. Contact Erik Koessel about Pepperwood and Aleks Haecky about Pinnacles.

Some of you may know that BAARS was an official non-profit, then lost its status, and we are now progressing on becoming a non-profit again. Please, contact Scott Petersen for more information.

The board decided to archive historical portions of our website and slightly rearrange content to make it easier for visitors to find what they need. Contact Wolfgang for any issues relating to the website.

We are working on making BAARS merchandise easier for members to get. Watch this space for an announcement soon! Contact Aleks Haecky.

Next Board Meeting: Friday, May 3, 8pm at ..

Proposed Agenda Items: TBD

In Memoriam Lee Claymore A member of BAARS for 20+ years, Lee Calymore has passed away. Lee was an active participant in our meetings and shows for many years and continued to be active until his move to South Carolina, almost a year ago, to live with his sister. Lee's passion for animals and joy in sharing them with others, particularly children, will be remembered and missed.

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Editor’s Shelf

Submit Photos, Notes, and Articles!

Hello BAARS Members!

Do you have an update on BAARS or herp related activities?

Did you: ● attend a show and enjoy it? ● read a cool book, article, or website? ● write a herp-related paper, report, short-story, or essay? ● take pictures that you would like to share? ● adopt or purchase a new pet, have a great experience with a veterinarian or a store? ● go on a field trip or hike? read a book? ● draw a comic or a picture? ● have success breeding your animals? figure out how to get an animal to eat? ● build a cage? create a setup? rearrange your pond? solve a setup problem?

Submit your newsletter contributions to behindBAARS@gmail.com. Your submission does not have to be perfect! Please, do not submit materials for which you do not have the copyright. For copyrighted materials, also submit proof of permission from the copyright holder.

All materials for the April newsletter are due on Friday, April 12 .

Aleks - BAARS Newsletter Editor

BAARS Membership Discounts ● East Bay Vivarium, Berkely - 10% ● Dr. R. Singh, Veterinarian, Sunnyvale - 10%

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Member Showcase: Pete Marshall’s Pine Snake Cage

These are pictures I took of the new cage I made for my Black Pine Snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi) I have pair and I needed more room to put the make and female together as the female I have has out grown her old cage so a new and much bigger one was in order.

Did you build, photograph, draw, or find something cool?

Submit a paragraph (or two) and good-quality photograph, drawing, or comic to the newsletter editor at behindBAARS@gmail.com.

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BAARS 2013 Board Members

ELECTED OFFICERS

APPOINTED OFFICERS

President - Vacant

Newsletter Editor & Publisher Aleks Haecky vhaecky@gmail.com

Immediate Past and Interim President -Scott Alexander 408-823-3675 alexander_scott@yahoo.com Vice President-Eric Koessel 510-847-4392 erickoessel@yahoo.com

Librarian- Tony Velez 831-442-3100 aveltude@yahoo.com Show Coordinator-Joanne Petersen joanne.hiratsuka@gmail.com

Membership Secretary-Kyna Hendra 408-204-5131 Membership.baars@gmail.com

Publicity Director- Vacant

Recording Secretary-Vacant

Adoptions Coordinator-Austin Pleban baars.adoptions@gmail.com

Treasurer-Scott Petersen scottepetersen@gmail.com

MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Gilbert Castro 408-582-4247 Tortoise.whisperer@yahoo.com Jim Goehring 408-252-0338 jimathome@sbcglobal.net Gisele Gisele.baars@gmail.com Tania Tengan 408-499-5867 tmtengan@att.net Aria Pleban Diana H.

Webmaster-Wolfgang Keil

NEWSLETTER DUE DATES March newsletter submission deadline: March 8, 2013 (second Friday) April newsletter submission deadline: April 12, 2013 (second Friday) Thank you Joanne Petersen for proofreading.

Send all submissions to: behindBAARS@gmail.com or the board mailing list Accepted Content: We love herp-related original articles, trip and show reports, stories about your animals, and original photographs and drawings. You retain all rights but grant us permission to use, edit, and publish in the newsletter and on our website with attribution.

Accepted Formats: The newsletter editor can open almost anything. Plain text in an email is great. Attach images to email or provide URL.

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Membership Application __New Membership __Renewal Membership __Change of Address Individual/Family: __1 Year ($25) __2 Years ($50) __3 Years ($75) __4 Years ($100) Special: __Sustaining ($35)

__Contributing ($50)

__Patron ($100) __Institutional ($20)

__Check to have your special gift mentioned in the newsletter

NAME:________________________________________________________________

EMAIL: ______________________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip:___________________________________________________________ Phone: ________________________________________________________________ What reptiles/amphibians do you own?__________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ What other herps do you have experience with?____________________________________ How did you learn about BAARS:_______________________________________________

Are you interested in: __Learning about something in particular __Field herping __Photography __Participating in shows __Participating in educational events BAARS Membership Secretary c/o Palo Alto Junior Museum 1451 Middlefield Road Palo Alto CA 94301-3351

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