OFFICIAL PUBLICATION FOR THE BAY AREA AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE SOCIETY

BEHIND BAARSApril 2013

Foley - See article inside! - ©Joanne 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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Contents

President’sReport - 2

Events &Activities - 3

Sulphur CreekReptile Rally - 5

Editorial: KeepingReptiles - 6

Treasurer’sReport - 8

MembershipReport - 8

In the News - 9

Herp of theMonth - 10

Board Notes - 11

Editor’s Shelf - 12

MemberShowcase - 13

Board Members& Contacts -14

MembershipForm - 15

President’s Report

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 211 pm - 4 pm

Los Altos Hills Earth Day Celebration, Westwind Community Barn

27210 Altamont Road, Los Altos Hills. More information.

April 268 pm

BAARS General Club Meeting

Speaker: Brian Gundy on Boas and Pythons

April 279 am - 1:30 pm

Summit for the Planet, Mt. Madonna School, Watsonville

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!

April 27-2810 am - 5 pm

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 38 pm

BAARS Board Meeting

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

May 37 pm - 9pm

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

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.

May 1811 am - 3 pm

Family Science Day, Hartnell College, Salinas

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 181 pm- 5 pm

Hayward Animal Shelter Mural Dedication and Open House

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

May 248 pm

BAARS General Club Meeting

Speaker: Bob Norris

Summer 2013

July 2711 am - 3 pm

Reptile Rally, Sulphur Creek Nature Center

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 againstour ability to keep our animals, and to be aware of legislation that might restrict our rights. There areseveral 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 detailthe specific positions of these organizations, point out basic flaws in their positions, and encouragelike-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 fordonations to “help prevent cruelty”, but publicly and privately is also working to ensure that no one cankeep reptiles. The HSUS has a published position that no one should keep reptiles; much of this paper [2] isbased on outdated information. More recently, (Jan 2013) the HSUSs’ president, Wayne Pacelle, writesthat the ban on constrictors (four species) doesn’t nearly go far enough, as he states in his editorial “TheWay Washington Works”. PETA [8] also has a very similar agenda to that of HSUS and it is also contrary toour interests as reptile keepers, although it’s not possible, in the scope of this column, to document andrefute 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 andcoordinated 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 ofreptiles. Over the decades, I have actively educated the general public about the importance of habitatpreservation. However, let’s face facts. If the animals are NOT protected in their home countries, and arebeing 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], andcontinues 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 hisfamily. These tortoises are also listed on the US endangered species list, and I’ve made substantialpersonal sacrifices so that I might be able to get a breeding group of these, in order to produce them for thefuture of the species. If the HSUS had their way, no one would breed these in the United States, since noone would have these “wild animals” in captivity.

The Burmese Star Tortoise (Geochelone platynota) has been eaten by the native Burmese for hundreds ofyears. More recently, it’s been exported to China and other countries. Even though it’s believed to befunctionally extinct in Myanmar, it is still being collected and sold on the market in Myanmar and inThailand. This is a species that could benefit from ex situ breeding efforts (captive breeding outside of thenative range of the species), and is one of the species I’m currently working with. There is a huge problemwith various species of turtles and tortoises being exported throughout south-east Asia to meet demandsin 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 ofbearded dragons, leopard geckos, and crested geckos are now bred in captivity; these three species arealso some of the most popularly kept pet reptiles. This reduces one of HSUS’s main arguments againstkeeping 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” ineducational programs. Through education we inform the general public about the need for habitatconservation and the plight of these species. By interacting with these animals and by being informed, thepublic is much more likely to appreciate these animals and take action to help protect the naturalenvironment 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 muchattention 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 chancefor survival for some of these species. Although I don’t keep amphibians myself, some club members dohave “Amphibian Ambassadors”, and I’m glad that we can be a small part of a solution by helping educatepeople 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 worksclosely 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 wemake. I strongly encourage our members to support organizations representing our interests, both theUnited States Association of Reptile Keepers (www.USARK.org) and the United States HerpetocultureAlliance (www.usherp.org). In California, there is a current effort to ban the selling of all reptiles at fleamarkets, which seems harmless enough. However, many of the large commercial reptile shows could alsobe banned under provisions in this bill (CA Assembly Bill 339). Although BAARS is not a politicalorganization, I strongly encourage our members to be informed about this legislation and follow up on thesuggested 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 helpeducate 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”, Thereptile 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 AssemblyBill 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:

February: Setiva Woodring

July:

Wolfgang and Peggy KeilTheresa TouchattCosme Silfa

October: Samantha Murakami

November: Louisa Jaskulski (rejoined)

Celebrating 10 years as BAARS members:

January:

Carol Horn

Cory Gardiner

Ray Will

October: Colin and Dianne Flagg

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In the News

Stolen GoodsLondon, Mar 27 (ANI) (submitted by Pete Marshall): A boozy reveller from Coventry suffered a realhangover 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 withpals, the Mirror reported. But he woke up the next morning to discover the African rock python - calledBruce - rearing up at his mate who was sleeping on the sofa. Matthews' solicitor described the bizarreincident as "like a sub-plot from a Guy Ritchie film." After finding the reptile trying to eat his pal, theshocked 29-year-old grabbed a duvet and threw it over the beast. Matthews was arrested after trying topalm the 14kg python off on a reptile shop. He was handed a suspended eight-week prison sentenceafter admitting receiving stolen goods. The drama began on January 11 when a traveller offered to sellthe snake to Matthews and his drunken pals. His solicitor, Richard Baker, told magistrates in Coventrythat the group were all the worse for wear. The python was stolen with eight others from an outhouse inCoventry in January. Police told pet shops about the raid and the next day a local reptile store got a callfrom Matthews asking if they wanted to buy a snake. He was also told to pay 85 pound costs and an 80pound victim surcharge. (ANI)

Source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/man-buys-stolen-python-immediately-224008045.html

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

Spotted Salamanders Are Solar-poweredSpotted 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 astud male for mating. Hopefully her biological clock allowsfor her to reproduce; She is at least 40 years old. We foundHenriette, our turtle, in 1976 on a Pennsylvania road with aseverely cracked shell, obviously struck by a car. My cousinnursed her back to health in San Rafael, and she’s sincetransitioned to our atrium since 2004, munching on nightcrawlers, snails, occasional crickets, bananas and other fruit.Please, contact Bob Suess at 415-497-4130 orbob.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 youwould like to share

● Think of something unusual about youranimal; be ready to answer questions fromthe 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 teguthat was bred for the light blue tint he gets on his lighter coloredscales, especially when he's put in the sun. His skin feels like a beadedpurse.

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

Tegus are smart and can be trained to respond to a dog clicker; they canbe 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'refriendly and enjoy interaction with us. They'll even sit in our laps andwatch tv at night ;-)... Ok, maybe they're just sleeping, but they're stillwith us and not trying to get away. Such lovable lizards!

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BAARS Board Report

Highlights from April 5 Board Meetingpresent: 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 ourmeetings and shows for many years and continued to be active until his move to South Carolina, almost a yearago, 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 beperfect! Please, do not submit materials for which you do not have the copyright. For copyrightedmaterials, 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 madefor my Black Pine Snakes (Pituophis melanoleucuslodingi) I have pair and I needed more room to putthe make and female together as the female I havehas out grown her old cage so a new and muchbigger 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 OFFICERSPresident - Vacant

Immediate Past and InterimPresident -Scott Alexander408-823-3675alexander_scott@yahoo.com

Vice President-Eric Koessel510-847-4392erickoessel@yahoo.com

Membership Secretary-Kyna Hendra408-204-5131Membership.baars@gmail.com

Recording Secretary-Vacant

Treasurer-Scott Petersenscottepetersen@gmail.com

MEMBERS-AT-LARGEGilbert Castro408-582-4247Tortoise.whisperer@yahoo.com

Jim Goehring408-252-0338jimathome@sbcglobal.net

GiseleGisele.baars@gmail.com

Tania Tengan 408-499-5867 tmtengan@att.net

Aria Pleban

Diana H.

APPOINTED OFFICERSNewsletter Editor & Publisher -Aleks Haeckyvhaecky@gmail.com

Librarian- Tony Velez831-442-3100aveltude@yahoo.com

Show Coordinator-Joanne Petersenjoanne.hiratsuka@gmail.com

Publicity Director- Vacant

Webmaster-Wolfgang Keil

Adoptions Coordinator-Austin Plebanbaars.adoptions@gmail.com

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 l ist

Accepted Content:We love herp-related original articles, trip and show reports,stories about your animals, and original photographs anddrawings. You retain all rights but grant us permission to use,edit, and publish in the newsletter and on our website withattribution.

Accepted Formats:The newsletter editor can open almost anything. Plain text in anemail 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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