Aussie Reptile Keeper

Venomous Husbandry Course - Neville Burns

Courses
Start Date: Saturday, July 17, 2010
End Date: Sunday, July 18, 2010

2 day course to be held on Saturday and Sunday 17th and 18th July at 11 Reindeer place, Werrington. Cost is $300 each person, morning and afternoon teas provided and barbecue lunch both days. Numbers will be limited to no more than 10 people. Interested people to contact Neville Burns by email on his website at www.nevilleburns.net or telephone on 0247591832

Site Rebuild

For some time ARK has had problems with hackers and spammers being a continual problem and we had to close the site for a while but we are happy to say a solution has been found and the site is better than ever. Over the past 2 weeks Aussie Reptile Keeper has been slowly rebuilt, this process is almost complete and a lot of new features will be available to members. Please report any problems you may find in the site related forum.

Worlds Largest snake

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/5301053/bussized-boa-slithers-record-books/

Stunned scientists have found the fossilised remains of the world's greatest snake - a record-busting serpent that was as long as a bus and snacked on crocodiles.

The boa-like behemoth ruled the tropical rainforests of what is now Colombia some 60 million years ago, at a time when the world was far hotter than now, they report in a study released on Wednesday.

AustralianFreshwaterTurtlesandFrogs

The AustralianFreshwaterTurtlesandFrogs group that has been hosted on Yahoo groups for donkey's years has finally moved to a new and more open community forum with many great features.

Take a look at http://www.australianfreshwaterturtles.com.au for more information.

Australia's most embarrasing herper 2007

Ray Hoser has officially been voted Australia's most embarrasing herper for 2007 by the good members of the Aussie Reptile Keeper Community. Congratulations to you Mr Hoser, now it's official!!!.

ARK Newsletter #5

ARK On-Line Newsletter #5 is out now, view it at www.aussiereptilegallery.com/newsletter/

This Month's Articles:
Aussie Reptile Media Launch
OPMV Discussion Group
Hatching into the new year
Australia Zoo, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctury, Australian Reptile Park
Benefit of Clubs and Societies
Herps in Nepal
Herping in Southern Queensland
SpiderWorld at ARP
My reptile Experience
Newbie Notes #1
Vet Review

URS Member Avatar Competition

Ok people, here are all the details for the URS/ARK Avatar Comp. Ultimate Reptile Suppliers are the sponsors of our Member Avatar Competition. Tim from URS has once again come to the party and given us $100 worth of URS products as prizes. This comp has started and will close on 30th of November.

Venomous Snakes in Captivity - B.W.Smith

Includes: Proper Housing, Responsible Husbandry, The Tools And Equipment, Safe Handling Practices, Mistakes to be Avoided, Tips For Safety And Efficiency, Federal And State Regulatory Agencies, Emergency Contacts, 147 pages and 76 FULL COLOR Illustrations.

There are actually two versions of the book. The original is full color. But because color publishing is very expensive, I created a more affordable black and white version. Same content, just no color on the interior.

Table of Contents:
Disclaimer
1 Introduction
2 Considerations for Venomous Herpetoculture
3 Housing
4 Tools and Equipment
5 Handling, Maneuvering, & Restraining
6 Transportation
7 Common Mistakes
8 Tips and Tricks
9 Venom, Envenomation, & Antivenin
10 Emergency Agencies
11 U.S. Federal and State Agencies
12 Recommended Resources and Reading
Bibliography

Link to the Full Color Version

Link to the Black and White Version

Purchase link

Venomous snakes of the world

This book review is courtesy of Mike Swan Herp Books

Venomous snakes of the world. Mark O'Shea: 2005. HB dustwrapper, 160 pp.,

The introduction is followed by six chapters, which are arranged geographically rather than the usual taxonomic way. Many colour photographs. Covers all major and unusual venomous snakes, their range, habitats and venom. Includes pitvipers, seasnakes, adders, asps and black mambas.

Venomous Bites and Stings in Papua New Guinea

This book review is courtesy of Mike Swan Herp Books

Venomous Bites and Stings in Papua New Guinea - A guide to treatment for health workers and doctors – Editors David Williams BSc, Simon Jensen FACEM, Bill Nimorakiotakis FACEM, Ken Winkel PhD FACTM Published by Australian Venom Research Unit University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia ISBN 0-975 7937-0-5 358 pages, PB

The book review is by Chris Curry BMedSci(Hons) FACEM DTM&H Clinical Associate Professor, University of Western Australia Visiting Professor, University of Papua New Guinea Emergency Physician, Fremantle Hospital, Alma St, Fremantle, Western Australia 6010, Australia Tel 61 8 9341 3750. Fax 61 8 9431 3751 Email chriscurry1@compuserve.com

Envenomation by snakebite presents a huge but largely unmeasured problem in Papua New Guinea. In the Intensive Care Unit at Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH), snakebite contributed 73 ventilated patients and 4 deaths in 2003, 95 ventilated patients and 9 deaths in 2004. One quarter of ventilated patients were there because of snakebite. PMGH serves only the National Capital District and environs for acute care. Eighty five percent of the people of PNG live in rural areas remote from an ICU. Taipans and death adders are the dominant envenomers. Fatality rates can only be guessed at but in some regions are known to be 100% for paralysis. The human cost is beyond estimation.

David Williams is an unusually dedicated individual who is making this one cause his life’s work. He has already committed years to studying (and handling) PNG snakes and is the world’s foremost authority on them. He is now establishing a snake house and venom unit in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SM&HS) at the University of PNG and is undertaking a PhD with the Australian Venom Research Unit (AVRU) at the University of Melbourne. Collaborators from AVRU include Bill Nimorakiotakis (‘Nimo’), emergency physician and Deputy Director, and Ken Winkel, Director. Simon Jensen is an emergency physician who has contributed substantially to the Master of Medicine, Emergency Medicine, program at the SM&HS since 2003. His practical clinical involvement at PMGH has triggered an intense interest in improving the management of envenomation. From these editors comes a book of 358 pages that is a world leader.

Contributing authors number a further sixteen and include national practitioners and international experts. It provides a wealth of information for the interested. The book is extensively illustrated both with photographs and with drawings that are of practical use. Much of the scientific detail is beyond practical use by care providers in PNG, who in rural areas are predominantly health extension officers (HEOs) and nurses in Aid Posts and Health Centres. However, the chapters on management are presented with this audience in mind and are clear, concise and comprehensive. The emphasis is on first aid and care in the absence of laboratory resources and the sophisticated technologies of hospital and ICU. Major points, myths and traps are highlighted, and there is a ‘tool-box’ utility about the format of what to do.

These chapters will have wide practical application. To promote this, the authors have run two courses, the first at PMGH in 2004 and the second in Madang in 2005. It is hoped to expand the dissemination of the book’s contents by running a three day course twice each year. The last two of the twenty chapters deal with bites and stings of some of PNG’s other animals, including spiders, scorpions, bees and wasps, and marine envenomers such as stonefish, stingrays and jellyfish. The book is written for PNG and is intended primarily for care providers there. It will be of use to the visiting Australasian emergency doctors, who at time of writing numbered twenty six and are increasing. However, the book will also appeal to a wider audience.