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CROCODOPOLIS world of crocodilians TM SCIENCE · CULTURE · INDUSTRY · NEWS · COMMUNICATION · CONSERVATION
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NEWS
The CROC PRESS Regular coverage of crocodilians and people in headlines worldwide.
Wes von Papineäu, News Page Editor Email: crocnews@crocodopolis.net _________________________________________________
Week of 26 August 07
29 August 07 Humour: Alligators as pets
We try not to post
‘non-news’ items; but this so caught the fancy of your newt-keeping Croc
News Editor that he decided to take advantage of his unique position
with this webpage and post a parody item here for your possible
enjoyment …
http://www.thecheers.org/article_969_Alligators-as-Pets.html
29-30 August 07 Caiman captured near two schools - Filed-down teeth suggest reptile a former homebody
Police retrieved a 4-foot/1.2 metre adult caiman from a flood control ditch near Irvington, California high school and a local preschool.
Officer Duane Maxfield, an animal services officer used a dog-catching pole to retrieve the caiman and put it in a dog cage during the ride to the Tri-City Animal Shelter.
One very
plausible explanation is that someone illegally bought the caiman when
it was a baby and let it go when it got too big, Maxfield said Of note:
the reptile had its teeth filed down, a clear sign that it once was kept
as pet.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_6747886?source=rss http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/ci_6758139
28 August 07 Illegal reptile seized in Virginia
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries have seized a crocodilian from an Occoquan home and charged its owner with felony sale and possession of illegal wildlife.
Authorities were alerted by a complaint made Aug. 8 regarding a listing on the website Craigslist.org advertising the reptile for sale, according to the search warrant.
Conservation Officer Mark DiLuigi called the number in the advertisement and was told by ‘John’ that it was “illegal to have these types of animals in Virginia but that there was no way for anyone to find out.” John told DiLuigi he would accept US$ 425 cash for the caiman, its tank and light. ‘John,’ identified as Sean W. Hammond, 21, was then arrested and charged with possessing and selling illegal wildlife.
Selling illegal wildlife for less than $200 is a
Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a maximum
fine of $2,500 according to Virginia State Code. However, selling
illegal wildlife for more than $200 is a Class 6 felony and if
convicted, Hammond could face between one and five years in prison, up
to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. 28 August 07 Pool guy to family: Capturing gator not in job description
In Cathedral City, California Sheryl and Robert Rockwell thought they had discovered an iguana hanging out at the bottom of their pool, but their pool maintainer later told them it was a three foot/metre long alligator …. and "and no, I'm not getting it."
The state's Department of Fish & Game was supposed to pick the croc up soon and take it to a "reptile place," said animal services Sgt. Luis Rosa.
Having an
alligator is illegal in California, officials said, unless a permit is
issued for educational purposes.
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070828/NEWS01/308280005
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_R_gator28.3f2bf4b.html
27 August 07 Demonstration of gator hunt Brings out difficulties
Any notions that hunting Arkansas alligators is a walk in the park or a pleasant cruise on a lake were swept away on a dark and humid night on Bois d'Arc Lake.
While
there, a flotilla of boats with assorted media persons tagged along at a
distance as wildlife biologists and technicians with the Arkansas Game
and Fish Commission pursued an alligator. They were using methods
prescribed for the upcoming inaugural hunt in September but stopping
short of "dispatching" the animal. It took three hours and some
misses by the hunters, but they finally captured a gator large enough
and thrashing enough to be impressive in front of spotlights and
television cameras.
http://www.ashleycountyledger.com/articles/2007/08/27/sports_outdoors/out193.txt 25 August 07 Exotic
reptile stops traffic
A caiman crossing a road in White Lake Township, Michigan, USA stopped several cars dead in their tracks and many residents until police arrived and animal control officers took the 2-foot/half metre-long reptile away.
"This is the first time I was involved with an animal like this," Constable Hartner said. "People have the weirdest pets”.
Plans
were made to transfer the caiman to the Michigan Humane Society in
Rochester Hills.
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/082507/loc_20070825145.shtmlvvv 20 August 07 Crocodile captured In Japan hospital parking lot
A crocodile measuring around 43 centimeters/17 inches was captured in a parking lot of a Japanese hospital.
According to police,
the creature looks like a Siamese Crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis)
that can grow up to 3 meters/10 feet [sic; this species may grow up to 4
m/ 13 ft.] and is believed either to have escaped from or been released
by someone who was raising it as a pet.
http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/415535
26 August 07 Nebraska State Fair: Despite objections, Alligator show proves crowd-pleaser
State Senator Ernie Chambers called for the "Kachunga and the Alligator" show at the Nebraska State Fair to be canceled because he said it exploited reptiles, but fair officials decided to let the show go on.
During the presentation, “two Floridians with bulging biceps, Gil and Dave Castillo, mixed sibling gags with a 20-minute program billed as "wildlife entertainment and education."” The State Fair sent a letter Thursday to Chambers, saying no "type of cruelty, mistreatment or exploitation of animals" is accepted or tolerated at the fair.
"Right behind
the eyes is a very small brain," wrestler Castillo said as his brother
sat atop a gator, pointing at its eyes. "And the alligator's got one
just like it."
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2620&u_sid=10116372 26 August 07 Outdoorsmen find alligators Sometimes not as large as they seem
A piece on one groups’ experience of
gator-hunting on Florida's Kissimmee River
http://www.bradenton.com/nick_walter/story/130818.html 25 August 07 Bathroom off-limits during ’gator hunt
An
Arkansas-parody of gator hunting in the local, urban sewers. “ The only restrictions were hunters had to be 5-foot-10 or shorter …”
“ … Hunters were divided into 10 four-man teams
with assigned sewer routes, given GPS devices and trained on two-way
radios so they can keep in contact with their support teams on the
surface.”
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Style/199528/ 25 August 07 Downtown Pittsburgh fountain No home for alligator
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Animal Control officers recovered their third alligator of the year within city limits when they discovered an 2-foot/half-metre-long alligator in a downtown fountain.
Officials said the gator -- now safely under lock and key at the rescue league's office in Larimer -- was likely a pet someone dumped downtown. The animal, which did not have a collar, is not native to the area and would not have survived long in the nearby Allegheny River, they said.
It will be
tough to find the gator's owner because the state does not require
permits to own alligators or other exotic reptiles, said a state Fish
and Boat Commission spokesman. If found, the owner could face a $100
fine and court costs.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_524060.html
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/13961477/detail.html
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