NEWS-JOURNAL (Daytona Beach, Florida) 20 August 10 Reptile breeders, enthusiasts mingle at national show (Dinah Voyles Pulver)
Daytona Beach: If it crawls, creeps or slithers, chances are good you'll find it at the Ocean Center this weekend, as exhibitors gather from around the world for the National Reptile Breeders Expo.
Artfully lit cases hold Moray river turtles, sailfin dragons and even a green tree python that is really a brilliant shade of blue.
While exotic reptiles and amphibians of all kinds will be shown and sold, breeders are taking care of serious business while they're here. On Friday, a group of Florida-based breeders gathered to organize themselves into the Florida Reptile and Amphibian Association.
"The goal of this is to set up an accreditation process for the industry to help regulate itself," co-founder Greg Graziani said. The group hopes to set up standard "best management practices and operating procedures."
Others gathered for a series of scholarly lectures. Tonight, an auction is planned to benefit the U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers, which is busy lobbying federal officials regarding a host of proposed new rules for the country's reptile industry.
"All these events evolved around the show," said Wayne Hill, organizer of the expo, the country's largest gathering of commercial breeders.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will staff a booth to help spread the word about new state rules governing exotic pet ownership.
The show, in its 21st year, attracts buyers and sellers from around the world. On Friday afternoon, Marla Dufek at a registration desk talked to a young woman who traveled from South Africa, and a little boy from Jacksonville, with parents in tow, who planned to return this morning with $84 he'd saved all year to buy a snake.
Though exhibitors are here from Japan, Germany, France, Uruguay and Australia, the tough economic times did shrink the number attending this year, Hill said. The number of tables rented dropped from 700 to about 550. He would not discuss how many people visit the expo.
All the animals in the weekend show are captive-born, Hill said. Many would not be recognizable to their relatives in the wild. They've been cross-bred to produce unique color and pattern combinations that sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Pete Bandre of Melbourne-based Incredible Pets said the supply for the rare blue shade of green tree pythons "can't meet the demand."
Hill's own booth at the show features a variety of rare turtles, such as a Coahuilan box turtle, which can be purchased for only $500.
If a live pet isn't on the shopping list, attendees will also find woodcarvings of turtles, snakes and lizards, T-shirts, jewelry, books and reptile cages and accessories.
Admission for the expo is $15, and can't be paid with credit or debit cards. Children 6 and under are free with a parent. No strollers are allowed. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in uniform are admitted free on Sunday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Sunday. The auction begins at 7 tonight at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort.
Reptile breeders, enthusiasts mingle at national show

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