Posted by:
Carmichael
at Fri Nov 17 17:51:11 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Carmichael ]
What good does an A/V bank do if you need the antivenin right away? In a severe bite, you don't have hours to live, you may have 30 minutes or less. Even if A/V were extremely easy to obtain, I can guarantee you that very few private keepers would be willing to pay the kind of money it takes to keep a recommended minimal supply....and that's just plain wrong. Hospitals, for the most part, don't keep exotic antivenins unless they are near a major zoo (and in those cases, its designed to protect the zookeepers). Acquiring and keeping A/V is no one else's responsibility except for the person keeping the venomous herps. Stop using the "very few venomous keepers keep A/V so that must mean that it's acceptable" logic. It is difficult to obtain A/V but I can betcha anything that if it were easy, no one would get it anyway. When you see how many young folks are keeping hots who can't even take care of themselves (or have a parent doing that) you can see why the issue of responsible hot keeping becomes such an issue.
Now, I do know of professional venomous keepers (private individuals) who have made arrangements with area hospitals or even zoos to acquire a/v and as in all things in life, there are exceptions to the rule. These people have extensive networks, have contributed greatly to the hobby/profession, and keep venomous herps for the right reasons....and perhaps in these cases, there are exceptions. I know of quite a few and have no problems with the arrangements and protocols that they have in place.
There's been a lot of hissy pissy fits on here recently, haven't seen a good post on husbandry in quite some time but these are important issues that need to be discussed in an intelligent manner - and there are going to be disagreements and differences in philosophies. By finding a forum to discuss these things, such as what Al is recommending, I think we can make great strides towards developing a common voice in the venomous community.
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
>>Al, while I do understand the wake up call, and did a few years ago, there are very few IF ANY that keep their own AV for EVERY species they keep. I think that is going abit far. But I do believe that EVERYONE should have access to AV, and not a zoo's stock, whether it be by an AV bank or a person with common interest, in the event of a bite. I am all for any type of actions that will lead to better, safer keeping of these animals, and am still for the developement of any AV banks and protocol's. What could be better than a tightly knit, organized community? Nothing. Which is what we need to be, even if the flight by nighter's want no part in it, we can still do it the responsible way until the new fad goes away. It will go away, and it will only be us with our passion's. If there isn't an all out ban first. You have my e-mail addy, LET ME KNOW WHAT I CAN DO TO HELP.
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL
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RE: Call to action - Carmichael, Fri Nov 17 17:51:11 2006