Reptile & Amphibian Forums

EXPRESS INDIA (Mumbai, India) 12 September 06 After chinkaras, reptile row for Aamir-starrer - Ishq stars get notice for using spiny tailed lizard, a protected animal
Ahmedabad: Controversy never seems to leave Aamir Khan. After Lagaan, makers of another Aamir-starrer have received a notice, this time too on illegal use of a protected animal. The animal or reptile, to be more precise, in question is the spiny tailed lizard and the film Ishq which also starred Juhi Chawla, Ajay Devgan and Kajol.
Ahmedabad-based animal welfare organisation Bombay Humanitarian League has issued the legal notice through advocate Nimish Kapadia for using the spiny tailed lizard (called sanda in Hindi and sandho in Gujarati), which has been declared protected as per Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The film shows Aamir and Ajay selling oil extracted from the lizard’s tail. The stars are shown dangling the reptile from a string in a scene. There are also shots where the reptile is dropped into boiling water and the oil is then filled into bottles for sale, the notice said.
The NGO’s notice says that the film has given credence to the false belief that sandho oil cures impotency. The film has led to many people buying the oil and has put the reptile in danger.
As per the Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, if the said animal is found in captivity, or caught or poached or used illegally, the offender shall be held liable for imprisonment of a term which may extend upto three years or fine up to 25,000 or both.
The notice has been issued to the star cast, the Central Board for Film Certification, Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
The notice seeks details like the censor board’s, a no-objection certificate from the Animal Welfare Board of India and a certificate with respect to compliance of Performing Animal Rules (Registration) Act 2001.
According to a release issued by the Bombay Humanitarian League, the I&B Ministry had on on 6 November, 1991, had issued a mandate to the censor board regarding use of wildlife animals and cruelty to animals in films. The I&B and environment ministries have been requested to remove the objectionable part from the movie.
More about the spiny tailed lizard
* The Indian spiny tailed lizard (Uromastyx hardwickii) is a species of agamid lizard found in the Thar desert, Kutch and surrounding dry areas in Pakistan and India.
* It inhabits dry and desert tracts. Male ranges from 40 to 49cm in length while it is 34 to 40 cms in the case of the female. The male has a longer tail than the female.
* The flesh of the lizard is said to taste similar to that of chicken. The fat stored in the tail of the lizard is purported to have medicinal properties and for this reason, these lizards are often illegally collected and sold in various parts of India as medicine. It is kept in captivity by the cruel practice of dislocating the backbone.
Ishq stars get notice for using spiny tailed lizard

So, you finally reached the Uro forum... My question is, who are you & what motivates you to post all your anonymous sightings of reptile craziness? Show yourself or forever go away. Some of your forwards are informational but you lose credibility by lurking. Either come out & get real or get lost.

W von Papineäu has been posting uromastyx related news articles on this site for some time.
Some of the articles I would probably miss if it were not for his postings.

While I would love to hear from him personally - I am selfish enough that I would rather have him lurking and posting articles than disappearing all together. In fact, maybe him posting articles and information on uromastyx actually prevents him from qualifying as a true lurker?

Say what?? OK, well, maybe he does serve a purpose, even though so often times it's just forwarding sensationalism. But, that's kinda my point. If he really wants to contribute anything at all, he needs to show himself for who he is, announce a message & an agenda & provide more than what he's always done in the past which is to forward nonstop ridiculous newspaper articles to every forum he can climb into.

” provide more than what he's always done in the past which is to forward nonstop ridiculous newspaper articles to every forum he can climb into.”

What we might think is ridiculous or sensationalism is just plain news in some countries. The fact that there are so many myths surrounding these animals that they are being used for oil and other medicinal purposes is of great interest to me. I have heard for years that these animals are killed on sight due to certain myths, others are sold for various body parts or organs, and some regularly make their way to the dinner table in certain regions. Although I am probably a little unique in my desire to know everything there is to know about these animals, I am sure that some of this must be of interest to others as well.

I think this person passes on what he sees and does not pick just those that might have us scratching our heads. I remember an article recently submitted to this forum where he brought to our attention the undertaking of removing uromastyx from an airfield that was under construction. I do not think he has a hidden agenda- I just think he has a desire to keep us all in the loop. Let's not shoot the messenger.

I was curious about W von Papineäu so I did a search on this site. Not only does this gentleman keep all of the forums current with herp news- it appears that he does indeed have a voice- and he is quite articulate. (ok, I do not know that he actually has a ‘voice’ but he has the ability to somehow type his thought process)

He is a newt keeper and maybe this is why we do not see him posting on this forum. I know that I would have little to say on the newt forum.

In any event, Wes has a very interesting job and here is a post that details a little of who he is, what he does, and why he does it.

forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=902273,906686

Dear Uromastyx Forum:

As previously mentioned above (and most still stands as written), I began collecting press in 1994 (pre-commercial-Internet), but it was three years later that I found my first ‘Uro’ press item in 1997. And I think I first posted to kingsnake.com in 2002, maybe 2003.

Since 1994, I have collected about 32,000 press items related to herps (not all of which I’ve posted to Kingsnake.com forums, though I’m sure sometimes it seems that I have) … and out of that mass, there are about 20 related to your unique herp-of-choice (see below for list).

Why so few Uro press items? Well, there are a variety of reasons:
1. Uro’s are still relatively new to the herpetoculturist population, and are relatively unknown outside of your unique discipline.
2. Uro’s don’t seem to get in trouble like their croc, python, venomous and monitor peers. (Meaning, there is no ‘bad news’ fit to print)
3. Uro owners don’t seem to get in trouble walking their spiny charges down city streets, taking them into theatres or violating city animal care/ownership by-laws. (Come on Uro-philes, surely there is one Mohawk-wearing, multi-piercing, leather-clad, tattoo-sporting, motorcyclist among you … and that goes double for the guys!)
4. Uro’s are not spreading into Florida like their python, monitor, gecko, anole and iguana peers.
5. Uro’s don’t get squashed on roads during spring migrations like their frog, turtle and salamander peers.
6. Uro’s don’t get species-specific scientific press advertising climate change or rampant loss of species like their frog/toad cousins.
7. Uro's have not had their own movie.

During the past two years however, we’ve seen a significant increase in Uro press … keeping in mind their modest numbers.

This is directly attributable to two things:
1. An increase in Uro ownership and awareness; and
2. An increase in English-press releases from Middle-eastern Arabic-speaking countries.

The press, whatever our complaints about its fairness and accuracy when it comes to herps, does give us a snapshot in the ‘culture’ surrounding reptiles within the newspapers’ distribution zone. Some papers are pro-reptile, others anti. Islam has a tradition of being anti-herp, much like elements of Christianity that quote passages of the ‘snake forever being under the heel’ (apologies for the brevity) However newspapers from Islamic countries also reveal that there are both scientists and amateurs working hard to protect their various herp populations … in this case, usually sea turtles and … uromastyx.

It’s important for everyone to know what is being printed for the general public on herps in general, and their own unique species in particular. City councils making by-laws are indifferent (at best) in making ownership laws that differentiate between two-foot-long green igs, water monitors and Uros.

I’m hoping that by posting Uro-related press items to your forum, I can offer a snapshot into the publics’ perception about your preferred animals, both foreign and domestic. And in the case of the domestic press items – they usually reported on Uros as ‘pets’; it gives the Uro-community the chance to confirm/deny/advise each other on the ‘reported facts’ as to weather the feature was correct in its depiction of Uro care or other related ‘facts’.

Though I’m ‘Uro-friendly’ and have had modest experience in Uro-care; I don’t make comments on the press items because I don’t have the knowledge and experience to really add anything to understanding or refuting any Uro-press item. However, I’m hoping to offer fellow-herpers something not usually found in your favourite Uro-care book …. The public perception – warts and all – of Uromastyx.

If you know what the public thinks of your animals and how they got that (mis)information, you’re half way to refuting any misconceptions and presenting your animals as the safe, enjoyable companions that you find them to be.

Thus endith the lecture.

Thank you for your kind patience.
Wes

= = = = =

CAIRO TIMES (Egypt) 11 December 97 A little dabb will do you
BOSTON GLOBE (Massachusetts) 27 June 98 Humans and pets strut `stupid' stuff for Letterman audition
TRIBUNE (St Paul, Minnesota) 17 October 99 Know facts about iguanas before bringing one home
ORANGE COUNTRY REGISTER (California) 30 May 00 His array of snakes, lizards and other critters provides quite a show for kids
ARAB NEWS (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) Undated 01? Hunting 'dabb' in Al-Asyah
ARAB NEWS (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) 24 April 02 Ignorance cause of cruelty to animals
AVALANCHE-JOURNAL (Lubbock, Texas) 13 August 03 Iguana breathing easier after rescue
KHOU (Houston, Texas) 08 November 04 Fallujah fight has families battling to stay strong
PALM BEACH POST (Florida) 14 December 04 Love me, love my lizard
STAR-LEDGER (Newark, New Jersey) 20 February 05 In lively lessons, teacher-preacher features creatures
WBAL (Baltimore, Maryland) 19 May 05 Family Pet Could Be Dangerous To Children, Pregnant Women
GULF NEWS (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) 03 June 05 Operation save lizards under way
KHALEEJ TIMES (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) 04 June 05 ‘Save the Dhubs’ project launched
PENSACOLA NEWS-JOURNAL (Florida) 05 June 05 Animal prints
GULF NEWS (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) 25 June 05 A lizard's tale
CONNECTICUT POST (Bridgeport) 05 August 05 Reptiles A Smooth Show
BELFAST TELEGRAPH (Northern Ireland) 14 October 05 Snatched lizard could die without his courgettes
KHALEEJ TIMES (Abu Dhabi, UAE) 12 February 06 Reptile in a bag of peanuts!
ARAB NEWS (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) 02 May 06 Lizard’s Wizards Research Desert Dhub
KUWAIT TIMES (Safat, Kuwait) 08 June 06 Qurain family saved from Dabb Lizard
EXPRESS INDIA (Mumbai, India) 12 September 06 After chinkaras, reptile row for Aamir-starrer

Thankyou Debb & Wes,
Yes, I'm guilty of being one of those who, not knowing who you are, suspicioned a bent on sensationalism. Thanks for revealing your background & motives behind your posts. Good to see the man behind the mask!

thoughts to yourself. Anybody who has been into herps for any length of time knows of Wes and why he does what he does. You come off sounding like a total a$$hole talking about somebody you know nothing about. That is how these forums turn crappy. Instead of sounding ignorant why don't you inquire about him, ask questions? If you have ever read any of his post you would know that Wes does nothing to sensationalize herps. All he does is let us know what kind of things are being circulated out there about the animals we love. He ALWAYS states who printed the articles so that if you think it is not proper press you can write to the editing publication to make your feelings known instead of jumping into his crap for a service he unselfishly gives to us. You just slapped this guy in the face for giving his time to offer us something most enjoy. Tom Greb

Hey Tom,
Message well received. We all have our bad days...

I personally like the news he posts... I read a few different news sources every day but none of them have anything like these.

I always enjoy reading your postings and thank you for taking the time to share your information with all of us. These are articles I would probably never see if not for your contributions. I look forward to seeing more in the future.

Pam

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1.1 varanus acanthurus brachyurus (Dorado & Dora)
1.1 u. macfadyeni (Amani & Abeba)
1.2 u. ornata (Husani, Zari, & Bintu)
1.1 u. maliensis (Njuru & Neo) Doug Dix
0.0.1 u. aegypticus (Halima)
0.1 pogona vitticeps (Sunni)
1.1 hyla chrysoscelis (Pudge & Squirt)
Herps Are Awesome!