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Reptiles rescued from hoarder in northern Arizona

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Seven reptiles, including snakes up to 16 feet long, have been rescued from a home in northern Arizona.

The reptiles are underweight and because they haven’t been properly fed, they are not happy.

The staff at the Herpetological Society in North Scottsdale carefully handled the four pythons and small lizards surrendered Monday by a northern Arizona man whose collection grew out of control.

All of the animals were living inside his mobile home with his family.

The owner had a particularly hard time giving up his Albino Burmese python, which the Herpetological Society staff said is vastly underweight and needs medical help.

Negotiations with the hoarder weren't easy, but after four hours of that kind of persuasion, the hoarder gave up his four biggest snakes.

The hoarder kept dozens more at home, though.

The few snakes and lizards that made it out have already received medical care and the staff is defrosting giant rabbits to feed them on Tuesday.

In a few months, when they're healthier, the slithering snakes seized Monday will be given to zoos.
www.azfamily.com/news/local/Reptiles-rescued-from-hoader-in-northern-Arizona-128226878.html

Herpetological Society of North Scottsdale?
I have never heard of a local herp society that had funds to launch a spiffy facility like that to house "rescues". I'd like to know how this is financed. Looks more like it would be more appropriately named the H$U$ Herpetological Society in North Scottsdale. The shots of the animals weren't clear enough to determine if they were actually as emaciated and sick as the article reports, but I am skeptical of any "herpetological society" that would describe this as "hoarding" instead of "collection". Does anyone know who these people are, and what their credentials are to make accusations like this?

Watch this video:
www.myfoxphoenix.com/dpp/news/pets/snakes-rescued-from-nw-arizona-hoarder-8-22-2011

Hummmm, who called the press. Something stinks here. The SHS didnt need the tv news station to do this. Newsmen know best of course. If I'm Pres. of a Herp Society (and I have been)I do not call the TV station. VM

Phoenix society rescues pythons from reptile hoarder

The Phoenix Herpetological Society removed four large pythons from a Northern Arizona home for the Animal Planet show "Confessions: Animal Hoarding" on Monday.

The cable TV network called the north Scottsdale-based society to assist with the hoarding situation, hoping to remove 30 snakes, lizards, turtles, salamanders and other reptiles from a man living in a trailer.

Debbie Gibson, vice president of the Herpetological Society, said she could not name the town where the rescue took place or the owner of the animals, as part of an agreement with Animal Planet.

The rescue will be featured on the network's show, which has family, friends and experts intervene to help owners overcome their hoarding.

When rescuers Russ Johnson, Wendy Cassidy and Daniel Marshand arrived at the home, the man, who is in his twenties, refused to give up all but one of the reptiles. They spent three hours trying to persuade him otherwise.

Johnson, the president of the Herpetological Society, said the owner was visibly upset over the loss of his pets. He cried as rescuers removed his albino Burmese python, Johnson said.

After the rescuers evaluated the health of the reptiles, they realized that most were underweight, malnourished and had bacteria build-up.

"We expressed our concerns, and that's when he said, 'Yeah, you're right,' " Johnson said. "When people hoard, they emphasize with these animals and it's hard to give them up."

Johnson, Cassidy and Marshand were able to remove seven of the 30 reptiles by the end of the day: four pythons between 11 and 16 feet long and two sickly collared lizards. Three of the snakes are reticulated pythons, which Johnson called the "world's lousiest pets."

Johnson said the owner had some of the reptiles for less than six months. Many had been dropped off at his doorstep because local residents knew he was familiar with reptiles.

However, the man did not have proper access to food and could not get local veterinarians to care for the reptiles when they started to become ill. He would hunt jackrabbits to feed the snakes, but that was not enough.

According to Johnson, it would take about 240 pounds of rabbits each month to sufficiently feed the four pythons. He estimated the largest python was 70 pounds underweight. Another python continually struck at its surroundings as it was removed from the society's truck Monday night, as a means to get food.

Marshand said the owner did not have a job and had only limited funds to care for the animals, which is why the society was needed to step in.

"We're in the position where we've got the ability to take care of these animals," he said.

Although Johnson said the owner was not doing anything illegal, he was not sure if an animal control agency would have removed all of the animals if it had handled the situation.

"I've seen much worse, where there are more dead animals than living animals," Johnson said.

All the reptiles were kept in cages and totes that were too small, but Johnson said removing the four pythons would leave more room for the remaining animals. He said the reptiles also needed more exercise and access to sunlight and water. There was no water in the home, and the man only removed the animals from their confinements for a few times a day.

Both Johnson and Marshand insisted the man is not a "bad guy," just an owner who did not have the proper knowledge and became overwhelmed with the amount of care required.

The rescuers with the society advised the owner how to take care of the 23 remaining reptiles and returned to Scottsdale.

They placed the pythons and lizards in proper cages, providing water and food and beginning medical treatments.

Johnson said it could take up to six months for the rescued snakes and lizards to fully recuperate, but the pythons will only be available for zoos to adopt. However, Johnson did not think one of the lizards would be able to survive much longer despite the society's care.
www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/08/22/20110822arizona-reptile-rescue0822.html

According to Johnson, it would take about 240 pounds of rabbits each month to sufficiently feed the four pythons. He estimated the largest python was 70 pounds underweight.

This is clearly the words of someone who has NO CLUE what he is talking about.

60#/month per snake? 15# a week?

Those animals would be fine a 12# a month each

This sh|t makes me angry

ss

PHS needs to conduct an investigation of all of the AZ zoos to verify that they are feeding their snakes according to the PHS dietary recommendations, and those that are not should be required to forfeit their animals to them so they can be provided with their idea of "humane care" and AP needs to film these efforts and televise them so the public is aware of how all of the state's zoos are starving their animals. Are there any state animal cruelty statutes that apply to this that would warrant filing charges against the zoos that willfully starve their animals?

After all, if it can be shown that AZA institutions cant feed their animals properly, how can anyone expect private individuals without their special training in herp husbandry to be able to do it.

(A)Those snakes have fine body weight.

(B)The herp society was "Phoenix Herp Society" not "North Scottsdale Herp Society". PHS?

(C)He broke no laws and what authority does this "herp society" have in coercing him to relinquish his pets?

ss

Scott, I was crunching the numbers too. Way off for males and again I say why bring animal planet/the news in on it. If they were Herpers who care they would know this type of thing needs to be handled discreetly as to not give us all a bad name. But the did! WHY! These self annointed groo-roos of animal saviour behavior,is going to get people killed when they panic (guilty or not) at the sight of a mob taking their animals from them. "Hoarding" the new buzz word by newsmen for Herpetaculture. OUT OF CONTROL! VM

240lbs of rabbits a month?

Animal (rights) Planet strikes again. The folks in that herp club/society should be ashamed of themselves for this stunt.

The PHS is the same group that apparently advocates using gasoline (mixture) to capture rattlesnakes:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4584146/face

The PHS seems to have a lot of money BTW.

I find AP Channel to be something like a dysfunctional parent that holds the hand of an unruly child while swatting the head of the other. For example, the piece they did on tuna fishers showed them releasing a dead pelagic white tip shark as the commentator claimed it was alive and well and in another, the claim was made that oil rigs are naturally conducive to the survival of whale sharks in the Gulf of Mexico (those shows aired in 2007 or 2008). Meanwhile, they promote the idea in the publics mind, that my fascination with reptiles and amphibians is both quantified and qualified by criteria they have invented and established and what is to be considered normal. My claim is that they are purposely dumbing down United States citizens to promote their own radical agenda, backed by financial interests of AR groups and welcomed by tax paid employees who do not wish to bother with such things as reptile and amphibian pets. The more the AP wishes to promote me to the public as a deviant and miscreant, the more I will enjoy singling such media out to those who are misinformed. It is going to be a long fight.

The invitation to invite so called "psychologists" or other "experts" into one's private residence with promises of "solutions" (i.e. coercing the show participants, with invented reasons for doing so along the way, into surrendering all or most of their animals, thereby meeting questionable fates) is not only reprehensable and dangerous in of itself, but also represents what could very well mean a new tactic in the aresanal of the A.R. movement. Call me paranoid if you will, but I am beginning to have fewer and fewer doubts that there is some sort of collaberative conjunction going on between H.S.U.S/the A.R. Movement and Animal (Rights)Planet through shows like this; using the "animal hoarding" label against herpers as well as other animal hobbyists, by presenting us as "socially deficient" as possible. The A.R. movement has many weapons in their aresanal to ultimately get animals out of the private sector, and I strongly suspect this is one of them. It should be no secret that this is a publically stated goal of the A.R movement. For those that have seen it, Notice how for the "animal hoarding" episode with Tom and his venomous snakes living in his mother's trailer, for example, help was never offered to clean up his trailer, or improve his enclosures and setups, which should have been the real issue, not the fact that he was keeping 29 snakes. No, they wanted him to get rid of his snakes. Same case with the lady who had the birds (which all generally appeared healthy to me). Do you see the connection yet?

Based on the episodes I have seen and have heard of, "Confessions of Animal Hoarding" is another anti animal keeping series with a disturbingly consitant theme throughout: getting participants to give up all or most of their animals. Not improving their husbandry or conditions they are keeping animals in. This show is not about animal welfare. It is clearly about Animal RIGHTS. Animal (Rights) Planet's offers to help herp keepers through shows like "Animal Hoarding" should be viewed with the same level of skepticism as offers by Rahm Emanuel to improve the Republican party. Hopefully, we all should know better than to buy it.

Let's nip this tactic, clearly intended not to help, but to dismantle us, in the bud by refusing to participate in any way in shows like this, and encouraging others to do the same...

If they just change the programming and editing to represent the interests of sentient life forms, I might change my motto. Till then, its " friends don't let friends watch AP". They are dumb driving.