Just a collection on the AK event as seen from 'over the big pond. Cheers, Wes
EVENING NEWS (Edinburgh, UK) 25 May 04 Trade goes off the scale (Julia Horton)
A Scottish businessman is found dead, slumped over the wheel of a rented car near the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, in the United States, surrounded by a pool of vomit. Half-a-mile away, an electrician stumbles upon a wooden box abandoned beside the highway - containing four of the deadliest snakes in the world...
It sounds like the opening to a Quentin Tarantino film.
But while these two mysterious scenes are indisputably dramatic, they were not dreamed up by any film-maker.
They are the all-too-real final moments of wealthy 48-year-old computer programmer Garrick Wales.
How the box of snakes came to be abandoned is a mystery, as is what happened to a second consignment of deadly creatures which the father-of-three from Kilmacolm near Glasgow is understood to have bought from the same dealer.
While the first box of snakes included the African black mamba - arguably the world’s deadliest snake with a bite which can kill in ten minutes - it was said to have been secure, pushing suspicion on to the snakes in the second missing batch, understood to have included another African killer, the boomslang.
As investigations continue in Arkansas to try to find out what happened to Wales, his death has highlighted the murky multi-billion pound world of the international illegal animal trade.
Wales bought the four snakes over the internet from a dealer in Florida.
The website for that dealer, Exotic Reptiles Jungle in Palm Springs, says it only sells venomous reptiles to "legally permitted adults and only in areas where venomous reptiles are permitted".
And it appears that Wales acted within the law by arranging for the snakes to be sent to Arkansas - which unlike Florida does not require people to have a licence to keep the lethal animals - and travelling to the southern state to pick up his purchases. But while there is no clue as to what he planned to do with them, it would have been virtually impossible for him to have brought them back to Scotland legally. Under the Dangerous Animals Act 1976, anyone who wants to keep a venomous snake in Scotland must apply for a licence from their local council.
And because of the dangers posed to the public should a snake escape - as often happens with non-venomous pet snakes in Scotland - councils rarely grant such licences. Edinburgh City Council, for example, has never granted such a licence.
This makes avid collectors increasingly likely to break the law in order to obtain the creatures they prize so highly.
The trade in selling wild animals and plants is worth billions. Most of that trade is legal, with dealers such as Exotic Reptiles Jungle advertising a range of venomous snakes for less than £100 each, including comparatively less dangerous snakes such as pythons and rattlesnakes.
But, according to the wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic International, a "significant portion" of it is not.
And with collectors prepared to pay "tens of thousands of pounds" for a single deadly snake, and poverty-stricken locals in countries where the creatures are native, such as Africa and India, desperate to make a living, it is not hard to see why the trade is estimated to be second only to illegal drugs trafficking in terms of profit.
Gareth Bennett, reptile keeper at Edinburgh Zoo, says: "People will pay tens of thousands of pounds for these venomous snakes. The more exotic, which generally to these people means the more dangerous, like the mamba or seasnakes, the more they will pay. Collectors are prepared to pay crazy money for anything with a random natural genetic mutation, for example albinism [where a snake is an albino]. The rarer it is the better, it is like a status symbol."
He adds: "There is a huge illegal trade in animals. It is a very murky world, and it is thought to be second only to the drugs trade. It is very difficult to stop, though. Trying to impose a blanket ban just would not work. Any attempt to do that without the involvement of the indigenous people of these countries would never work because these people have nothing. If they can find a way of feeding themselves who are we to say: ‘No, you must starve to death’?"
Explaining just how hazardous a snake like a black mamba is, he adds: "We do not keep venomous snakes at all at the zoo now, because the anti-venom is so expensive and so difficult to get hold of. Black mambas are not only poisonous, they are extremely aggressive. I have never handled one and I would never want to."
Jason Devlin, of Scottish educational group Reptile Rescue and Education, spells out how easy it is to smuggle dangerous animals into the country.
"If you are bringing something home from abroad which you bought over the internet, it is not hard to put it in a bag, cover it and get through. Licensing and legislation is not good enough and while there are a lot of responsible snake owners, money talks."
Bennett believes that most snakes sold to collectors are bred in captivity, which can be done legally in some states in the US.
However, the Exotic Reptiles Jungle site which Wales used states that "unless otherwise noted, animals are wild-caught imports". It also boasts "bargains galore!" and lists a range of venomous snakes including East African green mambas for around £84, Egyptian cobras at about £56, monocled cobras for roughly £75 and, the most expensive listed, Indian blue kraits at around £98. Potential buyers also warned that such creatures are "very dangerous".
And although in some parts of the world people are free to keep the lethal animals with no regulation, Scotland and the rest of Britain remain strictly opposed to the idea.
Mike Flynn, of the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, says: "The snake market is huge, but mostly for non-venomous snakes. Local authorities rarely grant licences to people because of the risk to the public. We have to go out collecting escaped snakes around once a month or once every two months. That is fine if it is a harmless cornsnake, but obviously would not be for a dangerous snake."
Not all the plants and creatures traded, illegally or otherwise, are destined for collectors. Many are sold as food or to make leather goods from their skins.
Live legally imported snakes have to be transported under strict conditions with properly marked containers highlighting the potentially dangerous nature of the cargo.
They are checked by Customs officers when they arrive in Britain. If endangered species are found, they will be confiscated immediately.
But none of the snakes which Wales had were endangered and, as venomous snakes, Customs officials would have referred him to his council to seek a licence.
Snakes being traded illegally enter the country in all kinds of ways.
A Customs spokesman says: "There was one case where a woman was wearing a snake round her waist. It moved and officers realised it was not a belt.
"People have put them in suitcases too. Being cold-blooded, temperature is not so important to their survival. They have been hidden in hand luggage as well."
Edinburgh City Council confirms no licences have ever been granted for keeping venomous snakes in the Capital.
A spokeswoman explains that to obtain a licence to keep any dangerous animal under the 1976 Act, people must prove that they are knowledgeable about the creature’s care and that their home is suitable for keeping such a creature.
Meanwhile, back in Arkansas investigations are continuing into how Wales died. The details may never be known, but his death is likely to make animal collectors round the world think twice about their next purchase.
http://news.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=595392004
THE SCOTSMAN (Edinburgh, UK) 25 May 04 Autopsy found no bite-marks on snake death man, say police (Ian Johnston)
American police investigating the death of a Scottish businessman thought to have been bitten by a deadly snake said yesterday that an autopsy had found no sign of bite-marks on his body.
Computer programmer Garrick Wales, 48, from Kilmacolm, was found dead surrounded by vomit in a hire car near Little Rock airport in Arkansas on 13 May. Four highly poisonous snakes he had earlier ordered from a supplier in Florida were found in a box about half a mile away from his car two days later.
But yesterday, police said that earlier theories that he had been bitten by one of the snakes had not been confirmed by an autopsy carried out on Mr Wales’ body.
Sergeant Terry Hastings, of Little Rock Police Department, said the examination had not found any obvious wound on Mr Wales’ body, including a snake bite.
"The autopsy report didn’t give an indication of such. It’s a suspicious death. He didn’t have any obvious trauma to the body," he said.
Sgt Hastings said officers were waiting for the results of toxicology tests carried out on Mr Wales body that would show whether there was any snake venom or other poisons in his system.
Little Rock police are investigating Mr Wales’ background in an attempt to find out why he ordered the snakes and what he planned to do with them.
They have established from the Florida dealer that he had ordered snakes on several previous trips to the US.
Sgt Hastings said: "We don’t know anyone that he was in touch with in Arkansas but we are investigating that and trying to check into his past, where he has been and what he has been involved in, but right now we know very little."
A spokesman for Inverclyde Council said that following discussions with police and the family, it was satisfied that no dangerous animals were being kept at Mr Wales home in Kilmacolm, but said its officials had not actually inspected the premises
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=593202004
SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY (Edinburgh, UK) 23 May 04 Snake bite victim bought fatal reptiles (Yakub Qureshi & Sarah Robertson)
A Scottish businessman found dead in the United States is thought to have been bitten to death by snakes he bought during the trip, investigators revealed last night.
The body of computer programmer and father-of-three Garrick Wales, 48, from the Renfrewshire village of Kilmacolm, was discovered in his rented car by Arkansas police nearly two weeks ago.
Little Rock Police Department confirmed that four deadly snakes, found close to the scene, had been purchased by Wales over the internet from a "reptile dealership" in Florida.
The car, with Wales’ body inside, was found on open ground near Little Rock National Airport by a member of the public on May 13.
Investigators said Wales’ body was surrounded by vomit. The results of toxicity tests conducted during a post-mortem examination have not yet been confirmed, but police said they had little doubt he had died from snake bites.
The snakes, which were in bags inside a box, were found the following day near a motorway half a mile away. The 14in twig snake, 6ft green mamba, 4ft black mamba and 5ft forest cobra are all deadly, and have been taken to a local zoo for safekeeping. The box was said to be marked with warnings of its poisonous contents.
Wales was employed as a networking consultant for other companies, and had been in the US for several weeks on business before his death.
Detective Eric Knowles, from Little Rock Police Department, told Scotland on Sunday there was no doubt that the snakes had belonged to the programmer. He said: "These snakes are not indigenous to anywhere in the US. They are all south and east African snakes. We don’t even stock the anti-venom for them anywhere in Arkansas.
"These particular snakes came from a dealer in Florida that Mr Wales had been dealing with. We are therefore sure that they had been in his custody.
"No foul play whatsoever was involved but there are still inquiries we need to make.
"All other possibilities remain open to us."
He said he understood that Wales had ordered other snakes on previous trips to the United States. The snakes were transported from Florida to Little Rock National Airport at Wales’s request.
He refused to comment on whether Wales, who was booked into a local hotel in the state capital, had been trying to release the snakes or was selling them on to another person.
Reptile experts said any one of the four snakes could have killed Wales. The black mamba is considered the most deadly snake in the world as well as one of the fastest. It can grow to up to 14ft and can travel at up to 12mph.
The bite and venom of a green mamba can kill in less than 30 minutes. It grows to around 5ft and lives in trees across Africa, feeding on birds and lizards and is often difficult to see in green foliage.
The forest cobra is a large, thick-bodied, black snake from the tropical and subtropical rain forests of Africa. It is seen as the least dangerous of the notorious cobra family but its bite can still cause rapid death without quick intervention.
The twig snake comes from the family of rear-fanged snakes which have enlarged rear teeth with a groove to allow venom to flow down while swallowing their prey.
The body of the father-of-three was flown back to Scotland on Thursday after it had been examined.
In Scotland, friends of the computer programmer paid tribute to the "friendly family man".
Neighbour Ewan Marshall, 21, said he was "saddened" by the death and was surprised that Wales had been in possession of the snakes. "It is sad because he has left three young kids and my thoughts are with his family right now," he said.
"I would say hello to him most days and he was a really friendly guy.
"I would call him a real family man. The link to snakes is the biggest mystery. I have no idea if Mr Wales had pet snakes or an interest in them, but I find it very unlikely."
Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: "Mr Wales did not have any hobbies involving snakes. He has never kept them or been interested in them as far as I am aware."
Yesterday his wife Pamela, an English teacher at St Columba’s in Kilmacolm, said she was "too distressed" to speak.
Speaking from the family home, she said: "We are terribly distressed and I cannot make any comment at the moment."
Although venomous snakes can sometimes deliver a "dry" bite without releasing their poison, all bites require immediate hospital treatment.
Even with a sample of the venom it can be difficult to create the right anti-venom to treat the poison. Some venoms have more than 130 chemical components, which all of which have different physiological effects, and can mean that no two samples drawn from a snake will have the same effects.
In the past decade an average of five people a year have died annually from snakebites in the United States.
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=587712004
THE SCOTSMAN (Edinburgh, UK) 23 May 04 'Snake-Bite' Briton: Police Rule Out Foul Play (Emily Pennink and Josie Clarke)
American police investigating the mysterious death of a Briton who may have been bitten by snakes bought over the internet, have ruled out foul play.
Scotsman Garrick Wales was found dead in a rented car near an airport at Little Rock, Arkansas, on May 13. He looked pale and was surrounded by vomit.
The next day, a local electrician found a wooden box containing four African snakes half a mile away near a motorway.
All the snakes – a 14in long twig snake, a 6ft green mamba, a 4ft black mamba and a 5ft forest cobra – can be deadly.
But a post-mortem examination and toxicology tests which would reveal whether he died of a snake bite, have yet to be completed.
Detective Eric Knowles, of Little Rock Police Department, said: “We can say that this is definitely not a homicide.
“There is definitely no foul play as far as someone else contributing to his death. All other possibilities remain open to us.
“Whether he had a snake fetish, we just simply don’t know.”
Mr Wales, a computer programmer, ordered the snakes over the internet from a “reptile dealership” in Florida, police said.
The snakes were transported to Little Rock National Airport at Mr Wales’s request, Detective Knowles said. The box they were in was said to be marked with warnings of its contents.
The detective understood Mr Wales, 48, from Kilmacolm, Strathclyde, had picked up snakes on previous trips to the United States.
He said police still knew little about why Mr Wales ordered the snakes, what he had intended to do with them or where the other snakes were.
How the snakes came to be dumped by the motorway was also a mystery.
Detective Knowles said: “We will continue trying to determine what he did with the other snakes. We still have not accounted for those snakes.”
Mr Wales’s family told Little Rock police he had travelled to the United States on numerous occasions and owned a computer information business.
Mr Wales’s widow, Pamela, who is a teacher, did not want to talk about her husband’s death.
Speaking at home in Kilmacolm, an affluent commuter village near Glasgow, she said: “I have no comment to make as it would not be appropriate as the matter is being investigated by American authorities.
“I would ask you to respect my own and my family’s privacy at this time.”
Neighbours of the large detached house also spoke yesterday of a “lovely man” and “nice neighbour”.
Mr Wales, who was a successful computer programmer for business, was in Little Rock on business.
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2962901
