Wisconsin is a pretty long drive but very doable..
Ya, I forgot to move the Boomslangs. Our inhouse inventory records list Boomslangs as colubrids (which they are) and colubrids are brought up under our 'non-venomous' category. I'll see if I can get them moved. As for Boiga, they are venomous but not particularly dangerously so.
Research that has been done over the last few decades starting with Sherman Minton and now on to BGF among others, has shown that very few snakes are completely non-venomous (technically). However, for the sake of the general public's ability to understand we left many of those snakes as non-venomous as well as the Komodo. I have spoken with BGF as to the Komodo's status as technically venomous. It is fascinating research. Though I am not prepared too, nor interested in explaining to the general public that their 2.2 million pet iguanas sold each year, or the Bearded Dragons etc. are also technically venomous.
BGF could clarify if he likes, but it appears to me that the majority of the research has scientific implications and was not intended to change societies casual definition of the word "venom" So we felt it was best left the way it was.
In the S. Dakota section it says that the record was somewhere in the 102 inch length for the Bullsnake species. However, in S. Dakota we rarely see any but the 3-4 footers, I've had one 5 footer show up but like it states, those are few and far between.
I just figured that the record 102 inches would give the impression that they do attain larger sizes primarily in other parts of their range. I'll see if we can elaborate on that.
Also, you are correct that we are not AZA, We were approached to join many many times, but our stock holders have chosen not to each time. When we recieved our Komodo's I believe we were the only non-AZA institution with them, I would think there are more now as there are some really fine non-AZA Reptile Institutions in the Country but I don't know for sure. It is primarily due to reputation and the ability to properly house/care for them.
I've worked in collaboration with a consortium of zoo's in Australia for a couple of years to aquire the Australian species. It is very exciting stuff, many of them have not ever been seen in this country and others not for several decades. We are very happy to be exhibiting these animals.
It sounds like you are going to be visiting in the future, drop me a line when you do and I'll try to show you around.
Best Regards,
T-
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It's what you learn AFTER you know it all that counts!
Terry Phillip
Curator of Reptiles
Black Hills Reptile Gardens
Rapid City, SD.
www.reptilegardens.com
