Jeroen Speybroeck wrote:Leaving the lacerta.de discussion behind, I would like to hear your thoughts about how to behave during field herping. Some field herpers never catch or touch any animal, but that leaves them with only very short snake observations, I guess. So, what's your opinion on good or not?
What would the impact be of catching a snake on the survival of that animal? Do you catch any snake, even if it's the 24th ammodytes of the day? In our team, we have some differing opinions about that sometimes, because some are fanatic snake hunters, who like the kick of catching. Good or bad?
Let's just hear each other out, without blaming anyone.
How do you feel about entering private property while herping? And nature reserves? And what about the legal aspects of catching?
I have not read all of the text in this subject , so i will only answer to the original question! I have not red the text and do not answer to the discussion in this subjectDo you mean catching or handling?? – I’m not sure?: (I proberly talk about alot of offtopic stuff that was not in your question, but thats just me, i talk alot... And i proberly have some different opinions, but I wantet to state my opinion anyway )
But here is the replie:
Capturing:I don’t think anybody should catch a wild snake (with the thought of bringing it home) without it dealing with conservation or research. Animals are beautiful in the nature and should not be held captive or taken from their natural inviroment at any moment. In Denmark our N. Natrix & V. Berus would not handled to be moved to a different location, they surtainly wouldn’t breed any more - and removing them plus bringing them back would not help anything at all. I don’t like when people capture wild animals and keep them – not at all. I don’t think anything could make that right. Unless they people who “stole” it from the nature is veiling to breed them in the correct fashion for a GOOD purpose - and they should have a very decent point of doing that, possibly releasing juveniles back to nature again.
To that i can point out that breeding fx Vipera Berus in captivity has shown to be harder than expected, for Danish researchers that is. My local spot often get harvested by the zoo in Copenhagen My opinion about people who “pluck” wild species for their terrariums is simple – they should be imprisoned! If you want a reptile buy a captive bred one, leave the wild ones to be. I also think that species in captivity have a tendency to be destroyed over a decade of time, even though people don’t want to do it - I can’t not point out how much I hate morphs or hybrids . People who breed colormorphs are endangering the normal varieties known to the different locations around the world. Many people who don’t know much about reptiles can’t see the difference, so in the end everything will be mixed - if they use them for breeding. Snakes are disappearing from the wild, in a near future the morph-industry will slowly alter the remaining captive held species so they no longer resembles the animals we once had in the wild. It’s so hard to find good locality stated species. So stick to the bred animals instead of destroying nature – leave the snakes!!
Handling: I handle wild snakes, lizards and amphibians – if I need to, otherwise never! I would never pick up a snake or any other animal, if it was’nt necessary. For example: snakes stuck in beer cans, reptiles with ticks and parasites – I always remove ticks. Every time I have spend aprox. 24-48 hours in the field you might say I handle one reptile briefly, (2 minutes max – pr. procentage). But I must admit I got a weak spot for juveniles, sometimes I can keep my fingers of them even though there is no reason - the best picture for me is Vipera Berus juveniles – it makes my day complete! But i always tell every buddy not to touch them at all in the field. But I am generally very over-gentle with them if i need to handle them – i could not in a million years drag a snake from it’s hole, or pick it up and make a “fake” picture. I NEVER take pictures of placed snaked, a good photographer should try to show nature as it is and not manipulate with it! I always lay down in the dence vegetation, instead of just picking them up and place them somewhere – that is simply to easy and stressfull I believe. If you have to handle - do it in a timespand of max 5 min. - and only once a week.
I get my kicks from following the population – not from picking them up. If I want action I can go do some sports or something, the animals should not pay for me being bored. The best kick I can get is juveniles from past season. I am like everyone else, I love o handle I love to touch and gain knowledge, but i sincerely believe I get much longer without handling wild animals – but I am not afraid I just use my mind and let the reptiles be.
In general I think the common person is very confused about reptiles and have received a totally wrong impression of handling from TV - most plain folks are misleaded - for example animal planet. Let me give a story: I just watched a program with Austin Stevens – Hmmmm - He is simply the biggest paradox found on television. He throws himself over the animals as if he were at war with them many times it looks like he might injure them. WTF?? It can be done so quick and gentle with out making a scene.. In his recent program he described a "moloch horridus" as dwarf monitor lizard ????? Just the bottom of the bottom of stupid knowledge with no sence of reality - how can they send that kind of sh*t and call themselves an animal channel. I am so tired of Steve Irvin clones, who believe they must attack the animals for the viewers - while they throw around with the poor animal. Next time I open for the TV - I almost expect to see someone who don’t know anything about snakes -> the winner of X-factor for example - I also expect to see him being bitten at least 3 times by a venomous snake, and call a green iguana a green water dragon while he screams crazy and slap it around by the tail. It would fit the spirit of the Animal Planet .. I'm so sorry for people who think they learn anything from the channel - especially for reptiles. I personally banned that sh*t long time ago.. I think thoose programs manipulate normal people, hwo don't know anything about reptiles, and mess them very much up!
Trespassing:I must admit i trespass alot, but i never had any problems and people where very nice when they found out was i was doing on ther lawn – very nice indeed, some of them even became ”herp-friends”. My favorite spot is actually between public sommerhouses.. So its something i can’t get arround if i wan’t to herp. Fortunatly i am lucky with the nature reserve, i can visit when i want because i know the leader of the erea, (lots of sand and forrest lizzards + a million Rana Esculenta. I think its important to be educational and informent at these situations, if you walk with a snakepole and a backpack people are generally very nice even if you trespass
I see my self as a conservationist - i remove garbage, fishing line asf. I actually always bring a garbagebag with me when im out there for trash laying around, and I try to educate people with dogs running on the snakesnesting places.. I do it for the calm feeling herping has - like fishing, i just love nature and have no reason to disturb the animals.. As a herpetologist/amateur herpetologist you must do was right for the animals - and that involve minimum handling etc.
These opinions are stricktly mine and is just a view of personal believe, nothing else