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Yogi

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Hello,

I was on a day trip to a local hoppy farm / zoo / attraction some where between byron bay and ballina no names of course but while checking out the reptiles came across this poor guy, to me there is no excuss for this crap.

There was recently a thread on here talking about the miss care of reptiles in zoo etc this to me is the worst i have seen. also the enclosure for two large blackheads is the size i use for one coastal
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That looks very painful. They are even housing two womas in the same enclosure (considering they are reptile eaters). Hopefully a complaint was made for the animals sake
 
Is it just me or does the BHP have open wounds??
sorry, been outside all day, and my eyes were not adjusting, had another look... I say complaint needs to be made... If I kept one reptile in that condition, and NPWS saw that, I'd have some explaining to do....
 
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I was the one that started that thread.

What I saw was not much better.

Sets a good example for future herp keepers doesn't it !
 
This is just horrible...absolutely horrible :(
 
That is disgusting. These beautiful snakes deserve to be looked after properly. This is just wrong.
 
pretty horrible. i didnt realise there was anywhere like that in that area. can someone please pm me what its called?
 
Those burns (assuming that's what it is) on that black headed look very fresh and very painful.
That's terrible.
 
They don't look like burns, just a bad shed from the very dry conditions they seem to be in, I agree they don't look the best, I am going to play Devils Advocate here and ask the OP did he front the keeper and ask was their appearance a usual occurance as they look to be a fair age and could have shedding probs. We tend to become incensed when we see Reps in this condition and found myself in the same sort of situation at a wildlife park near Blacktown NSW, they had what i thought was the tattiest excuse for a Diamond Python in an old bird aviary, when i asked the superviser that was there that day he kindly explained to me that it was given to them to live out however long it had to live in some sort of comfort, the elderly man who used to own him for the last 27 years had passed away and his relatives asked them to look after it with a donation as well, it may well be those BHP's and Woma's are being held in sub-standard conditions but it still would be nice if the owner had been approached for the full story. :) ..................................Ron
 
Hello,
The conditions in which they are living I would call sub standard and actually I think the bhps are not even the size requirement set by the npws bit dont quote me on that, I did comment on the day but if anyone knows the place most of the keepers are not really keeper more a cheap alternative. I have been contacted by another keeper with friends there and I am assuming will be taking it up directly with them.

I am not one to go and make trouble so hopefully the results are promising otherwise when I go back for a future planned trip there will be not department not contacted no stone unturned.

Cheers Jacob
 
I love how everyone is getting on your soapboxes about this snakes but honestly how many of you guys have worked in wildlife parks like this? It is not easy to get buy for these small parks and most are running on donations that they receive from the public. I agree it is not good how these snakes are but for smaller parks that mainly run on volunteer helpers they are doing the best they can with limited staff and funding. How about instead of reporting these guys offer to volunteer there yourself and help educate these people and better the care of their animals? By doing this you can guarantee that the animals will end up with the care that they need. So have a little think about those options instead of whinging on an internet forum about it.
Cheers Cameron
 
They look in good condition except for the dry retained shed..
Which is simple to remedy with a warm water soak etc ...
 
I love how everyone is getting on your soapboxes about this snakes but honestly how many of you guys have worked in wildlife parks like this? It is not easy to get buy for these small parks and most are running on donations that they receive from the public. I agree it is not good how these snakes are but for smaller parks that mainly run on volunteer helpers they are doing the best they can with limited staff and funding. How about instead of reporting these guys offer to volunteer there yourself and help educate these people and better the care of their animals? By doing this you can guarantee that the animals will end up with the care that they need. So have a little think about those options instead of whinging on an internet forum about it.
Cheers Cameron

You're obviously very passionate about this particular issue, but see it from the other perspective too.
If they have not enough staff/not enough money/not enough knowledge to care for the animals then aren't they better off closing the doors/giving up the animal than struggling to stay open to the detriment of the creatures?

Believe me, I appreciate the work that goes in to caring for collections of wildlife (I am a volunteer keeper and am studying captive animals) as well as the great work for conservation that can be achieved with the right displays, but this cannot excuse sub-par care.

:)
 
For one thing, that doesn't look like burns/rubbing/injury. On top of the retained shed, it looks to me like the red marks are the same colour as the sand. Without a closer photo, i'd be reluctant to say anything other than the python is dirty.

Also, if they only shed in the last couple of days, I can understand if the keepers haven't had a chance to bathe them. I do most of my husbandry on a weekend, and especially if they're relying on volunteers and part-time workers I wouldn't be suprised if they have a regular day to do these things. I'm not prepared to let 2 photos convince me they're a bad zoo. Also, if they're genuinely trying to do the best by these animals, and if they have jumped in the deep end by adding some reptiles to their collection, it can't hurt to give them 2 minutes worth of advice on dealing with a bad shed.
 
I recently went to a quite famous animal sanctuary in the middle of Sydney & walked away in slight disgust. There was 3 or 4 reptile enclosures in the row that housed either lizards or snakes & none of them had a source of water at all. Small water dishes, the size on their own, impractical were either dry or over turned. Whilst several skin sheds & a build up of poo gave the impression the enclosures & the reptiles in them had been long forgotten.
Telling a staff member about my concerns only got the response of, "I don't work here full-time."
 
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