This is a list of some of the interesting places around the world where you can either viewherps, either in their natural environment in a controlled setting or in an organized situation such as a tour, or in captivity, or where you can see herps with little fear of humans that congregate and beg for food. Most zoos have a reptile and amphibian section, so I'll only list a few here.
(Be aware that some of these locations may involve the mass breeding of herps for consumption or for the use of their skins or the actual consumption of herps themselves.) I will add new discoveries to this list as I learn of them. |
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Costa Rica Sea Turtles/ Arribadas Ostional Beach |
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/26/science/costa-rica-to-shield-sea-turtles.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150925&nlid=19027535&tntemail0=y&_r=0
tourists abuse turtles with selfies
the guide, and they can view the mass nesting, known as an arribada, for 30 minutes; |
Komodo Dragon Viewing |
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A city square in Ecuador where people hand-feed Green Iguanas |
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Tours of the Peruvian Amazon |
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Gallapagos Tours |
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Snake Dens in Narcisse, Manitoba, Canada |
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Canary Islands, Mount Teide - lizards habituated to humans eat fruit offered by people. |
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Viewing Pythons in India - Bharatpur |
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Good Places to Observe Wild Herps |
I don't like to give out information about places where you can find wild herps because many such locations are easily overwhelmed by crowds or abused by irresponsible herpers, collectors, and herp-haters. These are only some well-known and fairly general locations that are unlikely to be abused.
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Anza-Borrego State Park |
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Joshua Tree National Park |
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Snake Road, Illinois |
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Desert Tortoise Preserve |
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Corkscrew Boardwalk, Florida |
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Other Florida locations - Everglades, etc. |
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Commercial Exploitation of Herps |
I'm not saying that the commercial exploitation of herps is a good thing, but it happens, and these are places where it happens. I will include some of the more horrible places where herps are sometimes abused and tortured because we should not forget that these things are still happening. |
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Zisiqao village in the Zhejiang Province of China |
the 160 farming families that live there collectively breed over three million snakes annually for food and medicinal purposes.
http://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-town-breeds-millions-of-snakes-2013-3 |
Rattlesnake Roundups |
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Snakes Slaughtered for their Skins |
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2885299/Photos-Indonesian-snake-slaughterhouse-shows-hundreds-reptiles-killed-skinned-fuel-appetite-luxury-goods.html
Indonesian Snake Slaughterhouse where snakes are tortured then skinned alive |
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Herp Events and Festivals |
Turtle Derby in Manatoba |
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Coalinga Horned Toad Derby |
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Angels Camp jumping frog contest |
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Florida Cooter Festival |
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Snake Charmers in India |
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Giant Salamander Festival (for food) |
http://news.yahoo.com/endangered-giant-salamander-celebrated-china-plates-133937474.html
The three-day festival was set up to promote giant salamander cuisine and products |
Rattlesnake Roundups |
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Cocullo Snake Festival |
Held every year on May 1st in Cocullo, Italy. Wickipedia |
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Zoos, Museums, Reptile Zoos, Pet Stores, Exhibits, Rescue Centers |
El Serpentario La Paz, Baja Sur |
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Barton Springs Pool salamander exhibit |
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Chiricahua Desert Museum, Rodeo New Mexico |
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Sea Turtle Rescue Center, South Padre Island, Texas |
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Fort Davis Texas, Rattlers and Reptiles |
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Australian Reptile Parks |
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Alligator Farms in Florida |
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Reptile Gardens in Manitoba |
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Reptile Gardens in South Dakota |
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Albuquerque Rattlesnake Museum |
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Steinhardt Aquarium |
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San Diego Zoo |
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San Jose Costa Rica reptile museum |
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Snake Temples in Bali |
http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2014/11/10/tanah_lot_temple_in_bali_indonesia_is_protected_by_a_holy_snake.html
For a small fee, anyone is welcome to see and even touch the “holy snake,” a black-and-silver striped sea snake that hangs out in a cave by the temple. Though Balinese sea snakes are venomous, handlers promise that the holy snake is too docile to harm you.
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Snake temple in Karala |
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Snake or Crocodile Farms in Bangkok |
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East Bay Vivarium |
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Sonora-Desert Museum |
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The Living Desert |
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Prairie Dog Farms in Kansas ? |
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Herp Art |
Sculpture of a snake of a beach in France |
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Great Serpent Mound of Ohio |
http://www.greatserpentmound.com/ |
Rattlesnake Bridge in Tucson |
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Manitoba - snake statue, turtle statue |
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Frog art in Angels Camp |
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Cooter Statue in Florida |
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Books |
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A Worldwide Travel Guide to Sea Turtles Marine, Maritime, and Coastal Books, sponsored by Texas A&M University at Galveston 2014 |
Written by a scientist, a conservationist, and a journalist, this book provides a guide to the places where people can responsibly observe sea turtles in the wild and participate in authentic conservation projects. |
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