CaliforniaHerps.com

A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California


Herp Tourism (In Development)




observation link


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.
   
 
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  
A city square in Ecuador where people hand-feed Green Iguanas  
Tours of the Peruvian Amazon  
Gallapagos Tours  
Snake Dens in Narcisse, Manitoba, Canada   narcisse dens sign
Canary Islands, Mount Teide - lizards habituated to humans eat fruit offered by people.  
Viewing Pythons in India - Bharatpur    
   
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.
 
Anza-Borrego State Park  
Joshua Tree National Park  
Snake Road, Illinois  
Desert Tortoise Preserve  
Corkscrew Boardwalk, Florida  
Other Florida locations - Everglades, etc.  
   
   
   
   
   
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.
 
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  
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
   
   
Herp Events and Festivals
Turtle Derby in Manatoba  
Coalinga Horned Toad Derby  
Angels Camp jumping frog contest  
Florida Cooter Festival  
Snake Charmers in India  
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  
Cocullo Snake Festival Held every year on May 1st in Cocullo, Italy.  Wickipedia
   
Zoos, Museums, Reptile Zoos, Pet Stores, Exhibits, Rescue Centers
El Serpentario La Paz, Baja Sur  
Barton Springs Pool salamander exhibit  
Chiricahua Desert Museum, Rodeo New Mexico  
Sea Turtle Rescue Center, South Padre Island, Texas  
Fort Davis Texas, Rattlers and Reptiles  
Australian Reptile Parks  
Alligator Farms in Florida  
Reptile Gardens in Manitoba  
Reptile Gardens in South Dakota  
Albuquerque Rattlesnake Museum  
Steinhardt Aquarium  
San Diego Zoo  
San Jose Costa Rica reptile museum  
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.


Snake temple in Karala  
Snake or Crocodile Farms in Bangkok  
East Bay Vivarium  
Sonora-Desert Museum  
The Living Desert  
Prairie Dog Farms in Kansas ?  
   
   
Herp Art
Sculpture of a snake of a beach in France  
Great Serpent Mound of Ohio http://www.greatserpentmound.com/
Rattlesnake Bridge in Tucson  
Manitoba - snake statue, turtle statue   statue
Frog art in Angels Camp  
Cooter Statue in Florida  
   
Books  
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. 

   
   
narcisse dens sign  

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