NEWS STORIES
Steve Irwin - 1962 - 2006 At around 11 am on Monday 4th of September 2006 Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was killed north of Cairns.
He was filming a segment for his daughters up coming show on 'Ocean's Deadliest' when he was struck with a stringray barb in the chest while swimming over a large stingray. It is believed he died almost instantly. Steve Irwin was best known for his antics on his TV shows as 'The Crocodile Hunter' that was shown in over 100 countries around the world through this raising much awareness for conservation of many feared animals. He is survived by his wife Terri, and his two children, Bindi Sue and Bob. His death has prompted many around the world to donate to his wildlife fund "Wildlife Warriors" to keep his legacy alive. You can donate at
http://www.wildlifewarriors.org.au/
Ophidian Paramyxovirus Sadly a lot of people have lost snakes to OPMV (ophidian paramyxovirus) throughout Australia in recent times with new cases being reported at an alarming rate. This disease can be detrimental to a collection, just one snake with the disease can pass it on to the rest and a whole collection can be wiped out. Unfortunately there is currently no way to test live snakes in Australia. OPMV is not new and has highlighted the importance of strict hygiene and a well thought out quarantine procedure for anybody considering adding an animal to their collection. Plenty has been said on several forums lately so no need to repeat it all here. If you don't know what OPMV is now is a good time to find out what it's all about by
starting here.
WHAT'S NEW AT ARKCaresheet and Species Database
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this page.The NT government wants to allow safari style hunting of a selected number of crocodiles by wealthy tourists to the area who are willing to pay a price to get their trophy. The fear is that hunters are more likely to want to target larger male crocodiles rather than the small 'problem' ones therefore destabilising the crocodile population which is risking them posing more threats to humans and livestock as smaller males will compete for the territory. You can help by adding your name to this petition which calls for the NT government to reconsider it's position and contine the ban on crocodile hunting in the area.
Croc hunting petition
The QLD government is planning to build a mega-dam on the Mary River which will threaten the very existence of the most endangered and unique turtle in Australia, the Mary River Turtle. Please help the efforts in lobbying the QLD government to save the Mary River Turtle by clicking this link and signing the petition.
Turtle petitionLast month we added 2 new sections to our forums due to the number of new overseas members, International News and Venomous Exotics.
Stolen Herp Notification
A new section has been added to our forums for reporting stolen herps. Recently Marc Furbank had quite a few pythons stolen , more details
hereWe're in the process of adding some new site templates and replacing most of the graphics of the old templates. We currently have 3 templates available to members, ColdSteel (site default), Charcoal and SubBlack theme. The cutback dialup theme and charcoal2 have been removed.
An Australian Weather page has been added to the site, this will be expanded on in the near future to include moon phase and other relevant herping information.
Moving our gallery to it's own server to free up the main site is our current priority, this should speed things up, increase our bandwidth and storage as well as make the site easier to manage.
UPCOMING EVENTSLook out for these events coming soon at ARK!
Sunday Night Herp Chat
Come in and chat with other ARK members on Sunday evenings at 8pm A.E.S.T. This has been running for a few weeks now with a good number of people getting on our chatroom to talk herps or life in general. Details of how to join our chatroom are here
ARK Chatroom
Herp Getaway weekend 2007
Next years ARK camping herp getaway is already being planned. It will be held on Thursday January 25th through to Sunday January 28th (Australia Day Long Weekend). This time around it will be held on a private property at Canungra, which is the base of Lamington National Park situated west of the Gold Coast. Come along to meet other like minded people, enjoy camping in the bush and for lots of great herping. You can sign up and view more information here
Getaway Weekend
Competitions: The footy tipping competition runs all through the season . It's just finishing up now, but we will be running more next season offering herp related prizes. This year's competition winner will receive a juvenile blonde spotted python. Make sure you join up next season for the chance to win and have fun along the way.
Footy Tipping Comp
A "Best User Avatar" Competition is in the organization/planning stage so dust off your best pics and get to work. Maximum avatar size at ARK is 120 x 120 pixels with a Maximum file size of 12kb
We hope to run another photo competition soon. The last comp offered some great photos for the members to vote on and first, second and third prize were generous vouchers from Ultimate Reptile Supplies to spend at their online store. Keep an eye out for the next competition for your chance to enter your best reptile shot and win some great prizes.
Photo Comp #1
MEMBER PROFILE - Jarrowz
First name: Natalie
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Occupation: Professional Climber – I wish and I am working on it. Document Controller for the moment.
When did you join ARK? November 2005 but I was a lurker for probably a month or so before then.
How long have you been keeping herps? Almost 1 year
What was your first reptile? Female Spotted Python - Snickers
What's your most recent addition? Male Black Headed Python - Roma
What is your favorite herp? Out of the ones I own or out of all time? Snickers demands the most respect but Roma is the favorite.
All time: Woma
Which reptile would you like to keep without any restrictions? Woma
Do you breed reptiles, or are you planning to? I do not currently breed any reptiles but my N.Levis are trying their best to. I have no immediate plans to breed as I don't think I have enough experience to breed just yet.
What would be your main breeding project if you had to pick one?
Some time in the future *looks dreamily out the window*, perhaps... Nah, I am not sure.
What are the biggest issues for you in our hobby I know it doesn't affect the community as a whole but my biggest issue is people who are ill prepared for their new additions and haven't done adequate research. I am big on making well researched and informed decisions.
Something that affects the greater herp community: I believe disease is a problem but those who are vigilant and do the right thing will hopefully be unaffected but unfortunately are the minority.
What are your other main interests? Alpinism / Mountaineering, Ice Climbing, Mathematics
What is your favourite all time animal? Chooks – I love them!
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ARK Newsletter Team
