Vol. 25 (2005), No. 3

MMARCHARCH 2005 2005 VVOLUMEOLUME 25 N25 NUMBERUMBER 33

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This Month’s Meeting:

The White Snake Sale!

Featured Article:

“The Javan File Snake”

by Paul Vitrone

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Bell Museum of Natural History, 10 Church Street Southeast, Minneapolis Minnesota 55455-0104

The Minnesota HerpetologicalS o c i e t yMHS Webpage: http://www.mnherpsoc.orgMHS Group Email: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/mnherpsocVoice Mail: 612.624.7065

March 2005 Volume 25 Number 3

Board of DirectorsPresidentRandy Blasus

Vice PresidentSean Hewitt

Recording SecretaryBarb Buzicky

Membership SecretaryNancy Haig

TreasurerMarilyn Blasus

Newsletter EditorAsra Halvorson

Members at LargeTony GambleFred BosmanMike Bush Jodi L. Aherns

CommitteesAdoptionSarah Richard

EducationJan Larson

LibraryBeth Girard

WebmasterAnke Reinders

[email protected]

The Purpose of the Minnesota Herpetological Society is to:• Further the education of the membership and the general public in care and captivepropagation of reptiles and amphibians;• Educate the members and the general public in the ecological role of reptiles andamphibians;• Promote the study and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.

The Minnesota Herpetological Society is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization.Membership is open to all individuals with an interest in amphibians and reptiles. TheMinnesota Herpetological Society Newsletter is published monthly to provide its memberswith information concerning the society’s activities and a media for exchanging informa-tion, opinions and resources.

General Meetings are held at Borlaug Hall, Room 335 on the St. Paul Campus of theUniversity of Minnesota, on the first Friday of each month (unless there is a holidayconflict). The meeting starts at 7:00pm and lasts about three hours. Please check theMHS Voice mail for changes in schedules or cancellations.

Submissions to the NewsletterAds or Notices must be submitted no later than the night of the General Meeting to beincluded in the next issue. Longer articles will be printed as time and space allows andshould be in electronic file format if possible. See inside back cover for ad rates.Submissions may be sent to:

The Minnesota Herpetological SocietyAttn: Newsletter EditorBell Museum of Natural History10 Church St. SE.Minneapolis, MN 55455.0104

Copyright 2005, Minnesota Herpetological Society. Except where noted, contents may be reproduced for non-profit, non-commercial use only. All material must be reproduced without change. Proper credit will be given including the

author/photographer and the MHS Newsletter citing: volume, number and date.

The Newsletter of the Minnesota Herpetological Society March 2005 Volume 25 Number 3

When you arrive

Bring any donations to the designated area – the roomacross the hall from the back door. Sale Committee mem-bers will be there to receive them. You will be asked to listyour name as a donor, and if you wish to be recognized inthe newsletter for having donated put a check mark by yourname.

Make sure to pick up your membership ID number for bid-ding from the Membership. You must have your member-ship number in order to bid. We ask that family memberwho will be paying together, choose one membership num-ber that everyone uses. This year you will receive a cardwith your number instead of nametags.

Rules of the game

This is a silent auction.You must be an active member of the MHS.Use your membership number as your bid number.Items will be put out in rounds; usually there will be threebidding rounds.Each item is numbered and has a matching bid sheet.Members will have 10-15 minutes to view the items andwrite down their bids.Print neatly- if we can’t read the handwriting, you may notget the item!You can begin the the first bid at any increment of $.25 (i.e.$.50, $.75, $5.00, $100.00)You can bid on items as many times as you wish.Bids must be increased in increments of $.25.You must bid higher than the bid before.If the first amount is filled in, there is a minimum bid amount.

The President will announce the end of bidding and every-one must stop. At the end of each bidding period the items

and sheets will be collected. The member with the highestbid (will be the last bid) will be the buyer of the item.You will be asked to leave the room while the next round isset up.

At the end of the sale, the final items will be entered into thecomputer and invoices will be printed.You will then be able to pick up your items in the sale room.

Please give generously! We use the proceeds tobuy library books, bring in speakers, and makegrants and society functions. Have fun and don’tforget to vote in the photo contest!

It’s here....

The MHS White Snake Sale!

This is the herpetological version of a White Elephant Auction. It’s a great way to shop for items at sig-nificantly lower than market value and you never know what treasure you may find! Items that are soldare donated by members and business – both new and used. Most items are herp related, but notalways and range from knick-knacks, jewelry, cages, books, artwork, toys, and herp supplies.


News, Notes & Announcements

February Raffle Donors Thanks to the following peoplefor generously donating to the

monthly raffle:

Randy and Marilyn BlasusSocks, etc.

Donna CalanderStuffed Iguana

Upcoming Hands-On Events_____________

April 26, 2005U of M “Reptile as Pets”

6:30 - 8:15 P.M. Room 125 in the Animal

Science/Vet Med. Building onthe St. Paul campus.

June 18, 2005Como Park Water Festival

noon - 4 P.M.

Sign up and mark your calen-dars today! Don’t miss a chanceto share your pets and knowl-edge -- hands-on events are animportant and easy way to getinvolved in MHS!

Notice:

There will be norodent sales at the

March meeting due tothe White Snake Sale.

Adoptions will takeplace as usual.

Year End Adoption Reportby Sarah Richard, Adoption Chair

Just a brief synopsis of activityfor 2004.We had a total of 156 animalscome in with June having themost (26) and 3 months with 9tying for the fewest.Iguanas (22) were followedclosely by Boas (21) as the mostturned in animals with BallPythons(12), Red Eared Sliders(15) and Leopard Geckos (10)being the only other animals indouble digits. A complete list broken down bymonth and animal is in the libraryif you would like more informa-tion on this or previous years.Notable events this year werethe media hype about the“Alligator” (actually a Caiman),fished out of the Mississippi, theLogger Head hatchling, and theRattlesnake in the basement of arental. Just enough excitementto keep me on my toes. u

Cover Photo: Sand boa, from February’s “Critterof the Month”


Monthly Adoption Reportby Sarah Richard, Adoption Chair

This month we had a total of 14 animals placedfor adoption. With the exception of one extreme-ly ill Iguana, all animals were adopted out orplaced in foster. In addition to the animals thatcame in this month, the two Sulcatas that camein in December found permanent homes.I am still looking for permanent homes for Red

Eared Sliders, Iguanas and a smaller Sulcata.Email me if you have an interest.

If I could ask for some help: We are always looking for foster and permanenthomes for animals. I have been coordinating thiseffort for at least 5 years. In that time I havewatched the intake increase from a couple ani-mals a month to around 150 a year. These ani-mals are placed with us because their ownerscannot or will not care for them anymore.Sometimes the stories are heartrending.Sometimes they make you really mad. Most ofthe animals are dropped off within 24 hours ofthe meeting. That means some will be sick, havemites, infectious disease, etc. The very sickestnever come in at all, but if (in the opinion ofmyself and the vet) there is any hope at all theyare brought in to the meeting. If we spot some-thing on a cursory exam I do try to make a pointof mentioning it. As with any animal they MUSTbe quarantined prior to placement with your col-lection.

I CANNOT POSSIBLY CARE FOR THESE ANI-MALS UNTIL THEY ARE PERFECTLYHEALTHY, FABULOUS ANIMALS THAT YOUWOULD PAY TOP DOLLAR FOR BUT AREGETTING FOR A SMALL DONATION.

We have developed a system that works andallows us to place the maximum number of ani-mals in the minimum amount of time in the besthomes possible. To my knowledge we are the

ONLY society that does adoptions the way wedo. Most other societies funnel animals sightunseen into homes. Due to the way I operate,our system works for me. However, it is becom-ing increasingly clear that there are people in thesociety who are not happy with the program. Therefore, I would like a volunteer (or six) to

take over so I can take a break. Or at least totrain so that if something happens to me, theprogram can continue. u

John Moriarty brought this Nebraska Tortoiseshell fossil to the February meeting.

Tony Gamble holdinga Sand Boa for Critterof the Month.


The Javan File Snake, Acrochordus javanicus, isone of three species of Indo-Pacific aquaticsnakes. The genus consists of the Arafura FileSnake, A. arafurae, the Little File Snake, A. gran-ulatus, and the Javan File or Elephant’s TrunkSnake, A. javanicus. The Javan File Snakeoccurs from Thailand southward throughMalaysia and the Greater Sunda Islands ofIndonesia (Ehmann 1992). File snakes are strict-ly aquatic, inhabiting coastal areas and freshwa-ter lagoons and streams. Seasonally they moveinto flooded grasslands and mangroves duringthe rainy season and are restricted to billabongsin the dry season. The habitat varies from fresh-water and brackish to occasional forays into themarine environment.

Acrochordus are set apart from other families ofsnakes by several unique features. They are high-ly specialized for aquatic life and are virtuallyhelpless on land. They have a single well devel-oped tracheal lung and have a flap in the upperjaw whereby the nostrils can be closed when sub-merged. They are able to spend long periods sub-merged, surfacing to replenish oxygen supplieswith several long breaths. They have been knownto spend as long as 40 minutes submerged. Theskin is loose and hangs in folds, the scales are

small and granular and do not overlap one anoth-er. The texture and appearance of the scales isthe source of the common name – file snake. Theskin also has microscopic hairlike bristles which incombination with the scales aid in securing preyduring constriction. Unlike other fish eatingsnakes, javanicus constrict their prey prior toswallowing. It is quite an amazing sight to watchone constrict and swallow a goldfish – they areextremely quick to strike and coil, and the swal-lowing process is over in less than a second.Their method of shedding is also unique; theyform a body knot that then moves posteriorly.

File snakes are medium to large snakes withjavanicus sometimes reaching lengths of 8 feet.They have an extremely low metabolism andgrowth rate. Females perhaps giving birth onlyonce every eight to ten years. Information on thenatural history and captive care is minimal andsometimes contradictory both in published litera-ture and on the Internet.

I found a pair ofhatchlings from a wildcaught import for salein July 2003. The cap-tive husbandry infor-mation I was able tofind at the time wasnot very encouraging,suggesting mortality was high mainly due to whiteskin lesions that developed from uncertain caus-es with no predictable treatment. I decided to givethem a try anyhow.

The pair were housed in a 10 gallon aquariumwith a synthetic stump and plastic plants for hid-ing. Filtration was provided by a corner bubble fil-ter. The pair initially weighed 1.25 and 1.00ounces. Live fish were added to the tank on a reg-ular basis. They were given a variety of tetras,goldfish and bait store minnows. Both snakeswere observed eating, primarily at night. Water

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changes and water quality tests were done everycouple days while the tank cycled. They wereweighed again after 45 days weighing 2.500 and1.250 ounces. Neither snake was showing anysigns of the mysterious white spots.Unexpectedly after just 60 days the smaller snakedied. In hindsight I would have housed them sep-arately to insure equal feeding opportunities,although both were observed feeding during thisperiod. The remaining snake was weighed againafter 100 days at 3.875 ounces. I was content thatit was gaining weight at a respectable rate. I alsoalternated about every third water change withslightly brackish water. My reasoning was thiswas approximating the variable water conditionsthey would see naturally as well as helping tocontrol fungal and bacterial populations in thetank. Water temperature was between 80 and 85F. The tank temperature varied with room temper-ature as they were kept in a reptile room that washeated.

We relocated from Northern Minnesota toNorthern Georgia in the Fall of 2003. The setupremained the same except temperature was con-trolled by a submersible heater set at 80 F. Thesnake resumed eating almost immediately afterthis 1000 mile, 4 day journey. It also shed for thefirst time in November. It was eating an averageof 3 to 5 medium goldfish every couple days. I

noted upon review of feeding records for this arti-cle that the quantity of fish consumed was greaterduring the first couple days that fish were added.I generally would add a dozen goldfish at time,generally half were consumed the first night. Ibelieve it is easier for the snake to catch preywhen more are in the tank, acclimation shock forthe fish may play a part as well. At 8 months theweight had increased to 5.375 ounces and it hadshed again. One notable event during this time-frame resulted in the heater being left off after awater change causing the water temperature todrop in to the low 70’s, the snake did not feed dur-ing this time. Once the temperature was correct-ed, feeding resumed immediately. By May 2004weight was 6.000 ounces, goldfish were the pri-mary food source. The fish were fed goldfishflake. I switched to bait store minnows because

they were more readily available. During the time-frame from May to September weight gainceased. In retrospect I attribute this to difficulty inkeeping minnows alive and feeding at the elevat-ed temperatures (80+ F) required in the aquari-um., in fact by mid September weight haddropped to 5.500 ounces. At this point I made thedecision to switch back to goldfish. Tank size wasincreased to a 20 gallon long with an addition fil-ter, second hiding rock, and more artificial plantsadded. On December 10, 2004 weight had


increased to 7.100 ounces and a third shed wascompleted. Water changes were being doneweekly or as needed due to noticeable fecal mat-ter.

Early in the summer of 2004 I was able to obtaina copy of The Vivarium Volume 10 Number 4 con-taining an article entitled “The Arafura File Snake,Acrochordus arafurae”. It has been the only com-prehensive article I’ve been able to find on cap-tive care. The previously mentioned skin lesionswere attributed to immuno-suppression directlyrelated to environmental stress. Principal amongthese were poor water quality, excessive watermovement, rapid water temperature changes,improper substrate, insecurity due to lack of hid-ing places and inability to escape intense lightlevels.

I feel I can attribute my success to date to elimi-nation of these stress factors. My setup has plen-ty of hiding spaces, and is “lush” with artificialplants. Filtration with bubble style filters reduceswater movement to a minimum. No lighting isused on the tank at all and reptile room light ismaintained on a consistent cycle depending onthe season. Water quality is closely monitoredand water changes are done with minimal changein water temperature. Substrate is a very minimallayer of medium round aquarium gravel that doesnot actually cover the entire bottom of the tank.Traffic in the reptile room is minimal and the con-crete floor reduces vibrations to almost nothing.The snake is handled infrequently; only as neces-sary for weight measurement or tank cleaning.The fact that it is eating regularly and gainingweight is a good sign of success.

Anyone with additional experiences and information onkeeping these unusual snakes can contact Paul Vetronedirectly by e-mail [email protected]. Please stop byour website, www.ngaherps.com, for more information onNorth Georgia Herpetological Resources LLC.

February Speaker Reviewby Barbara Buzicky

Guest Speaker:Dr. Kristi Curry-Rogers

Program: Madagascar’s Buried Treasure: Dinosaur Discoveries on the Lost Continent

Tonight’s speaker presented to us a very interest-ing program on the dinosaurs of Madagascar. Dr.Kristi Curry-Rogers comes to us from the ScienceMuseum of Minnesota where she is one of theyoungest directors of the museum. She is the Curator and Head of the Department ofPaleontology. Her educational background startedwith Montana State University where she com-pleted her undergraduate work, and she discov-ered some interesting characteristics pertaining tobone fossils of dinosaurswhile studying them under a microscope. Shewas a graduate student at Stoney BrookUniversity in New York and also a Ph.D. candi-date. Currently, she is involved in paleontologicalresearch on the island of Madagascar.

Madagascar (the world’s fourth largest island) isan island located in the Indian Ocean and bordersthe Mozambique Channel on the west side of theisland as it located off the east coast ofMozambique. It is off the coast of Southern Africahaving a total area of 587,040 square kilometers.Water on the island covers 5,500 square kilome-ters. In order to understand the approximate areaof the island, it is comparable in size to a little lessthan twice the size of the State of Arizona. The cli-mate on Madagascar is tropical along the coastand more temperate inland. The southern mostarea of the island is very arid. The terrain consistsof two major divisions with narrow coastal plainsand high plateaus and mountains in the center.The highest point of elevation on the island is atMaromokotro at 2,876 kilometers. The island is


rich in natural resources: graphite, chromite, coal,bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semipreciousstones, mica, fish, and hydropower. It has three major natural hazards inthe environment which are periodic cyclones,droughts, and locust infestation with the last twogreatly affecting crops. The island is facing manyenvironmental issues today such as soil erosionresulting from deforestation and overgrazing;desertification; surface water contamination withraw sewage and other organic wastes; and lastly,several species of flora and fauna unique to theisland are greatly endangered.

The island is populated with several ethic groups:Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and relatedBetsileo), Cotiers (mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka,Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian,Creole, and Comoran. These people practice thereligions of Christianity at a 41%, Muslim at 7%,and various other indigenous beliefs at 52%.

She joined a group of scientists in 1998 workingon a project who have been studying fossils onthe island since 1993. The project is called TheMahajanga Basin Project which has been on-going. The project originated to search for theevolutionary fossils of the lemur which is an ani-mal belonging to the monkey family. She spends6-8 weeks each summer working with the paleon-tological group. During this time there are some considerable sacrifices made due to the watershortage e.g. no showers as the only water closeto them is infested with crocodiles. Their diet con-sisted of rice, beans, coffee, and cookies.Sometimes, they occasionally had some beer and dined in the localrestaurant on the special of the day which wascooked bat. Yes, I said BAT! What a shock!Actually the bats were very large and meaty, andthey have bodies somewhat similar to large birds.It was probably very tasty, but she didn’t elaborateor admit to eating it. She said she greatly enjoyed

getting to know the village people especially thechildren as they followed them around all day.The children enjoyed using their battery drivendrilling tools.

Charles Deperet (1854-1929) a French paleontol-ogist and evolutionist discovered the firstdinosaur fossils on the island in 1896. One of thefossils found was of a titanosaurid sauropodwhich he renamed Titanosaurus madagascarien-sis. Charles also was a curator at the Museumd’ Histoire Naturelle located in France. In 1770,the National History Study was created within thehistorical University of Perpignan. This wonderfulmuseum is now located in a restored 18th centu-ry hotel called The Zagarriga. Check it out on thenet, and in your travels to France, don’t miss it.

In 2001, Dr. Curry-Rogers while working in theproject group found a set of bones which wasalmost a complete skeletal specimen from thearea in northwestern Madagascar. After carefulstudy, the bones were of a skeleton of a youngdinosaur along with a skull of an adult that livedapproximately 70 million years ago. Researchersconcluded that the skeleton was from a newspecies belonging to the family of giant dinosaurscalled titansaurs. This group is a sub-group of thelong-necked, plant-eating sauropods. Inthe beginning of the project, Dr. Curry-Rogersmostly found only dinosaur teeth, so this amazingdiscovery was a phenomenal find. Her article onthe find can be found on the National GeographicNews website.

Dr. Curry-Rogers talk was rich in scientific infor-mation about dinosaurs and all the evolutionalconnections. She has had an amazing career sofar in paleontology. Please be sure to check outthe exhibits at the Science Museum of Minnesota.Further, Dr. Curry-Rogers and her project grouphas established schools for the children in the

(Speaker Review- continued on page 11)


From across the glaring, hot room he regardedme with unblinking eyes, at once interested andaloof. It was like a scene from a bizarre version ofCasablanca. I gazed back at him. He was hand-some, but I was not yet in love. That would comelater.

A am a woman, he was a Tokay gecko. Ourmatchmaker was my son, who would not leavethe pet shop without the exotic lizard. So, I point-ed to the speckled beastie and said, “I’ll take him.”

The creature’s tubular body writhed, its mouthopened threateningly, and it emitted surprisinglyloud blasts of sound, like a small emergency vehi-cle, as it was removed from its tank and placed ina cardboard box for transport.

At home, I took a closer look at the reptile. Itshead was mostly mouth, with two intense eyesseemingly stuck on with glue. Impressionist dotsof many colors - lapis, turquoise, emerald, terracotta and pearl - covered the body, and blendedtogether to create an overall aquamarine hue. Inamed him “El Greco” for the artist who paintedstrange, beautiful, elongated figures.

“Greco” was not a work of art, but the pit bull ofthe herp world. While installing him in his new

tank, Greco bit me, and held on, like scaly vice-grips. I had to unclamp his jaws from my finger. Itwas a scene that would be repeated many times.Cleaning Greco’s tank was a wildlife adventure inminiature.

As time went on, I became more and more capti-vated by my hostile captive. I wanted him to becontent, robust and rippling with pigments. A goodchunk of my day was spent seeing to Greco’sdiet.

Greco stalked his prey at night, like CountDracula. I, like the mesmerized Renfield, provid-ed him with victims, and I often found myself onmy hands and knees, poking into dark cornersand under rocks and leaf piles searching forsquirming vittles. When satisfied with my catch, Iwould present the prizes to Greco: “Look, Master,a nice juicy spider!”

Greco ate and grew. I wondered how large theparty colored monster would get. He was fat,sassy, nasty. His golden eyes glowed like halogenbulbs.

Then everything changed.

He was about two years old when he stopped eat-ing. Greco went into a profound funk. He was list-less and no longer seemed to care about any-thing. The fat reserves in his plump tail began todwindle. I had to do something, so I decided toforce feed him. I concocted nightmare mixtures.Getting the glop into his mouth was easybecause, in spite of his ennui, Greco still wantedto bite me. “Open wide! Good boy!”

Slowly, his health returned. No longer a languidlizard rug, Greco was again climbing branchesand “barking” loudly when disturbed. He was hisold self again, with one exception: During his longillness and convalescence, he changed from pit

An Unusual

Love Story

By Maureen Heidtmann


bull to pussycat. He now liked to be held, andwould not eat unless I fed him his wriggling dinnerby hand.

I read somewhere that Tokay geckos live onlyabout three years in captivity. If that’s true, thenGreco was supernatural, or extremely stubborn,because he held onto life more tenacioiusly thanhe adhered to walls.

But, eventually, he began to fade. After ten years,Greco started his decline into old age. His long,muscular form became loose, like a 1920’s“Flapper’s” beaded purse. Again, he stopped eat-ing and, again, I spoon fed him. The special mix-ture sustained him for a while, but he could notrally against time.

Most of us think that reptiles, along with their coldblood, have equally cold hearts. We think thatthey have no emotions, and certainly can’t feelaffection. Well, maybe, but I’m not so sure of that,and here’s why:

For most of his life, Greco felt at home in hislarge, tall tank, and never tried to escape. Exceptfor one time. On that night, I noticed that he wasvery weak, and I cradled him in my hand, expect-ing that he would quietly die while being held. Hedidn’t, and, after a while, I gently placed him backin his tank and went to bed. The first thing thenext morning, I looked in his tank and saw thatGreco was not there. The wire screen on top hadbeen forced up and Greco, as weak as he was,had climbed out.

I found my little friend in my room, lying by mybed. He was dead.

I held his small, mosaic body: Lapis, turquoise,terra cotta, pearl. A work of art.

——————

About the author Maureen Heidtmann: Amongother things, I am a wildlife rehabilitator, special-izing in reptiles and bats (chiroptera, not base-ball). I have been writing for many years, andhave completed a number of stories, coveringmany subjects, that I hope to publish as a collec-

tion some day.

Originally published at Useless Knowledge.(www.useless-knowledge.com). Reprinted with permissionfrom the author and Useless Knowledge.

area of the project basin. There is a fund you canlook up on net called The Madagascar AnkizyFund where you can help out with the children ofMadagascar.

I found a rich resource list for surfing the net.Start your search first from google.com enteringthe words Madagascar, dinosaurs. See the fol-lowing list:

fossils found in Madagascar and all of Africa. Fossils found in South America. Fossils found in IndiaInformation on the theory of plate tectonics. Chart of geological time The Geology Department at The Field MuseumMajungatholus in Madagascar- ZoomDinosaurs.comCharles DeperetThe Journal of Vertebrate PaleontologyJournal NatureNational Geographic Newswww.Ankizy.org

(...Speaker Review continued from page 9)


Croatian Patients Had To Wait For CrocAnanova, London, UK 1/31/05

A top Croatian doctor faces the sack after alleged-ly making patients wait for ultrasound treatmentswhile his pet crocodile had a check up.

Patients at the KBC Hospital in Zagreb said theycouldn't believe their eyes when the crocodile waswheeled in on an operating table.

They claim they were made to wait two hourswhile staff examined the reptile.

Dr Bruno Buljevic allegedly told receptionists thatpatients would have to wait while an "importantexamination" took place.

Fellow doctors were shocked by the "unethicalbehaviour" of their colleague, local daily JutarnjiList reported.

The four-foot croc had been off his food but theultrasound examination revealed no major prob-lems and it's believed he was just upset by thecold weather. -Collected from HerpDigest Vol.5 #27

Politicians Aid Nun In Fight For Salamander Joongang daily Ilbo, Seoul, South Korea,2/02/05

On the 99th day of a hunger strike to save sala-manders from a railroad construction project, aBuddhist nun is gaining support from both gov-erning and opposition lawmakers.

Thirty-one lawmakers from the Uri and GrandNational parties said yesterday they want MountCheonseong to undergo another examination tomake sure that the construction of a tunnelthrough the mountain for Seoul-Busan expresstrain service causes no environmental damage.

"We urge another environmental check-up," saidthe lawmakers. "That is the only way to stop con-troversy, while stopping the Venerable Jiyul fromcontinuing her protest." Jiyul, a Buddhist nun,was found continuing her hunger protest at the headquarters of the Jungto Society, a Buddhistgroup, in Seocho, southern Seoul.

She had disappeared from public view a weekago and has been consuming only salt and waterand refusing to meet people from outsideBuddhist society.

According to other clergy there, she is in criticalcondition.

"She doesn't seem to recognize her friends any-more," said Venerable Beomryun. "I honestlydon't know how long she can make it."

Other nuns at the society said she refuses to talkbut sits up sometimes to fold salamanders out ofcolored paper.

-Collected from HerpDigest Vol. 5 #27

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Required check info. Drivers Lic # State DOBPlease enclose the proper payment with your application. Make Checks Payable To: Minnesota Herpetological Society. Membership is for12 months from the date of approval, a receipt will be sent only upon request. Mail to: Minnesota Herpetological Society, Bell Museum ofNatural History, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Please allow 6-8 weeks for processing.

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MHS Ad Policy: The MHS assumes NO RESPONSIBILITY regarding the health or legali-ty of any animal, or the quality or legality of any product or service advertised in the MHSNewsletter. Any ad may be rejected at the discretion of the Newsletter Editor. Due to spacelimitations, unpaid and complimentary advertisements are subject to occasional omission.

Classified Ads: All active members are allowed a classified ad, run free of charge as spacepermits. Ads may be ran three consecutive months, after which time they may be resubmit-ted. Corresponding members are allowed a complimentary business card advertisementmonthly as space permits. Due to federal restrictions on Non-profit mailing permits, we arenot allowed to run ads for travel, credit or insurance agencies.

Submissions: All advertisements should be submitted to the MHS Editor, Bell Museum ofNatural History, 10 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Deadline is the night of theGeneral Meeting for inclusion in the next newsletter. Make checks payable to: MinnesotaHerpetological Society.

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Next Meeting:Friday, March 4, 2005 7:00PMRoom 335 Borlaug Hall, U of M St. PaulCampus

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Non-Profit RateU.S. Postage

PAIDMpls, MN

Permit No. 2275

POSTMASTER:PLEASE DELIVER BY MARCH 1

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Vol. 25 (2005), No. 3

Documents

Transcript of Vol. 25 (2005), No. 3