|
1-5 of 5 messages
|
Page 1 of 1
|
|
Snake missing from Texas aquarium turns up alive
|
Reply
|
|
by tigers9 on August 16, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Snake missing from Texas aquarium turns up alive
GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — A venomous viper that vanished twice in the past month has turned up again after a one-week absence from its Texas aquarium.
Moody Gardens spokeswoman Jerri Hamachek says the missing 10-inch African bush viper was found Friday night outside the visitor center entrance. Hamachek says officials believe someone left the snake there.
The viper disappeared Aug. 8 from the venomous snake exhibit. The same snake went missing for two days last month until workers found it hiding atop a metal screen that seals the top of the enclosure.
The first time, officials thought the snake had escaped on its own. The second time, they called police because the fastener holding the padlock to the exhibit appeared to have been tampered with.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hHW_jSH832aHX-BUgnRpQ5GY78mAD92JKP480
|
| |
|
RE: Snake missing from Texas aquarium turns up ali
|
Reply
|
|
by FSB on August 16, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
"...was found Friday night outside the visitor center entrance."
EM-barrasin'
|
| |
|
RE: Snake missing from Texas aquarium turns up ali
|
Reply
|
|
by Cro on August 17, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
You have to wonder if they will stick the snake into the same exhibit again ??? I am betting that they will, despite what Doug says about the keepers at that zoo. There has to be something more going on there.
You also have to wonder if, because they were getting ready to run Lie Detector tests, if some Zoo worker from another department other than reptiles might have taken a fancy to the snake, and stolen it, then when faced with the Lie Detector Tests, decided to return it where it would be quickly seen and re-captured.
We had this black fellow at the Atlanta Zoo, who badly wanted to work in the reptile building, but was hired as a monkey keeper. Every chance he got, he would sneak down to the reptile building. He was exactly the type of zoo keeper who would have broken into a cage and stolen a snake if he had found access to the building and if no one was looking. He would steal live mice and rats from the reptile building when he could sneak in the back door undetected. He badly wanted to get into the locked sections of the reptile building, and I believe he would have stolen any snake he could have got his hands on. Fortunatly, the snakes were not available like the ones at Moody Gardens. Eventually, the was fired from the zoo because of this.
It would not surprise me at all if a zoo keeper who liked reptiles and amphibians, but worked in another part of the zoo, was the guilty party. Just pure speculation, however, I have seen this type of thing several times at various zoos and museums.
Best Regards John Z
|
| |
|
RE: Snake missing from Texas aquarium turns up ali
|
Reply
|
|
by Frawgg on August 18, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I wanted to chime in on this discussion. I have lived on Galveston Island most of my life and moved to Houston for better job opportunities. My father still lives there and I make the 60 mile trip to go fishing any possible chance I get. Moody Gardens started out as Hope Arena. Hope Arena budded as a rehabilatition facility for severe trauma victims (one sheet metal barn with horses). Russell Moody was involved in a traffic accident while riding his Jeep and suffered traumatic head injuries that were most severe. The Moody's (very, very, rich family) started Hope Arena for that particular reason. In time, the Moody's started to add more and more attractions and eventually Hope Arena fizzled and Moody Gardens became the forefront project for profit. Hotels, IMAX, rides, aquariums, avaiaries, botanical gardens, reptile exhibits, etc...Texas A&M student volunteers make up a large part of their staff. (My wife volunteered when she was a marine biology student.)
I am purely speculating, but I have discussed this with several of my friends who live on Galveston. I would imagine Moody Garden employee salaries are not the best (to say the least). I hate to say this, but, Galveston Island lower income residents have very limited opportunities to get good paying jobs. I am leaning towards the possibility that an employee was going to steal the snake and sell it, but the "heat" got waaaaay to HOT and the snake was returned before he/she got caught and went to jail.
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Check our help page for help using
, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the
Manager.
|
