Who would want a backscratcher made out of an alligator’s front foot? I don’t know either, but someone did. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confiscates hundreds of such things every year from people trying to bring them into the U.S. The display cases in the Reptile Department of the San Diego Zoo are full of such artifacts and biofacts. (Artifacts are things that have been modified by humans into clothing, tools, or other objects, such as the backscratcher; biofacts are animal pieces in a more natural condition.) Once these dead animal parts have made it to customs at an airport, there is nothing that can be done for that individual animal. By contrast, the conservation of live reptiles falls squarely on the Reptile Department at the San Diego.

Mr. Morgan is a senior keeper at the Reptile Department. He graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a degree in biology. In fact, most reptile keepers have either a degree in biology or zoology. Over his career, Mr. Morgan has worked at a truly impressive number of zoos, from Toronto to Texas. What’s the real difference between a senior and junior keeper in the Reptile Department? Well, senior keepers get to train with venomous reptiles. In addition to snakes, certain kinds of lizards like the Gila monster are also venomous.

Throughout his career, Mr. Morgan has never been bitten by a venomous animal. Considering the large quantity and varied types of antivenin kept on hand in a refrigerator right in the middle of the department in case of emergencies, I figured that getting bitten was a more frequent occurrence than it actually is. To reduce the risk of getting bitten, keepers handle all animals with extreme caution. Also contrary to what you might feed your pet snake at home, the snakes at the Zoo are not fed live prey. This not only reduces the reptiles’ aggressive behavior, as they get used to the idea that their food does not move, but it also reduces the risk of injury to the snake. When fearing for its life, an ordinary laboratory rat can become quite vicious and injure the snake itself, especially in an enclosed environment. The tools the keepers use to handle the venomous animals are quite unlike any other tools at the Zoo we’ve seen thus far. You know those snake hooks you might be familiar with if you watch a lot of Steve Irwin and Jeff Corwin? Well, they’re actually modified golf clubs. The keepers use them as an extension of their arms to keep the snake at a safe distance.

Snakes are not the only reptiles at the Zoo. In fact, a large part of the reptile population consists of lizards. Currently, the zoo has many Fiji Island iguanas on loan from the Fijian government and is breeding the reptiles in an effort to eventually reintroduce them to an island where they’ve been wiped out. This is actually quite a difficult process seeing as how the lizards have to be carefully managed to maintain genetic diversity.

Frogs are also a big conservation concern at the Zoo. Actually, frogs are very delicate creatures, and they are not reptiles, but amphibians. Because they absorb nutrients through their skin, the introduction of toxins into their habitat will kill them rather quickly. Many amphibians, not just frogs, are disappearing daily from the wild, and frankly, scientists are just not sure why. Some of it is attributed to the destruction of habitat, but a very large part of the cause is unknown. One culprit currently being investigated is a fungus called chytrid. This fungus has been attributed to wiping out entire species of frogs in Central and South America.

The reptiles are such fascinating creatures. Though many people have an almost instinctive fear of them, they actually are responsible for the deaths of far fewer humans than we are for them. Culturally, Americans just don’t really have the respect for reptiles that they deserve. But even at that, why anyone would want to cut off one of their feet and scratch their skin with it is completely beyond me.

Contributed by Tiffany – Zoo InternQuest Photo Team

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