Pictures on how snakeskin is collected for the trade. WARNING! GRAPHIC PICTURES!
Posted by Miqe on March 11, 2009
WARNING! GRAPHIC PICTURES!
The following message is made of an well known herpetologist, I am in this post just quoting it. / Miqe
“I was sent the images by a concerned Sri Lankan herpetologist but I would imagine the images originate from Indonesia (Sumatra and/or Kalimantan, Borneo), possibly Malaysia, (Peninsula or Sarawak, Borneo, but less likely)
I have not examined them closely, and have no wish to do so, but an IUCN report for 1989 shows that Indonesia exported 556,000 retic python skins, and 71,000 blood and short-tail python skins.
Most of these snakes pass through specialised snake slaughter houses in Sumatra and Borneo. See O’Shea 2007 Pythons and Boas of the World New Holland pp.30-31.
The snakes are killed primarily for skins but also harvested for meat and gall bladders to supply the ethnic Chinese populations.
Despite possible claims, these are not captive bred for the market, who could economically raise a python to adult size and then slaughter it for its skin, meat and bile, and expect to improve on their investment.
Pythons are often skinned alive, the same for crocodiles, apparently the skin is easier to remove.
Also of interest would be:
Erdelen, W. 1998 Conservation, Trade and Sustainable Use of Lizards and Snakes in Indonesia. Mertensiella (supplement 9) : xxiii+144pp.
Groombridge, B. & R.Luxmoore 1991 Pythons in South-East Asia: A review of distribution, status and trade in three selected species. CITES, Cambridge, UK. 127pp.”
This slaughter is just for us humans to get this:
STOP THIS NOW!!
Henk said
stop this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Two snakes, one cage said
I’m very much a “fan” of snakes, but we use all kinds of animals for all kinds of things. Food, clothing, entertainment, etc, etc, etc. These images are no more bothersome to me than walking through a slaughter house with a bolt gun and putting down cattle that will be gutted, skinned, and “processed”.
Point being that yes it is sick and disturbing but really no more so than anything else involving animals we tend to do.
Miqe said
Two snakes:
I do see a difference between slaughtering pigs, cowe and other animals for the use of food and skins. But, this is mostly done for the purpouse of using the skins as purses and boots etc. There IS ways to make imitations of reptileskins for this. And, my point by the post, is that these animals are wild, not farmed in any way like a pig or a cow.
If the reptileskins was taken by animals farmed for the purpouse, I would not have any objections about it.
lotte said
vreselijk
Master said
Alvorens overal maar commentaar op te gaan leveren, ander cultuur met ons normen en waarden op te gaan dringen ,Laat men eerst eens flink naar zich zelf gaan kijken, zoek eerst eens de fouten bij jezelf.
Verbeter de wereld maar begin wel eerst bij jezelf.
Een ander gaan veroordelen is wel verdomd makkelijk.
Miqe said
Master:
This is what your answer looks in english: Before commenting on anywhere but to provide another culture with our standards and values on to insist, let you book at first look to themselves, search out the first errors jezelf.Verbeter the world but does start first with yourself. Another is to condemn or damn easy.
I hope that you understand, that I am not in any way “attacking” the people working there. It is “our” part of the world that needs to stop using snake and lizard skin for purses.
In Dutch (translated via a program) : Ik hoop dat u begrijpt dat ik op geen enkele wijze “aanvallende” de mensen die daar werken. Het is “ons” deel van de wereld die moet stoppen met het gebruik van slang en hagedis huid portemonnees.
Master said
Quote (In Dutch (translated via a program) : Ik hoop dat u begrijpt dat ik op geen enkele wijze “aanvallende” de mensen die daar werken. Het is “ons” deel van de wereld die moet stoppen met het gebruik van slang en hagedis huid portemonnees.)
Zullen we dan ook maar meteen gaan stoppen met het afmaken van koeien enz enz, want hun huiden word ook voor schoenen , tassen ed gebruikt.
Ik neem aan dat jezelf ook wel eens in een slachthuis geweest bent, dan heb je ook wel gezien hoe daar de dieren aan hun eind komt.
Zou ook iets zijn om daar foto,s ed van te gaan plaatsen.
Ik weet wat er in een slachthuis kan gebeuren als het mis gaat met het afmaken van een dier.
Bob Herrington said
This is pretty disgusting. I think we should all print out some of the pictures and hand them out to people who have real snake/lizard skin apparel.
Miqe said
Master:
I have translated you answer to english again: Will we even start to stop the slaughter of cows etc etc, because their skin for shoes, bags, etc. gebruikt.Ik assume you also ever been in a slaughterhouse, you have you have seen how the animals to their final komt.Zou something to this photo, s ed to go plaatsen.Ik know what can happen in a slaughterhouse when it goes wrong with the slaughter of an animal.
Response:
I am of the belief that cows and pigs are not slaughtered fot the skin, more for the meat ( witch I happily eat ), and if the rest of the cow turns into a pair of boots, I for one, would call it a bonus. That way you don´t have to slaughter another cow for the skin, and throw away the meat..
I DO know what happends in slaughterhouses, as I have friends working in a few.
You are missing the point here. I would like for the people here in the west to STOP USING REAL SNAKESKINS IN CLOTHES AND ACCESSOARES, and use other alternative materials instead. This slaughter is NOT primally for the meatmarket.
Translated back to dutch:
My answer to dutch:Ik ben van de overtuiging dat koeien en varkens niet zijn geslacht FOT de huid, meer voor het vlees (heks ik graag eten), en als de rest van de koe verandert in een paar laarzen, ik voor een, zou het een bonus . Op die manier hoef je niet te slachten een koe voor de huid en het vlees weg te gooien .. ik weet wat happends in slachthuizen, zoals ik heb vrienden die werkzaam zijn in een paar te noemen. U mist het punt hier. Ik zou graag voor de mensen hier in het westen te stoppen met REAL SNAKESKINS IN kleding en ACCESSOARES, en het gebruik van andere alternatieve materialen plaats. Deze slachting is NIET primally voor de meatmarket.
Here is a good link for you, Master. It will help us both to understand eachother easier / Hier is een goede link voor u, Master. Het zal ons helpen, zowel om te begrijpen elkaar gemakkelijker: http://www.lexilogos.com/english/translation.htm
Pet Snakes said
@Bob Herrington –
The people who have and wear snake skin apparel aren’t going to be the least bit bothered by something like this. If people were bothered by animals suffering for our convenience/pleasure there’d be no mink coats or the like.
Sad to say, but in general people couldn’t careless and most of them care a good deal less than about other animals.
Dear Kitty. Some blog :: Fashion industry threatens rare snakes and other reptiles :: September :: 2007 said
[...] the Daily Mail in Britain: Pythons skinned and left to die. The shocking reality behind fashion’s new [...]
Robby said
Cattle are raised for their uses. These snakes were stolen from the wild as it was quoted-who could raise a python to maturity and then profit from it? These people will soon learn a hard lesson because they are tampering with the delicate ecosystem around them. What will they do when the snakes are gone? Besides that, this is very inhumane.
Avrash said
Hello Miqe. I realize you may have found these images elsewhere on the web, but do you have any idea whom I could contact to get the rights to use them for publication?
Miqe said
Avrash: E-mail sent.
Pet Reptiles said
Wow this is really bad! i cannot belive this still goes on these days, well i can but what i cannot belive
is that people will buy “real skin” products.
I will help spread the word about this harsh but true info to try and make a little help in peoples awearness.