Bryan Christy

This is one of my fav reptile news stories in a long time…  Who knew you should wash your hands after handling dead rats? 

Reptile Food May Have Sickened People in 17 States, Mary Clare Jalonick, AP

WASHINGTON — Reptile owners who have been feeding rats, mice and chicks to their pets may be at risk for salmonella poisoning.

The company that sells the reptile food, Mice Direct, announced a recall of the frozen rats, mice and chicks Tuesday, saying that 30 human illnesses possibly related to the frozen reptile feed have been reported in 17 states.

The company says the recall is based on Food and Drug Administration sampling of the frozen mice. The products were shipped to all states except Hawaii, and the feed was available for purchase through pet stores, mail order and direct delivery.

A spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control said the agency is investigating the illnesses, which began in January.  The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. It can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems. 

The two women recently stopped by Malaysian Customs while smuggling hundreds of endangered animals from Madagascar have been prosecuted and sentenced to a year each under a new Malaysian wildlife law, according to TRAFFIC:

Update: on 20 July, the two women passengers involved were each sentenced to a year in jail under Section 10 (a) of the International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008.

They were the first to be prosecuted under the Act that came into force on 28 June and provides for a maximum fine of RM100,000 per animal or plant but not exceeding an aggregate of RM1 million (USD316,000), or to imprisonment for a maximum term of seven years, or both, for importing or exporting any scheduled species without a permit.

More evidence Madagascar is being plundered by illegal traffickers from SE Asia:  http://bit.ly/d51YU6.