Reptile Symposium

So I got the opportunity to go to the reptile Symposium. At first I was excited, but as I waited in the cold, I was disgusted at the lack of information, and the sheer disorganisation. They had wanted people to pay $499 a ticket and thats why I wasnt going to go. The program didnt seem worthy of such a sum. As the organisers finally arrived, we wandered a different to building to the one we were told it was in, apparently looking for a room. Hmmm I had come from a night ahift and my tolerance for silliness was quite low. I was disappointed when my club turned up, not that they had turned up but they are nit told me that there were comming and they had carpooled. Nonone had thought to ask me. So by 1600hrs I had had enough. There were lots of people to talk to and the networking was good. Trouble for me was me brain was too tired to make much sence whilst talking. Ugh I must have sounded quite stupid. All the speakers except three were frothe m overseas.. this is great if you like reptiles of Mexco or Guaramala or Africa. I dont. My interest lie in Australian and possible New Guinea herps, so I bailed. I had learnt far too much about IVF for frogs. It hurt that I was on the outer with my friends and so home was the best place.

I was thinking returning the next day for the talk on Morelia Boeleni but that would be a 170km round trip for one hour long talk. huh. The train would mean early wake up and after my 30hour day forget it.

The rest of the second day was Green tree pythons (Yawn) and the foreign pythons. (Yawn).

 Dont get me wrong.. IF I am travelling I love looking at the native herps. Nothing it more fantastic than seeing local animals in their local enviroment. But the talks I did listen too seemed like an ad for a conservation company. Luckily for me, the talk on my beautiful rough scaled pythons was first up so this made me happy. I was irritated at one future speaker, sitting down the front who hacked his way through the talk. For goodness sake go out and get a water!! The occasional cough it fine but geez..




The book launch was cancelled and so I decided to catch up on sleep.Slept for 12hrs straight

Issues with Symposium

1. change of venue many many times. It was at first at the zoo
2. Way over priced. $300 would be a more reasonable cost hence the room was empty for the most part.
3. no catering. For $499?? really? Can't arrange sandwiches?
4. Venue had no food outlets except a coffee cart, which did not have the suppllies to cater for a bigger group (Than the odd student)
5. change of program , several times.
6. No books for book launch. Whilst I recognise this is mostly beyond their control, it reflects badly and the poor author is sitting there with nothing to launch.
7. No signage, the organisers were not on site to setup, so no one knew where to go. The secuirty staff of the university did their best

This is not a reflection on the people themselves the volunteer did her best and was the most delightful woman I have met in a very long time. Despite all this, I huge thank you to the magazine who sponsered my ticket. Without you, I would not have even bothered about the Symposium at all. :-) And I did get a free copy of this international magazine

This brings me to Australia's newest magazine. Reptile Australiasia I stupidly bought a copy at full price then the Club tells me they have copies at $10 D'oh! Still its great to have an alternative to Scales and tails. The detailed information on corn snakes is wearing as no one in Australia can actually keep these animals. We have so many of the world's most interesting and rare reptiles, who so many pages to a professional Snake breeder? It used to be a great Mag but when the Reptiles magazine folded they didn't step up and take over that hole. I am hoping this new magazine will do so.