How's the venomous snake handling training going?
My real plan, for a real zoo
- Thread starter Nikola Chavkoski
- Start date
I doubt that their EEP coordinator would ever hand out specimens to a rather obscure unaccredited non-EAZA private zoo in North Macedonia. Just as komodo dragons, Malayan tapirs, rhinos, etc...
In similar past threads on this very topic dating back several years ago (feel free to look them up), Nikola's reaction to such reasonable suggestions has been...rather unreasonable.
A conservative step-by-step approach with a solid business model, realistic species, various sources of income within the zoo, visitor amenities, bureaucracy etc..are not his cup of tea. He doesn't want to set his sights lower. If he has focused on a particular species, he wants it - no matter whether he has the means, the capacity, the logistics or the skills to acquire and keep it according to international legislation, modern husbandry and safety standards.
For example: his wishlist includes some highly venomous snakes like the West African mamba and Uracoan rattlesnake. Why? Most likely because he has seen them online or in zoos and likes them. Is he trained in handling venomous snakes, does he have access to qualified professional medical services and readibly available suitable antivenom when something goes wrong? Given the outcome of the aforementioned previous discussions, I somehow doubt it.
He announced his plan several years ago while devaluating other planned and existing zoos, including mine (yepp; the [cold, unemotional] North remembers
). So far, it's still a work in progress.
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