Frank Indiviglio

fjindiviglio@aol.com

516-382-2432

13 August 2012

Review, Herpetoculture House Magazine, V2, I4

Frank Indiviglio, a herpetologist, zoological park consultant, and author of 5 books, has recently retired from a career of over 20 years with the Bronx and Staten Island Zoos.  Frank writes and manages ThatReptileBlog http://bitly.com/Ksb7pY, where he addresses amphibian, invertebrate, and reptile conservation, natural history and captive care, and answers readers’ questions pertaining thereto.  His bio is posted at http://bitly.com/LC8Lbp. 

I must admit to a bit of hesitation upon being asked to review Herpetoculture House Magazine.  As a career herpetologist and lifelong herpetoculturist, I view the explosion of interest in my field with both admiration and skepticism.  On the one hand, wonderful books and magazines have been published in recent years, and these are much appreciated by those of us who grew up scouring libraries and used bookstores for the works of Raymond Ditmars and the other legendary authors.  However, the current prevalence of often poorly-researched and hastily-published books and internet material is very disheartening.  Even in well-respected zoos, where I have spent much of my career, the quality of the entry-level staff often leaves something to be desired (although there are, happily, many serious young people about as well). Continue reading →