ASI Herpetological Association

With more and more people completing our snake awareness and snake handling courses and more recently our online courses, and after several requests, we have decided to start a herpetological association that will convene regular meetings and produce a newsletter.

Our first meeting will be within the next month or two, depending on COVID19 rules and regulations and we are seeking a suitable venue between Pretoria and Johannesburg. In addition to catering for reptile keepers, we will also be focusing on African reptiles and amphibians in general and have lined up some excellent speakers.

The ASI Herpetological Association has already been approved to assist GDARD with permit applications for indigenous reptiles in Gauteng, and other conservation bodies throughout South Africa will be approached for similar approval.

As many of our course delegates and online course participants are not in Gauteng, we have made provision for corresponding members. Such members will receive the ASI Herp Bulletin free of charge. All Herp Bulletins will be posted on the African Snakebite Institute website (www.africansnakebiteinstitute.com) and will be available to non-members one month after publication.

Full membership of the ASI Herpetological Association costs R 180.00 per year, family membership (two adults and two children under 18 years) R 300.00 per year, student memberships are R 120.00 and scholar membership R 100.00 per year and junior membership (under 12) is free, as is corresponding membership.

The first ASI Herp Bulletin has just been published and is available to all as a free download from our website (https://bit.ly/3ibv2C9). Future bulletins will be available free to all members, but non-members will only have access to the bulletin one month after publication.

We welcome comments as well as contributions to the next bulletin.