HERPETOLOGICAL AND VIVARIUM CONFERENCE

Pilsen, Czech Republic

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Current event:

21st – 23rd February – 34th Herpetological and Vivarium Conference
Dear colleagues,
 
I would like to warmly invite you to the traditional Herpetology and Vivarium Conference, which will take place at the Pilsen Zoo. The conference will primarily focus on the herpetofauna of Africa, but it will also feature many interesting presentations and discussions on other topics in the fields of herpetology and terrarium care. We will present more details and program soon.
We look forward to your participation and believe that together we will enjoy an inspiring and enriching event with herpetology experts from all over the world.
 
Best regards,
Jan Dohnal
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Speakers

Sebastian scholz

born in Frankfurt in 1980, holds a diploma in biology with a thesis focused on “Morphometric studies on the phylogeny and status of the subspecies of the asp viper (Vipera aspis LINNAEUS, 1758).” He has a longstanding passion for herpetology and is dedicated to the study and conservation of reptiles.

Peter Praschag

Born in Austria in 1974, Peter Praschag is a zoologist and conservationist specializing in endangered turtles and tortoises. He is the founder of Turtle Island, a leading center for turtle breeding and conservation, and has dedicated decades to global efforts in reptile and amphibian preservation.

Neven Vrbanić

born in 1973 in Zagreb, Croatia, has been working with reptiles since an early age, both in Croatia and in the USA, where he lived during the 1990s. He served as a consultant for the Immunology Institute of Croatia, focusing on antivenom production. Currently, he keeps and breeds over 50 species of reptiles, with a particular emphasis on South African snakes, especially small species of Bitis spp. and Crotalus spp.

Xavier Glaudas

Xavier Glaudas, born in 1981 in Lyon, France, has been passionate about reptiles since childhood, studying them extensively in France and worldwide. He worked as a researcher for academic institutions, focusing on the behavioral ecology of snakes and predator-prey interactions. Currently, he studies and observes various snake species, with a special interest in African and American snakes.

Mark O'Shea

Mark O'Shea, born in 1956 in Wolverhampton, England, has been passionate about reptiles since childhood, working with them in the UK and worldwide. He served as a consultant for zoological organizations, focusing on venomous snake research and antivenom development. Currently, he keeps and studies various reptiles, with a special interest in snakes from Africa and Asia, particularly species of Naja spp. and Trimeresurus spp.

Fabian Schmidt

born in 1977 in Switzerland and grew up in Zurich. For six years he works as curator at Basel Zoo, Switzerland. He used to be breeding programme coordinator for rhinoceros iguana and African dwarf crocodiles, today he is EEP coordinator for pancake tortoises. Since 2005 he is member of the EAZA Reptile TAG, since 2008 as vice chair with special responsibilities for Crocodylian programmes. Since 2008 he has been a member of the IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group, since 2023 as Regional Chair Europe.

Marius Burger

Born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1966. He developed a fascination for snakes at about ten years old, and this interest gradually expanded over the years to include all reptiles and amphibians. Somehow his passion managed to metamorphose into his profession. For the past 30 years or so, Marius has conducted herpetofauna surveys in many African countries and more recently also in Arabia.

Václav Gvoždík

Frogs are his main focus, but reptiles, including snakes and crocodiles, have not escaped his attention. He uses both molecular and traditional zoological tools to study biodiversity and emphasizes the importance of taxonomy for a proper understanding of evolutionary-ecological contexts and nature conservation. He works at the Institute of Vertebrate Biology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (Brno/Studenec) and the National Museum of the Czech Republic (Prague).

Conference program

 

Friday – 21. 2.

16:00–19:00

Registration and accommodation

19:00–21:00

Dinner

21:00–21:15

Conference opening

21:15–???

Leisure

Saturday – 22. 2.

7:30–9:00

Breakfast

9:00–10:00

Sebastian Scholz: Herpetological Impressions from Habitats of Cerastes gasperettii and Pseudocerastes fieldi with notes on their captive care & breeding

10:00–11:00

Xavier Glaudas: Food, Sex and the Behavioral Ecology of an African adder (Bitis arietans)

11:00–12:00

Neven Vrbanić: Herpetoculture in South Africa: 10 years of doing business with South Africa

12:00–13:00

Lunch

13:00–14:00

Peter Praschag: Conservation breeding program for the Vallarta Mud Turtle (Kinosternon vogti), the smallest turtle in the world

14:00–15:00

Mark O’Shea: In Pursuit of the Lake Serpent | Honba za jezerním hadem

15:00–15:30

Fabian Schmidt: Research influences a Conservation Breeding Programme – The European StudBook for African Dwarf Crocodiles (Osteolaemus tetraspis)

15:30–16:00

Coffee break

16:00–17:00

Xavier Glaudas: Integrating snake ecology into the snakebite problem: A case study from India

 

Sunday – 23. 2.

7:30–9:00

Breakfast

9:00–10:00

Peter Praschag: On the very brink of extinction, last chance to save the elusive Eiselt’s
Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis eiselti) in its last known habitat

 

10:00–10:30

Fabian Schmidt: Breeding Station for the Karroo Padloper (Chersobius boulengeri) at
Basel Zoo

 

10:30–11:30

COFFEE BREAK

 

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