Our New Pet

Well, my flatmate came home a week ago and said, "I've brought you a present."  Now for some reason when people say 'present' I think chocolate. However this was no chocolate.  He had in fact brought home a snake!!  I happened to mention once in passing that I still had not seen a snake in the wild since coming to the Northern Territory.  I didn't expect for him to bring a live one home as a present. "Where are we going to put it?" I said. "This aren't no puppy or kitten we can leave to run around inside." So a huge plastic storage container suddenly got holes drilled into it and, presdo, we have a temporary enclosure. Since then, the enclosure has had many additions including rocks and sand and a black plastic tube for him to hide in. Unfortunately, the real enclosure and 'cool' stuff has to be ordered online and sent, as 'would you believe it' ........no pet shops in Katherine. Grrrrrrrrr

So now we have a Childrens Python.  Named not because he eats children (though it makes for a good tale to tell the kids), nor because they make good childrens pets but rather, named after John George Children. They are also nonvenomous, in case you were thinking I was mad (or madder)!!

Anyway, we have actually all grown very fond of him and have now even named him.  Winston Python (Winny for short), named after, you guessed it, Winston Peters.  We (well I actually), thought Winston Peters is always shedding his skin yet coming back as the same old reptile, so it seemed rather fitting really.  He (the python, not the man), is currently about a metre long and as they live for 30 years, he will likely outlive NZ's Winston Peters.

We of course, don't have snakes in New Zealand so this is all a learning experience and quite exciting! 

Anyway, I took these photos a couple of nights ago with my phone, hence the quality is not great.  If you are a facebook friend of mine then you will be able to see the actual video of me outside playing with him..

Peeking out of his plastic tube. Notice him poking his tongue out at everyone!
 Just like Winston Peters a?

That tongue again, used to sniff out his prey!

Us trying to feed him a skink. Seems he did eat it after we went bed.

Excuse the quality of this photo but it's not easy holding a moving snake in one hand and the phone camera in the other. See in the shadow, his tongue is out AGAIN!

Is this Africa or Australia?

Now when you think of the Northern Territory, you tend to think lots of lizards, snakes, crocodiles, and birds. However, it seems there are many other animals living wild in the Northern Territory.  Remember this State has only 220,000 people in total living here so there are huge areas of wilderness and untouched land.

My friend and I laugh at the fact there was a feral lioness spotted loose in Darwin. Not only because this isn't Africa, but because the radio news reports said, they were checking with all the registered owners of lions in the Territory and the Army confirmed it wasn't their lion on the loose. Then they said, if you have lost a lion to contact them!!  Yes, can you believe it?  The Army has a lion, and it seems some people also have them as pets. What does the Army need a lion for? The mind boggles!! And what do you do when your cute lion cub becomes a large lion and wants to eat you?  Hmmmmmm!!

It seems any pet is the go in the Northern Territory.  Apparently, Tipperary Station - which is about 200km from Darwin was turned into an exotic wildlife sanctuary by its owner, millionaire Warren Anderson.  But in 2003 when he got sick of his sanctuary he sold his interest in the station and tried to sell the animals including rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, giraffes, zebras and deer. People seem to suspect many of the animals he couldn't sell, he just released. Who knows?  But it does make you wonder especially when in 2009, a person shot a Pygmy Hippopotamus by mistake. The poor guy was pig hunting and thought he shot a pig so when he realised what it was he high tailed it out of there thinking it's parents can't be far behind. Then lets not forget the monkey seen by a bus load of people in 2010 in Darwin.

Hippos in the swamps, Lions & Monkeys in the desert (or City, in this case). Yet the Territorians don't seem to think it's all that weird. Could you imagine pig hunting in NZ and shooting a hippo, or driving up the Desert Road and having to stop for a lion crossing the road? Or stopping at the lights in town to see a monkey walk pass?  Unbelieveable stuff........but not for here it seems!!

So yeah, who knows what you might find over and above your snakes, lizards and crocodiles here.  I mean really, who needs to go do an African safari, just come to the Northern Territory.

Mentally impaired held in NT prison without conviction

Lateline 
By Suzanne Smith
June 26, 2012

Medical experts are appealing to the Northern Territory Government to address a law that sees mentally impaired people kept in jail indefinitely, without being convicted.

Alice Springs has an acute lack of mental health facilities, so high-needs clients end up in jail.

Four men are currently being held in the Alice Springs jail without being convicted of a crime and with no release date because they were deemed "unfit to plead".

It is a practice that has been described as tantamount to torture.


WHILE IT SAYS 'MENTALLY IMPAIRED' IN THE REPORT, IT SEEMS THEY ARE REFERRING RATHER TO PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL OR CONGITIVE IMPAIRMENT. NOT SAYING THAT MAKES IT BETTER IN ANYWAY, IT'S JUST DIFFERENT TERMINOLOGY TO WHAT WE WOULD USE IN NZ.

FOR THE FULL TV NEWS CLIP, WHICH I RECOMMEND WATCHING VISIT:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-25/mentally-impaired-being-held-in-nt-prisons-without-conviction/4091940?WT.svl=news1

Inquest Continues - WE HAVE NURSES NOW

THE REASON I AM POSTING ABOUT THIS INQUEST IS IT REALLY IS WHERE MY JOB CAME FROM, AND THE OUTCOME WILL DETERMINE WEATHER THE SERVICE IS EXTENDED.

THIS LINK IS AN AUDIO NEWS PIECE ON YESTERDAY THAT IS WORTH LISTENING TO:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-21/assistant-commissioner-at-death-in-custody-inquest/4084374?section=nt


Police procedure shake-up after death in custody

By Allyson Horn
June 21, 2012 15:04:21

Alice Springs police Commander Michael Murphy said nurses have been introduced to the watch-house since the death of Mr Briscoe.

He said nurses work at the facility four nights a week to help identify when prisoners need medical help.

Commander Murphy also told the inquest of watch-house staffing changes.

There will now be a senior officer stationed there at all times.

On the night Mr Briscoe died, there were just two junior officers on duty.

Police say they have asked the Territory Government to fund the permanent stationing of nurses in all Territory watch-houses.

They say nurses are needed every hour of every day to ensure prisoner welfare.

The inquest continues.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-21/death-in-custody-police-procedures-change/4084526?section=nt