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collector respects hiss the tribune wednesday november 8 1989 p7 matt nicholls correspondent indiana jones would hate paul houston thats because the 48yearold stouffville resident loves the one thing the fictional archeologist hates snakes collecting snakes is my hob by the ttc employee says a lot of these creatures are en dangered species so i take care of them mr houston owns 15 domestic and exotic snakes including several different types of boa constrictors and pythons since he began his hobby some 30 years ago he has owned more than 50 reptiles his snakes range in size from several centimetres to almost a metre and they are kept in a speciallydesigned terrarium in mr houstons basement the terrarium is made of a bulletproof material which keeps the snakes from escaping and it accurately simulates the conditions of a tropical rain forest the temperature is quite warm between 85 and 90 degrees he said these condi tions are designed to be just like the snakes original habitat keeping the snakes healthy is a big chore mr houston says and to succeed conditions must be i perfect and that means plenty of food each snake has a different personality and they all eat in a different way he says some like their food prekilled others dont small rats rabbits and other rodents are the snakes main food source but at 4 per rat the costs add up ive spent thousands on my snakes mr houston says but if you like it then it doesnt mat ter how much it costs to offset some of high maintenance costs mr houston makes public speaking ap pearances in metro toronto area schools to help educate students on snake behaviour care and saving endangered animals he also rents his snakes to production and drama com panies who use them in films or plays in fact last month one of mr houstons snakes was used in the opera aida at the skydome mr houstons snakes are also fre- quently used in the tv series fri day the 13th but using the snakes to generate income is not his main goal protecting snakes and eduating others on proper snake care is he says a big part of being a successful snake owner is having respect for the snake an owner must acknowledge that the snake is wild and he must treat it as a wild animal he says and mr houston says the public should condemn pet stores that sell exotic snakes to people who dont know how to take care of them i can tell you horror stories about some pet stores he says they should be stopped from selling snakes because they sell them to people who arent educated about snakes i think in dividual dealers should sell them mr houston also believes legislation should be passed pro hibiting the use of snakes in nightclub acts more often than not snakes are abused and neglected by these owners he says we have to educate people at all levels to stop the abuse pro blem he said nobody seems to give a damn about it but we as a general public have to start education soon to save these endangered reptiles he said cpr courses offered weekends local residents are invited to learn lifesaving cardio pulmonary resuscitation techniques in november december and january at the markham neighborhood support centre a series of courses offered by the red cross societys markham branch include both a cpr basic rescuer course and one for infantchild cpr dates for the basic rescuer course which runs over two days are nov 10 710 pm and nov 11 9 am5 pm nov 17 710 pm and nov 18 9 am5 pm dec 1 710 pm and dec 2 9 am5 pm dec 8 710 pm and dec 9 9 am5 pm jan 12 710 pm and jan 13 9am5pm and jan 19 710 pm and jan 20 9 am5 pm the infant child cpr course is being offered on nov 22 and 23 cost for the course is 45 for the basic rescuer cpr course and 30 for the infant child course for further information contact the markham neighborhood support centre at 4711620 and ask for pearl photoannette buchkowski snake collector paul houston holds a halfgrown burmese python the stouffville man has quite a collection of snakes including members of endangered species he keeps them in a terrarium which mimics the climate conditions of their place of origin oils by xk north trontenac sunset 1989 by r colebrook keirstead 21 x 14 colebrook keirstead nov 10 to 26 opens fri nov 10th 7 to 10 pm artist in attendance opening weekend the menger gallery stouffville rd between highway 404 woodbine ave gormley 8675795 tugs fri 1 pm 9 pm closed monday sat 10 am 5 pm sun 1 pm 5 pm a very special invitation to our 1989 open house 183 queen st port perry ontario 416 9858234 a b settlement house shops open 7 days a week except holiday mondays browse through our collection of country shops and participate in a unique christmas shopping experience the settlement house shops it wouldnt be christmas without a visit our christmas gift to you8 discount equal to sales tax during our open house plus many more in store specials as well as christmas goodies and lots of good cheer settlement house featuring painted pine furni ture country upholstery braided rugs old village paint lighting accessories arid gifts more than doubled in size since last year we now offer a vast selection of christmas gift and decorating ideas daphnes country classic and casual clothing for women greatly expanded in 1989 to offer you more new tg mitchells specializing in mens casual clothing and gifts for gentlemen who enjoy the country life goms back k new a small bistro offering morning coffee light lunches and afternoon tea everything prepared right here come sit a spell jj oionai sannj oodi new gourmet foods luscious take home desserts baked goods always fresh from my seart hallmark cards old fashioned candy counter and gifts november 1019 8 discount offered in lieu of sales tax