Info Ashley Caspillo-SakaraGT4/Sakara *Possible Buyer Beware!*

[amercnwmn]

I also didn't mean to imply I meant to blame anyone other than Ashley for being run off the board. She was okay hanging there as long as she had a little clustered posse still hanging with her saying BOI users are just meanies on a witch hunt, but once she realized some of her friends finally saw through her, she bailed.

No, no I knew what you meant. Just making sure it was thrown in there again before it started into a "bash RTB" thing again..lol
And I agree 100% once her lies became apparent, she split.
The part about her being "run off" was directed to one or two people that posted random snide comments about her absence.
Like I said, I don't understand how anyone can excuse or defend it, but I guess it takes all kinds.

 

[amercnwmn]

She can no longer hide behind the excuse of "over enthusiasm" and "getting in over her head" as it's been shown she is nothing more than an outright liar by hiding the full count of deaths, lying about vet tests she's had done, and the whole incident with the Jamp.
I haven't really dug back to compare notes on individual snakes she's received/listed to see if she's lied about anymore.
I think it's safe to assume if she's lied about the QT conditions, health, presence of mites, temperment, and breeding history of others, she's probably lied about more than just these.

 

[Abish]

No, no I knew what you meant. Just making sure it was thrown in there again before it started into a "bash RTB" thing again..lol
And I agree 100% once her lies became apparent, she split.
The part about her being "run off" was directed to one or two people that posted random snide comments about her absence.
Like I said, I don't understand how anyone can excuse or defend it, but I guess it takes all kinds.

Ok, cool cool.

I also thought about trying to wade through her posts and compare lists of what she used to have and what she has claimed having recently, but with her constant flipping and always bringing in and out through a million different avenues and 'hosting' other people's snakes, I realized my baby would NEVER take a nap long enough for me to have a snowball's chance in heck of even trying to sort it all out. I mean, how many have there been like the corn snakes, that just went 'poof'? She hasn't included them on any recent 'collection' list that she posts obsessively, but she also claims not to have sold them. How many more animals are there like that that just seem to have vanished into thin air?

It would be quite a migraine to sort out. Maybe, with all the lying and flipping like mad, she honestly doesn't even know any more what has happened to some of these animals once the novelty of newness wore off.

 

[Elizabethlea27]

Surely she must know whether they are alive in her care, died in her care, or sold?

 

[Abish]

I certainly hope she knows which snakes in her care are currently alive or dead, but at this point I think she is not notifying customers and people she may have contaminated for two reasons:

1) Dishonesty and the hope of still being able to somehow come across as a big shot in the hobby.

2) She knows she has compromised the health of so many different animals and collections she knows she doesn't have much hope of being able to give everyone she's contaminated in the past few years a warning.

Hurricane Ashley just sort of blew through her little corner of the boid world, and I have a feeling we are in the eye of the storm. We've passed the phase where she tries to take down numerous other people for being unethical and mistreating animals, then she is uncovered, and the fall-out of her lack of ethics and mistreating animals is still largely waiting to unfold.

 

[amercnwmn]

I certainly hope she knows which snakes in her care are currently alive or dead, but at this point I think she is not notifying customers and people she may have contaminated for two reasons:

1) Dishonesty and the hope of still being able to somehow come across as a big shot in the hobby.

2) She knows she has compromised the health of so many different animals and collections she knows she doesn't have much hope of being able to give everyone she's contaminated in the past few years a warning.

I'll go with Door #1, since she's still indicated a future as a breeder in the hobby.

 

[sally-dog]

I'll go with Door #1, since she's still indicated a future as a breeder in the hobby.

Totally not going to happen. Well, it might, but she'd only be selling to other people of ill-repute such as herself. Lovely.

lol "Hurricane Ashley".

 

[sally-dog]

Also, it's January. Almost 2 weeks in. No word from her even mentioning sending out blood samples to Dr. J.

No "Yes, I sent samples, I will post the results when I get them".

 

[amercnwmn]

Totally not going to happen. Well, it might, but she'd only be selling to other people of ill-repute such as herself. Lovely.

...or worse yet, new keepers without proper knowledge of QT and disease prevention.

 

[sally-dog]

...or worse yet, new keepers without proper knowledge of QT and disease prevention.

Yep. A lot of that has been remedied as the surfacing of the info in this thread has run her off many of the forums she frequented. But that is only one front of this battlefield and people like her, and people much worse than her still do business without the aid of the internet.

 

[Pink Lady Exotics]

After reading the majority of this thread, I feel compelled to ask if anyone knows whether Ashley ever bought from or traded with TW International/Damian Wyatt? Quite a few of the symptoms described in the snakes and the lack of conclusive tests looking for inclusions makes me wonder whether she potentially ended up with the same virus I suffered around the exact same time she first got into keeping snakes, which was when Wyatt was mass-selling his infected collection just 2 hours of north of her in the Dallas area. Even if she didn't deal with Wyatt directly, she could have purchased from someone who did. This kind of risk is why I will not purchase from someone in Texas, regardless of who they are or what their reputation is.

I don't blame you for not wanting to put down all your animals, no one should do that. There's no guarantee all of your animals would have caught it or that it spread to them.

Good luck with your tests.

I'm sorry, but if this person cared one iota about the hobby or the animals within her care, should have done what I did and euthanized everything. Whether or not there is no "guarantee", the risk is FAR too great.

Quarantine in a separate room is NOT ENOUGH, which I learned the excrutiatingly hard way. Some viruses ARE AIRBORNE, which means a building with one shared ventilation system will not stop the spread of the virus. Moving from room to room will allow the virus to cling to clothing, hair, skin, shoes, etc...so unless someone has a full biohazard suit and a detox room to sterilize in when moving between a room with infected snakes and a room with non-infected snakes, there is no stopping it.

In regard to the topic of Dr. Jacobson not having enough funds to do proper research and not having the funds to take in any more bodies/samples, that is the road block he ran into when working on researching the virus that destroyed my collection. I wouldn't hold your breath for all the breeders in this hobby to pitch in and donate to the research either. I put out a massive call to everyone in the industry, including all the big name breeders like TSK, VPI, BHB, etc, to PLEASE donate to his research so we can find an answer and a cure, and NO ONE did. Not one. I recieved a bill for almost $3000 and the research was stopped, no answers were ever found. Yet these same people offered to "donate" animals to me to help me start again, when I felt ready. They could donate thousand-dollar animals to me, but not $20 to research? They didn't follow through with that either. I have sent e-mails to see if any would be willing to work out deals so I could purchase animals (not asking for freebees), and all contacts have been ignored. The big names are in this for themselves, and could care less about anyone else in this hobby.

I sincerely hope Ashley has a conscience and re-evaluates her choices, before someone else really gets hurt.

 

[crotalusadamanteus]

Great post Jen. Sadly though, some still won't get it.

 

[SirenSanJose]

I found the image on a google search and it was not linked to his deviant arts account when I found it... That's not where I found it... Which BTW, he did email me about it and I apologized for not knowing it was his, and he is allowing me to use the image and I am going to link to his DA account

All other, much more serious issues like IBD and mites aside -- this quote right here just shows her entire attitude toward the business.

Most of the rest of us:
a) drew our own logos
b) photographed our own animals to use in our own logos
c) commissioned someone else to do it and paid them in either cash or animals.

This very casual "oh, hey, this was just sitting around, I guess I'll take it, make it mine, use it to my own ends, no one cares if I do that, right?" attitude is a VERY wrong attitude to take in business, and has shown itself, amplified, in all the rest of this thread.

"it shows up in GIS" does NOT mean "it's public domain or royalty free"!!! AARGH!


(And she has to go DIGGING for that image. For all the work she did getting it, she could've gotten her own logo done. *facepalm* No term I've tried, not "snake", "snake tat", "snake tat thingy" (the actual title of the piece), "coiled snake" "snake logo" "snake banner" or the plurals of any of these terms yields this drawing within the top 10 pages, at least!)

 

[SakaraGT4]

I just wanted to let you all know that I have been in contact with Dr. Jacobson about testing... As soon as I find out what he needs me to do as far as sending samples from his intern, Miss Rita Chang, I will be sending them.

This is the email that he wrote me after I asked him a few questions. Yes, I did respond and tell him that I had the BCL die in Nov. 2009 with inclusions in the report. I had wrote him about the BCL when he died, but over a year ago is a long time to remember with all the work he is doing.

I also plan to give a good sized donation to him around tax time.

Here is the email where he responded to my questions.

from Jacobson,Elliott R <[email protected]>
to Ashley Caspillo <[email protected]>
cc "Chang,Li-Wen" <[email protected]>
date Mon, Jan 10, 2011 at 9:04 PM
subject RE: IBD Blood and Tissue tests
mailed-by ufl.edu

hide details 9:04 PM (1 hour ago)

Ashley:

Here are answers to your questions:

1. I was wondering how accurate the blood test is vs. the liver sample? We do not know since we do not have a large enough data-base of blood samples and liver samples from the same animal. Based on a small number of boas, all that had inclusions in liver, kidney, pancreas, or esophageal tonsils, also had inclusions in peripheral blood cells. My graduate student Rita Chang ([email protected]) has developed an immunohistochemical staining test that is based on an antibody that recognizes the protein in the IBD inclusions. If inclusions are present, they will be stained. We recommend that this testing be first performed since it is less expensive than having a biopsy collected and submitted for staining. Staining of a liver sample would be the same as blood-staining.
2. I was also wondering how likely it is to have IBD floating around since I have not had any more IBD related deaths and no other deaths since May 2010, which was my burm showing no inclusions, that 30+ boas and pythons would not show any signs of IBD or die from IBD? Has IBD been diagnosed in any snake in your collection. It appears that your Burmese died of something else. We do not know how long snakes may be infected without showing clinical signs. Those snakes that do not show signs are called subclinical cases. They may remain subclinical from weeks to months to years. It is possible some may have inclusions at a low level for a very long period of time. As we receive more and more samples, especially from what appear to be normal animals, we will be able to get a better idea of the correlation. This is a long-term project. Luckily we received a small grant from an animal foundation to do this research. This is Rita Chang’s PhD research project. New tests will be evaluated by Rita and will be evaluated over the next few months.
3. I still want to get blood and/or liver testing done and was wondering how much the liver testing would be? Liver testing would be the same as blood testing. But some snakes may have inclusions in kidney and pancreas and not liver.
4. Also, about how long do the results take to get back? Rita Chang can answer this question. The slides are stained in our medical school pathology laboratory and are worked up as time permits in their staining schedule.

Attached is a paper I may not have sent you. It helps explain the immunohistochemical stain that Rita has developed. Soon we will have a webpage devoted to IBD testing. The big question is: What to do with positive snakes? This will depend on whether they are ill or not. Those that are ill should be euthanized. Those that are healthy should be separated from ill snakes and followed over time. It may take more than one blood test to confirm if a snake is positive or negative. At this point we recommend 2 blood samples 90 days apart. We have selected 90 days since this is the length of quarantine we recommend for new animals coming into an established collection. Mites have been associated with outbreaks so be aware of this.

I hope this answers your questions and thanks for considering a donation.

Sincerely,


Elliott Jacobson
Professor of Zoological Medicine


and he attached the paper that he had also sent to Courtney

 

[Elizabethlea27]

Ok so May 2010 was when Phoenix died then? What were the circumstances of his death, and where are the necropsies of him, or any of the rest of the animals that died other than the burm and BCL? People here have been repeating these same questions tens of times, and you keep ignoring them - I can only imagine because you cannot answer without directly incriminating yourself. You disgust me, and your last post shows me nothing but that Dr. Jacobson knows what he is doing, and you have made no solid plans to have testing done yet. Do post with test results.

 

[amercnwmn]

I
2. I was also wondering how likely it is to have IBD floating around since I have not had any more IBD related deaths and no other deaths since May 2010, which was my burm showing no inclusions, that 30+ boas and pythons would not show any signs of IBD or die from IBD?

First of all this is not accurate:
You've had OTHER deaths, perhaps not directly related to IBD, but OTHER deaths and you have OMITTED THAT FACT.

Has IBD been diagnosed in any snake in your collection? It appears that your Burmese died of something else.

What about the others? Did you make known the test results of all those "exams" to him??

We do not know how long snakes may be infected without showing clinical signs. Those snakes that do not show signs are called subclinical cases. They may remain subclinical from weeks to months to years. It is possible some may have inclusions at a low level for a very long period of time.

So your idea to put on hold breeding projects for a year as of May is probably NOT wise, as we have tried to point out.

Attached is a paper I may not have sent you. It helps explain the immunohistochemical stain that Rita has developed. Soon we will have a webpage devoted to IBD testing. The big question is: What to do with positive snakes? This will depend on whether they are ill or not. Those that are ill should be euthanized. Those that are healthy should be separated from ill snakes and followed over time. It may take more than one blood test to confirm if a snake is positive or negative. At this point we recommend 2 blood samples 90 days apart. We have selected 90 days since this is the length of quarantine we recommend for new animals coming into an established collection. Mites have been associated with outbreaks so be aware of this.

I can probably assume you didn't bother to inform him of the mites of which you've had chronic issues for the past couple of years.

 

[Abish]

I think you missed it again!

How did Phoenix die? And when?

 

[Abish]

Yeah, it seems she fudged the facts she shared with Dr. Jacobsen trying to get a more favorable answer, and even withholding part of the truth from him the answer was that her 'plan' was NOT GOOD ENOUGH!

Nice.

Also, since you told him that your burm showed no inclusions, I take it you got hold of the second page of that necropsy that says she was tested and no inclusions were found? Because you certainly wouldn't say that if you didn't know it was true, right? So, care to share that with us, finally?

Also, one more time, Phoenix?

 

[Abish]

Urg, sorry to others for the triple post, but Ashley, have you made emailed Rita Chang yet?

 

[amercnwmn]

LOL Abish No worries..
I also noticed something "off"

Why is she acting like this is the first conversation she's had with Dr. Jacobson..Didn't she intimate previously that she spoke with him and was going to send the tests out right after the holidays? If that's the case, why the basic questions? Those would have been answered in the first contact.

I guess this also shows you lied in the Yvonne Bad Guy thread when you claimed to have spoken with "Dr. Jameson".

Ashley, it's time to stop the lies.
You are NOW lying to a DOCTOR who can HELP you with your snakes. He can HELP you either CLEAR your name, or FIND THE PROBLEM AND FIX it so you can move on.
He CAN'T do that if HE at least doesn't have all the facts.

Fact:
FOUR snakes have died SINCE the BCL last November.
The BCL was indicated to have IBD
There are reports missing
You have had NO quarantine
You have had over 200+ snakes in room contact with your animals.
You have had chronic mites.

You need to tell him this info!!

Important facts are going to be overlooked just so YOU can attempt to continue to make a buck!!!! You want to save YOUR reputation, which is so far in the hole right now, that NOTHING is going to help it. Give it up, come clean, at least be honest with Dr. Jacobson!!!

He's the ONLY one who can help you and your snakes and fix this mess you have created!!!

It's NOT just the IBD suspicion that has ruined you, Ashley.
Its YOUR LIES about proper QT, presence of mites, the condition of your animals, the health of your animals, the treatment of animals in your care, and even the lies on their reproductive ability!

Give up the charade, and be honest with HIM if no one else so he can help your animals. It's not about YOU or your rep.