Clifford Warwick, Published or Perished

A few items from or about Warwick:

Clifford Warwick isn’t involved in animal welfare; he’s a radical animal rights activist who’s been snuggling with PETA for decades.  It’s no secret.  In 2007, "British reptile biologist Clifford Warwick, who consults for animal-rights groups".  This isn’t someone who could be considered the least bit objective about the care of captive reptiles since he’s clearly opposed to the very concept of them being held in captivity.

How does one humanely kill a fish?  “Decapitation.  This is possible in small fish but becomes problematic in larger fish.  Decapitation of fish should only be carried out under anesthesia…”  Warwick is one of the authors.  SERIOUSLY?  I don’t know about you but I prefer not to ingest anesthesia with my dinner.  They are talking about experimental animals but this document is over a decade old and the extremes they want scientists to go in euthanasia of animals to is really extraordinary.  And it shows the bent of those in the animal rights movement.  They want all animals treated better than 98% of humans are treated and, in my opinion, they’ve lost their blinking minds!

These activists have never been above frightening people.  They are intentionally alarmist. 

June 24 2006 ~ VLA accidents.  The Mirror excitedly reports that two women who work as technicians at the avian biology section of the Veterinary Laboratories Agency both, at different times within eight days, have had accidents involving H5N1. They pricked ("slashed" says the Mirror) themselves with needles ("blood-stained needles" says the Mirror.) Kept in isolation for ten days at their houses, they then go back to work. It is surprising that the Mirror report implies that this is a virus that can be spread between people. Do they have information that we don't?  ".....Bird flu expert Clifford Warwick said yesterday the virus could flare up months after infection. He said: "H5N1 can go undetected in the body for years. Stress such as surgery could lower a person's immune system and allow the dormant virus to take hold. The disease would then be strong enough to get into red blood cells and could be passed through the air, in the breath or sneezes." ..." (Clifford Warwick is, in fact, a reptile expert.)

Now he’s a “bird flu expert”?  Sounds to me like someone with no professional boundaries at all; willing to run his mouth on any topic to forward his own agenda and keep himself in the spotlight.

Here’s a summary of Warwick’s published works (and this list is every publication I could find referenced on the internet for him):

For a career approaching 25 years, this is a nominal publishing record.  Since he’s long been in the UK on an island, one has to wonder why so many publications are in the Netherlands, New Zealand, Texas, and wonder even more that some are apparent vanity publications.  Three do appear to be published in peer reviewed journals.  Seems to be quite a bit of recycling of material though.

Reviewing this list of publications and other information on Warwick does make some things clear.  Warwick has a record in herpetology and he has long been an alarmist.  It is clear he does not approve one tiny bit of captive reptiles and amphibians (although it’s often noted on the internet that he was once an owner and trader of them).  It is also obvious that he puts out the fear of zoonotic disease as the bogeyman to scare all from owning and keeping them in captivity.

I have long believed that zoonotic transmission is much more widespread than is known/realized but science is now discovering that AND that early exposure to animals is actually helpful to human immune systems.  Warwick would have us all live without animals even if it means true detriment to our own species.  I would have us find out the true benefits and detriments and deal with them based on science rather than bogeyman fears of “what if”.

The battle lines have indeed been drawn between the animal rights activists and those of us who own animals.  We want them well cared for and the activists would take them away from us all and permanently; probably to the loss of many more species as humans wouldn’t support them in the wild – surely we’ve already proven that truism nicely.  And Warwick is not without his detractors.

* “What troubled me more was that the author of this article was Clifford Warwick, a man noted for his extreme anti-exotics stance.”  Clearly some in herpetology disagree with Warwick’s stance.  That article is responded to by Warwick and the exchange is quite informative.  You can find part 2 here and part 3 here.

I’m inclined to agree with what I read from the actual animal caretakers who are mostly on the other side of the pond and have already been dealing with him for a while.  Here’s a sampling:

"the problem is the antis are going to be all over this like a rash, step up mr clifford warwick (the supposed reptile expert for peta and animal aid) bunch of tossers.do a search for clifford warwick and read the outdated drivel they have put about reptiles. They havent got a clue."

'DipMedSci EurProBiol CBiol FRSH FRIPH FIBiol'  These are Cliff's qualifications - they leave alot to be desired. He has no undergraduate degree, no masters degree and no PHD. He says he has a Diploma - you can get them in a very short time and they can require a very limited amount of knowledge to obtain. The rest of the 'letters' would appear to mean he is a member of various societies, institutions - chances are he fills a form in and sends it back with a postal order and hey presto he's a member for the next yr.

Diploma of Medical Science, EurProBiol is an award from the European association of biologists, CBiol is a chartered biologist (?) Fellow of the Royal Society of Health, Fellow of the Royal institute of Public Health and Fellow of the Institute of Biologists. In short, a whole lot of bugger all! Not one proper qualification but the feeble minded sheep that make up the majority of the red top readers will think this bloke is an expert and believe every word of claptrap he comes out with

Warwick seems to have bootstrapped his early nominal works into opportunities and publications of a more than questionable nature, in my opinion.  He has published but not very well and should perish – at least as a professional witness on this side of the pond.  I tentatively grant him my honorary degree of B.Bs.D.; Doctor of Bluff and BullShit.  I will have to wait to see if that tentative granting becomes permanent after I’ve reviewed his testimony in the Arlington seizure case.  He testified last week but I do not know if his testimony was completed or he will be returning to the stand this week.

In the meantime, I found this quite interesting.  “Wouldn't you just love to meet this guy?! I love the way the article said ''mostly wild caught''..you can't tell that from a video and you wouldn't be able to make a pretty good judgement walking round in the main hall at Hamm.”  The author is writing of Warwick in 2007.  I did a double take.  Isn’t that nearly identical to some of Warwick’s testimony last week in Arlington?

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