Not only that, but the "International Institute for Herpetology" doesn't seem to exist anymore and turns up next to no Google results-- one of which is this article. But I was stubborn and refusing to listen to sound advice for questioning the validity of this dude's credentials. :/
Bingooo. It really seems like this was an ill-researched or op-ed piece from a newspaper in 1994, which isn't exactly the most reliable source in the world, especially when arguing about modern husbandry practices. Plus, the more research I do into this guy, the more likely it seems that he's a total hack with a crappy agenda. SMH.