Put an end to WC and CF Reps - yes or no

[Diablo]

Originally Posted by andy007

I would very much doubt that the people sent out to catch WC receive much in the way of income compared to the final profit made on such animals.

CF is comparible to puppy farming, a few people make an awful lot of money regardless of the conditions the animals are kept in.

But, when there are people willing to buy CF there will be someone willing to get them regardless of the implications.

How come there's no quarentine laws for such snakes anyway?

Just my personal views

What you think isn't alot of money to the farmers probably isn't but to the farmers its an awful lot of money.

[herp mad]

their are enough animals being captive bred now so theirs no need to continuely take more out of the wild.

[the-tick]

can a poll option of

cf and wc should be more accountable but will continue anyway

be added ?

[jesuslovestheladies]

on a serious note, does anyone see the envriomental ethics of this situation? its good and all raising the points on animal welfare as importation is obviously a traumatic experiance when concerned with wc/cf , but what about wild populations? though collecting for the pet trade isnt the number one cause of extinction, in a world were rural and agricultural boundries are ever expanding, extra subjects being removed from the wild (with the biggest point being stressed on CF) doesnt help either. though certain populations may not be in the danger zone right now, with the growth rate of places like asia and africa these bread and butter species of the pet trade will sooner or later be in that danger zone.

taking limited quantities for strenthening captive gene pools i can accept but for the pet trade to sell wild caught in a manner were they rely upon it isnt good..

to shed a light on this topic that some may not consider valid, animal groups such as amphibians and the small house gecko species (i.e moorish,fan foot, anole green/brown) are another example. though the argument can be put across again that these species are abundant in their native countries in concern with small lizards, they are in the process of attempting to adapt to a domesticated enviroment that was once their home, and if they cant adapt then theres only extinction waiting for them.
with amphibians the situation is even more dire (though at the moment it may not seem so) as they are not easily bred in captivity (imagine breeding leopard geckos except the eggs need to be mainted in cycled water, the larvae then require very specific foods, and even then may not go on to metamorph succesfully). besides the dendrobate genus and a few of the better known tree/leaf frogs, the absolutely majority of amphibians within the pet trade are WC. i my self have WC amphibians in my collection, (though i am attempting to breed them).

the fact of the matter is, this hobby has advanced tremendously within the past 50 years, our knowledge though incomplete is vast, and we've uncoverd enough secrets to breeding the majority of the animals offered within the pet trade to not rely on WC/CF.

[andy007]

Originally Posted by Diablo

What you think isn't alot of money to the farmers probably isn't but to the farmers its an awful lot of money.

I was talking about the workers who are sent out by the boss man to collect WC

[Ally]

Originally Posted by herp mad

their are enough animals being captive bred now so theirs no need to continuely take more out of the wild.

Really?

2.0.0 Reticulated Pythons - Often WC, especially the specific localities, not many people breeding them - if there were a lot of breeders then there would be a serious risk of too many big snakes and not enough homes.
1.0.0 Boa Constrictor - Lots being cb
0.0.1 Bosc Monitor - Very few ever captive bred - only one or two recorded breedings. Whatever people say, 99.99% of these in captivity are farmed.
0.0.1 Blue Tongue Skink - More people breeding them, but still nowhere enough to supply demand. Most are wc or cf.
0.0.2 Chili Rose Tarantula - often cb, but if bought as an adult from a shop, then probably wc
0.1.0 Brazilian Black Tarantular - very rarely cb, only a handful of breedings. Unless bought as a baby from a breeder, almost certainly wc.
0.0.3 Emperor Scorpion - as for Brazilian Black.

[Fixx]

Originally Posted by andy007

How come there's no quarentine laws for such snakes anyway?

They don't carry rabies or any human/commercially important diseases like bird flu.

[Athravan]

I would very much doubt that the people sent out to catch WC receive much in the way of income compared to the final profit made on such animals.

In Ghana, the average YEARLY income is £170 that's just £14 a month - or a whopping 4pence a day. That's the average, that's not the people on the poverty line, the people starving. The average man in Ghana supports a wife and between 3 and 5 children on this wage!

I just thought I would add those for people who say the hunter/tracker/catcher earns almost nothing - if he even earns 4p for a days work he is considered average. That's the same as earning about £40-£50 for a days work here. 4p may not be much for us, but in Ghana, that supports a man, his wife, and up to 5 children from being on the very edge of poverty and starvation.

[andy007]

Originally Posted by Fixx

They don't carry rabies or any human/commercially important diseases like bird flu.

Cheers for that

[Ally]

Originally Posted by jesuslovestheladies

on a serious note, does anyone see the envriomental ethics of this situation?

Most reptiles have laws protecting them in the wild and strict restrictions on how many can be taken in any one year.
There also seasonal restrictions in some cases, to prevent gravid females being taken.