Yes, Melissa is a moderator here.. And I would bet that her quote, like many others in the article, is either out of context, or flat wrong. I'll admit, that I think I got the best representation of anyone quoted in that article. That being said, here's an excerpt of a letter I sent to someone who was criticizing this article:

I don’t like the tone of the article, either. It is definitely slanted to make us all seem like a group of folks who are generally unconcerned about the animals. It fails to mention the huge numbers of captive-breeding programs that are keeping certain species alive. It fails to mention that those of us who are SERIOUS hobbyists DO research, and contribute to the knowledge pool about that species. Lastly, it casts a dark shadow over our chosen hobby, as though it is a dirty little secret that needs to be “outed”.

The truth is that the vast majority of reptile owners also are owners of traditional pets – but how many of us can say that WE have RESEARCHED the needs of our pet cat, dog, bird, or even rabbit?? FEW. In fact, the “traditional” pet owners have instead swallowed whole (pun intended) the info from large corporations such as Purina about what our pets’ dietary needs are. Those who have done some research are largely at odds with these large companies and their pre-packaged, low-nutrient-density foods. However, ask a herpetoculturist what the dietary needs of their animals are – and you’ll probably be given a sermon about whole foods, calcium to phosphorus ratios, ultraviolet light and vitamin D3 (and how they are connected). Show me a traditional pet owner that can do that.

Some other beneficial aspects of our hobby that were overlooked: How many people in the general population can explain the genetics of breeding for a particular trait? How many environmental researchers were drawn to their professions by the awe and amazement generated by a classroom reptile pet? There are so many more, but little time to go into more details.

While I accept that MANY people begin their reptile pet ownership with horribly deficient knowledge, the same is true of cat and dog owners. Ask the HSUS and ASPCA about traditional pet owners who consistently fail to spay/neuter their pets because they don’t “know about the benefits” of doing so. The key to either problem is EDUCATION, not LEGISLATION.

Bottom line – I know that our hobby is unusual, and to many uneducated people – dangerous. But I look forward to the future of our hobby where that more information is readily known as people become more and more familiar with these animals. I *hate* seeing a baby Sulcatta tortoise sold to an unknowing buyer – but that doesn’t mean that I think that our whole industry is evil and needs to be shut down. We need to work hard to get the word out, and we need to self-regulate our industry, weeding out those unscrupulous vendors who will sell baby iguanas to people who haven’t a clue. Unless we do that, more articles like this are likely, and more criticism will be felt from those who aren’t looking at the whole picture. I intend to continue living my motto: Education is Preservation.


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Bonnie Keller
VA Reptile Rescue
www.vareptilerescue.org

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