...but perhaps for reasons other than those that have been brought up so far. I'm not a breeder, but I can see where a national breeders organization could become not only desirable but necessary in the near future.



Debate rages on regarding the moral aspects of creating various morphs and hybrids through selective breeding. The debate iself doesn't really interest me. What does interest me, though, is the prospect of obtaining a pure specimen of a given species, or perhaps a specific bloodline, if I in fact wanted to obtain such a specimen. We often read stories on these forums involving those who have obtained a herp and end up not being quite sure of exactly what they ended up with. A vast majority of breeders do in fact keep very good records of genetic traits, lineage, etc., which is very good. But I think we can all see where this is going eventually.



If a dog lover wants a German Shepherd - a bonafide purebreed German Shepherd - they'll get one that has certified papers, usually from the AKC or some other formal breeders' organization that can certify that this particular animal is exactly what they say it is. The time will come when someone who wants a full-blooded herp, e.g., "true" Florida Kingsnake, might need to get one with papers. Otherwise, what with all the hybridization, interbreeding, etc. going on, there may be no way to determine whether a particular "Brooksi" specimen is really a true L. g. floridana, or some intergrade/hybrid. The time will come when no one will be able to tell for sure just by looking.



So if and when the time comes for the need to "paper" herps, to certify certain bloodlines or whatever, who's going to do it? The National Herpetocultural Organization will (or whatever it ends up being called).
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MichaelB

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