"natural" forms better when they discuss corn snakes. But what they REALLY mean (usually) is that they want the brightest, most beautiful selectively bred okeetee corn that is almost as foreign to Mother Nature as an albino, lol!



Once humans have bred any animal in captivity for a few generations, we have usually been selecting for different traits than Mother Nature would choose. We may choose unusual colors and patterns, tamer, calmer animals, or the babies that quickly start eating the kind of food that we like to provide. So just because a snake LOOKS more or less normal, does not mean it hasn't been changed genetically from the average wild population.



I don't pretend to be breeding to release animals in the wild. BUT - by breeding jillions of whatever species we breeders are working with, we do accomplish some things that I think are important. For example, we learn a lot about HOW to breed a particular species. I remember many years ago showing a PhD herpetologist how to sex snakes. He had been keeping a bunch for breeding projects - and it turned out that most were the wrong sex! With all of our accumulated knowledge, those who ARE breeding for release programs will hopefully be more successful. But I don't feel that we all have to have that as our goal in order to be doing something worthwhile.



And - not only do we take the pressure off of wild populations with our c.b. babies, but the increased ranks of pet reptile keepers are more likely to approve conservation programs instead of saying "who cares about snake conservation?"



Many academics and humaniacs hate the idea of reptiles or other exotics in captivity. But it is my belief that the big grassroots push for dolphin safe tuna many years ago was fueled by the public growing up with Flipper on TV, and having enjoyed dolphins in Sea World type settings. Without that "useless entertainment" (of dolphins, or also, of us "old timers" going out to schools by the thousands for the last few decades to show off and explain about our reptile "pets", then I don't think that nearly as many of the general public would care about dolphins, or snakes, as do now. The general public would not have been willing to take on the dolphin killing fishing nets without Flipper and Sea World's influence. And I think fewer of the younger, non-herpers are likely to kill snakes than older people. I think our combined efforts over the years are at least partially responsible.



Those, to me, seem like laudable conservation goals attained while we are just providing fun and entertainment with our colorful "pet" reptiles. I personally don't think we HAVE to be breeding for release in order to be doing something useful to society and even to conservation efforts. All just my own opinion, but I have been observing such things for quite a long time.

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