Posted by:
kathylove
at Sun Jun 27 19:59:42 2010 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by kathylove ]
there was a time only a couple of decades ago that wildlife officials doubted our ability to breed consistently at all (seems like it was just yesterday!). They thought that claims of breeding were thinly veiled attempts to "launder" illegally caught reptiles so that we could sell them as c.b. Now that we are obviously producing huge quantities, the fact that some are changed considerably from the wild type gives us some claim to domestication.
If we get to the point that we can get zoning and wildlife officials in some areas to accept some species as domestic animals, it will give us a different standing in the ongoing argument against exotics. Although there is certainly room for those who wish to enjoy natural looking herps, I think the fact that some have been manipulated much as domestic animals have been may be a benefit to our hobby / industry in the long term.
I see room for all tastes, and am happy that all can be accommodated. As long as breeders don't change herps in ways that are detrimental to health (such as dogs and cats with extremely shortened or elongated bodies or faces that can cause health problems), then I say variety is the spice of life!
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Not JUST natural, but OTOH... - kathylove, Sun Jun 27 19:59:42 2010