Posted by:
eric adrignola
at Thu Jun 12 14:38:42 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by eric adrignola ]
Banning exportation cannot and will not fix the problem. It's illegal to kill mountain gorillas, but who here will deny that they are in a downward spiral? Making it illegal to export chameleons will make the only ones imported available illegally, and with no regulation.
tighter quotas are a very good start. Not only will wild populations be given more chance to replenish, but Private breeders will be able to add to their stocks.
Look at pardalis, they are imported in limited numbers, but those that come in are very nice, and very expensive. Years ago, anyone could buy a panther, they were cheap, and lots died. Same with parsonii. Now, those coming in are so expensive, most go to private breeders. As an added bonus, since they are not so affordable, the price of C.B. is kept high. this allows the breeder to feasibly continue his hobby, while at the same time forcing a potential buyer to think before purchasing. Think about it. A little kid at a reptile show wants a lizard, then he sees a chameleon, obviously, they're gonna be captivated, and want a chameleon. When the mother goes to buy the panther, she sees it's $150-$250. the kid is not going to get it. That's a lot of money to simply spend without doing some homework. Then the mother sees a little veild for $35. the kid takes it home. I bet any money the mortality rate on veilds is a higher percentage than panthers. People that are going to spend $150 on an animal will invest the proper time and money into its future. While the $35 veild requires the same amount of time and money, chances are it's not as likely to recieve it, because, as I said, it's a $35 animal as opposed to a $150 one.
The mass marketing of veilds has put them in the position Iguanas were in 5 years ago. When I bought my first iguanas, they were over $40 for a baby! We put so much into them. Now, at $5, they practically throw away pets, it's disgusting.
The fact that the ignorant masses do not know how to care for a chameleon should not be reason to stop importation totallly. I just bought some WC deremensis that were really cheap--almost disturbingly so. I keep thinking that they shouldn't be inexpensive. I honestly hope that Tanzania reduces their quotas, so that they don't end up like veilds, or worse, like parsonii. So accessable as W.C., that there is not a desire for expensive C.B. , and when they are no longer available as W.C., the demand is up, but cannot be met because nobody bred them. Even Jacksonii have become somewhat pricy as C.B.
I Totally banning them won't solve it. the problem is not US. the problem is the mass importation. Who is buying all these senegals and gracilis anyway?
One of my good friend, Pete Mackevich one said that he'd love to get the people in charge of importing Senegal chameleons, Red Agamas, and horned lizards, and lock them up. All of these at the time had a mortality rate of about 100% within the first few months. AND, all of these were imported in such quantities that they were common "pet-store-fodder." The stores sold them, they were profitable to sell, so on their end, it didn't matter if they lived or not.
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RE: Two schools of thought for chameleon keeping discussion(more) - eric adrignola, Thu Jun 12 14:38:42 2003