Posted by:
Rtdunham
at Sun Jul 10 17:11:54 2005 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Rtdunham ]
>>Ahh Terry, let me guess you are a refomed 60's child
I prefer to think of myself as an UNreformed child of the 60s, thank you very much.
>>.also this isn't the first time that (you so eloquently put) hybrid snakes are piles of cr*p and that you don't want to be associated with them.
No, that's not what i say. Actually i say
--many of them are very beautiful, and interesting, and
--i think they pose some huge problems for herpetoculture's future, and
--i don't want to be associated with them.
>>All snakes evolving into new life forms. What about the natural hybrids? What about the crosses that happen in nature creating "so called" pure forms?
1. i think you'd agree naturally occurring hybrids (not intergrades) represent less than 1% of wild caught animals. that being the case, they may occur in nature but it is an extremely rare occurrence.
2. forest fires occur in nature--and unlike hybrids, in many environments those fires are often essential to a habitat's life cycle.
3. You justify hybridizing because it (very rarely) happens in nature. At least that seems to me to be your primary argument. i assume then that you also believe that since forest fires occur in nature, we should all feel free to start one any time we want, for our personal gratification? ("oooh, look at the colors!" "look at the patterns in that smoke plume!" )
I don't think so. I think we need to stop, and consider, and weigh our actions, and consider the consequences, and not give knee-jerk defensives for the activity. Whether or not something happens on rare occasions in nature is no argument for anyone doing it in captivity, other than in controlled lab experiments with a purpose in mind, a higher-minded purpose than creating beautiful mutts. It MIGHT not be wrong, but it's not automatically a good thing, either.
>>
>>Let me get this straight your whole arguement is that hobbiests should not breed hybrids is because they might be released into wild populations?
i'd encourage anyone to read my preceding post and see whether that's what i said.
>> I hope not. But lets say a few escaped. Just like any snake , right? Like boas in Florida? and brown snakes in Hawaii? Bad arguement Terry.
Yeah, but it's not MY argument. That's a lousy debating tactic.
>>Those snakes will establish colonies that causes an imbalance to the whole system. By your own criteria we should not own ANY snakes at all.
Back in the 60s when someone in the group started talking like that we'd make 'em stop "socializing" and go lie down for a while. 
>>We should move to Mars and let mother earth do whats "natural" while us "unatural" beings raise "unatural" babies in tupperware to produce mutants morphs and allow ourselve to think we are doing the right thing..
Oooh, you got me there! The stem cell argument!
>>
>>Next time you breed any snakes Terry mix them in a bag and arbitrarily pull them out and breed them. Then you will be half a step closer to whats pure and natural selection will take over.
NExt tyime the hybrid discussion rears its ugly head, LOL, could i just say, "They're beautiful and i think they pose serious threats to herpetoculture and i don't wish to associate with them" and you could post, "next time you breed any snakes mix them in a bag and arbitrarily pull them out and breed them, then you will be half a step closer to what's pure and natural selection will take over" and we can let those two arguments rest on their merits?
this has been entertaining but it dis-serves the herpetocultural community--or, at least, it disserves the readers on this forum except for those who are entertained by watching the two of us try to imitate that banjo-playing kid in Deliverance.
I'm gonna post again right after this one, and ask a serious question, and see if we can't have a little more serious discussion on the subject.
peace
terry
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I t sounds like you've bogarted it enough, thanks.... - Rtdunham, Sun Jul 10 17:11:54 2005