David, I know that you and I are on the opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of our philosophical ideas in the field of herpetoculture...but I still respect your efforts and appreciate your calm demeanor even in heated debates. I'm a purist; I find great enjoyment in working with "normals" of all species (I am only using that word for the sake of knowing what I am talking about....if you prefer, I will also refer to "normals" as "naturally occurring" - sounds better). All of the genetic mutts (no disrespect to mutts) currently on the market are genetically engineered in unnatural and controlled conditions (and, NO, a pinto is NOT a pinto if you combine it with genetically inferior look alike pinto...such as our severely inbred albino strains); for the most part, you would never see any of these morphs in the wild....but hey, who cares right? None of these animals will ever see the wild anyway. So, what the heck, lets keep breeding burms to rocks to indians to borneos to balls to jungles to, hey, here's a thought, a burm to an anthill python! The point is, and an argument I have been discussing for quite some time is that just because we "can" doesn't mean that we "should" but we are blessed to live in America aren't we?!..each of us have a very differing philosophy when it comes to this field/hobby. I have never seen it as an "us" versus "them" argument or some sort of dividing line; its simply a matter of philosophy and there's nothing wrong with that. It makes for interesting dialogue.
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center
>>I really don’t understand why there is a line divided. I personally don’t see an “us” and a “them” when it comes to those that like morphs and those that prefer “normals”. Personally I like “normals” just as much as I like any of the morphs. Even more than some of the established morphs that are popular. Just because I can appreciate the appearance of a pattern morph or an albino pattern morph does not by any means indicate that I have to make my choice and thus abandon my love and appreciation for “normals”. I don’t even believe in the term “normals”, quite frankly. I feel that those are quite simply, “burmese pythons” that deserve the same respect as any other specie of animal on the planet. Just because there are rarer and thus more expensive morphs does not by any stretch of the imagination mean that burmese pythons are valueless. Quite the contrary, they are just as valuable as they have ever been in my book. And they always will be to me. And by the same token the morphs are not valueless just because they are different and not the preferred pet of the majority of the python enthusiasts. They too deserve our love and respect. Just because they are different and maybe not preferred by many does not make them garbage. They didn’t ask to be born albino granite, or albino labyrinth. They are just another burmese python with a different appearance and color. Does anyone really think that they themselves know they are a “morph”? They don't. To them they are just a burmese. But honestly, they are NO different from any other burmese python. If you paint a pinto 10 different colors it is still just a pinto.
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>>As for me, my favorite burm morph is the granite, non albino, when they have nicely contrasting colors and distinct patterns. I really find little to no real beauty in the albino patternless or albino “greens, but I breed them nonetheless because there are folks that DO think they are gorgeous and I respect their view. I like the greens-non het albino better, and I like both the albino labyrinths and non albino labyrinths too. But above all else I love ALL burmese of all shapes and forms equally. Whenever I see a thread with a “normal’ burmese I always pause to admire it. I keep these too and will always appreciate them for their unparalleled natural beauty. For without them there would be no morphs period.
>>Our Website
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>>David Beauchemin
>>High End Herps.Inc
>>http://HighEndHerps.com
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Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL
