Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a point I would like to make regarding herpetoculture. In defending against the arguments of anti-exotic politicians, we often say that breeding reptiles in captivity is one way to prevent the extinction of these animals. Since reptiles are disappearing across the planet, this is a very penetrating statement for someone who wants to conserve nature.

But is this really what we are doing? Let's look at the ball python, for example. Python regius has been bred en masse for decades, and this popularity has been fueled by the "production" of some very striking morphs, including albinos and leucistics. However, any biologist will tell you that such creatures cannot survive in the wild. Albinos can hardly be exposed to sunlight, or their health is threatened. Other morphs create problems as well; how on earth could a lavender ball python avoid detection by predators if its camouflage has been stripped away? Since many of these traits are recessive, the pythons' offspring wouldn't be any better off, though whether such an animal would live long enough to breed is debatable.

What I am saying is, if ball pythons were to become critically endangered in the wild, how could captive-bred individuals serve the wild populations if the vast majority of them were unable to survive in the wild? A reintroducing program would certainly be a dramatic failure if all of the captive pythons were genetically anomalous.

So is the captive breeding of such species as the ball python, corn snake, king snake, bearded dragon, and leopard gecko really giving us a reservoir of specimens in case wild populations were to become endangered? It would appear not. My point is this: perhaps it is unwise to continually be trying to "engineer" oddball reptiles simply because they are more visually pleasing to someone who cannot appreciate reptiles otherwise. Instead, why not concentrate on exploring "normal" animals for all their ordinary glory? Is a normal ball python really all that bad? And when the wolves come knocking at our doors with things like HR 669, can we really say that professional breeders are aiding conservation?

Best regards,
Pinstripe

Our interest in these animals alone increases the understanding and experience of those around us that we bump into within our daily lives about these wonderful creatures. Most of us have done school programs educating kids hands on about the wonders of nature we possess and care for ourselves. The extremists do not do this at all and in fact take the stance that would mean the complete elimination of this possibility and thus reduce the interest in and education of others about our natural world. In that sense we absolutely ARE conservationists.

The notion that conservation means the eventual reintroduction of captive Reptiles is void of an understanding of how that process works. Reintroduction of captive Reptiles has never happened anywhere. In fact the reintroduction of any species is exceedingly rare. That possibility is virtually non-existent as such a reintroduction could spread disease unknown to other wild populations.

So while you are entirely correct that a Banana Ball would not do well in Kenya, there is nobody that would advocate trying to do so. So that is a moot point.

The fact is that while some Reptiles may in fact someday be extinct in the wild, if we are allowed to keep and breed those animals, they will live on in captive collections for the masses to enjoy in the future.
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Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

Couldnt have said it beter myself.

Thank you for your views -- I am not a snake breeder and most of what I know is on wild snakes, so I'm glad you could clarify this for me.

Best regards,
pinstripe

On a line?

It's ironic that you used an analogy involving a wolf at the end
of your post. Wolves are one species that has been successfully
reintroduced in the wild. Just ask the former governor of Alaska.

This appears to be a 'theoretical' question for ball python
breeders.

None of the specific reptiles that you mentioned are endangered
or even threatened in the wild. As far as I know there aren't
any laws being proposed to ban any of those reptiles as pets
either.

(Corn snakes, King snakes, royal pythons, leopard geckos or
bearded dragons).