With my posts below I do not wish to be alienating others for their choices on how to keep Corucia etc etc. It is understandable and commendable to rescue creatures from poor conditions. What concerns me is the reletive inexpensiveness of such a rare creature, that may entice people to come along do some reading and decide to get ONE. On a small scale this is not a problem, but if large numbers of people get just one without any attempts of breeding programs, we could doom Corucia for the second time. We've already destroyed their habitat, the best we can do is ensure their survival through captive reproduction. Can we ever release them? Nope. Does that mean we should give up on future generations? Certainly not. I am not trying to imply that it is morally wrong to get just one, but a conscientious herper should be concerned with generating future generations; maybe not owning a pair or group soley for reproductive purposes, but at least trying to find another individual with which to breed it to. Corucia are doomed without our help.
I often run into a similar situation with a local herp in my area, the eastern box turtle. Roads and development have crippled their populations making them rather uncommon compared to 5 years ago and even protected in my home state of ohio. I work at a pet shop and have probably 5-6 people come in or call each week on hwo to take care of the cute turtle that would certainly die in the wild, or that they got off the road so they deserve it as theirs. They refuse to let them free. They hear that they need a large enclosure high humidity 2 kinds of lights wow thats a lot, i think I'll just set it in a cage near a window and feed it lettuce and tomatoes like is "common knowledge." I assume the far majority of these die. I would have no problem with people keeping these "not quite so rare" turtles if attempts were made to breed them or even keep them correctly alone. Each one of those turtles is essentially dead the second it enters captivity even if it lives 20 years with that person. Its genes never get passed on, its no longer a live individual trying to ensure survival, its a play thing.
In conclusion I hope that I did not offend anyone with my opinions, but at the same time, I think it is a shame to look at these situations in ways that dont include the big picture.
Justin
