Reptile & Amphibian Forums

still doesnt answer my questions about how close the genus is to being banned from trade.

[http]http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/news/news.cfm?uNewsID=15092[/http]

VERY INTERESTING... I am filled with mixed emotions about this article... First off, I do not mean to be a hypocrit, as I have purchased WC henkeli... This is awesome to see that an organization is recognizing that these animals have seen the same plight as some of the worlds largest, most endangered mammalians (typically the large mammals get all the attention)... At the same time, its sad because of obvious reasons... It's great to have a handful of people (being us) who are dedicated to helping this genus propetuate in captivity... I heard that Madagascar just up'ed the amount of protected rain forest from 3% to 6%... Woo who... Sad... I'm not going to drop numbers that I don't know, but I'm confident saying that a majority of the cloud forests are already gone... I hope publications from reputable organizations such as the WWF will influence more drastic steps...
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Ben

I copied and pasted by get an error page??? I would like to read it, Thank you
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Eve / PHEve

http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/news/news.cfm?uNewsID=15092

Pretty disturbing !

Ben I also Have a wc female henkeli, but Hopefully we can breed these awesome lizards and make a big difference!
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Eve / PHEve

http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/news/news.cfm?uNewsID=15092

I just dropped the extra Http:'s at the begining and end.

I'm not surprised that this has occurred. I'm actually quite happy. Although, Madagascar needs to shut its doors completely. Just like the Galapagos, Madagascar is home to some of the weirdest animals found anywhere on the planet, its needs real protection.

Cheers,
Boy

While consideration for inclusion in CITES is a good idea, and what the article in question is proposing, shutting down importation completely has not been very effective with the other species from Madagascar. Quite the opposite in many cases. Smuggling is a given, non CITES member countries are still importing animals from Madagascar and the deforrestation rate is not going to slow down any time soon. Yes, in a perfect world shutting down the trade would preserve species in the wild but in the case of Madagascar they are not putting many (if any) resources in preserving the land and the habitat. Australia and the Galapagos island are poor examples for comparison due to the fact that resources are being used for habitat preservation and conservation on a large enough scale to help ease some of the pains that outher countries are feeling.

Jason
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Captive Chameleon Bloodline Tracking Database www.chameleondatabase.com

I don't think you understood that I'm for Madagascar shutting its doors 100% because of its bizarre fauna and flora. It should be preserved. Its quite obvious that they do not use any resources to deter their deforestation rates. Australia and the Galapagos are excellent examples of how it can be down successfully. As for other nations being able to import smuggled animals, that will happen anywhere, its about what strings can be pulled without drawing attention to yourself. Its happens everywhere in the world, nothing will ever deter that fact, especially in asian markets.

Cheers,
boy

in my opinion, im against the doors to madagascar being shut. instead, i am all for captive conservation since we humans are quick to call threatened/endangered species, but leave our constant need for resources one notch above conservation on importance levels. i think somehow a greater interest should be put into the genus by facilities with the resources to care for them. im hoping that with time ill also gain success in breeding several species, and with cooperation from others more information will be available for people like us to better take care of and breed our animals. i know for a fact if one of these years i decide it is no longer possible for me to take care of my animals, ill make sure they go to the best place, not just the highest bidder. museums and such that are having success with some species keep my hopes up, as well as the success of private breeders. however, the fact that some people just want one as a pet that looks cool, bothers me. also, the fact that regular pet stores can sell members of the genus bothers me, because i can only imagine how many of these creatures fall into the wrong hands. all in all, in the face of ever-shrinking habitat, i believe that captive conservation is close to being the last of our options.

No, I did understand your post. And as I stated in my reply, comparing Madagascar and Australia for example is nothing more than an apples to oranges comparison. Australia devotes thousands of man hours and countless dollars to protect it's wildlife through conservation and education. Madagascar on the other hand devotes very little money and even fewer man hours to protect it's native wildlife. While captive breeding will never solve the extinction issue, and in some cases disallowing exports will not affect it either. The fact is that Madagascar is losing habitat, and there is very little being done to stop it. Ceasing exports of animals will not stop this situation and it will not save these animals that cannot adapt to different biomes. With that being said I do not believe that uroplatus should be available in the numbers and frequency that they are. Too many inexperienced keepers buy them and lose them within a short amount of time. It is the same situation many chameleon species are facing in the pet markets today. Perhaps CITES will allow inclusion of the uroplatus genus and a quota system will be put into place that will cause a rise in the market prices of these animals. That would at least discourage someone with limited experience from purchasing these animals without doing their homework.
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Captive Chameleon Bloodline Tracking Database www.chameleondatabase.com

nicely put
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Ben

I don't think we are from differing points of view. But, please read my initial post one more time. As I previously stated: "Just like the Galapagos, Madagascar is home to some of the weirdest animals found anywhere on the planet, its needs real protection." I am not claiming that their systems of protection are the same, nor did I mention Australia. Which yes is comparing apples to oranges, and that is what I did. I actually said that Madagascar needs to implement a similar program where fauna and flora are protected appropriately. And I will say, you did not understand my statement, because if you had you would have seen I believe that Madagascar needs to focus more on protecting its remaining natural habitats.

boy