Well said.
Take my favorite gecko genus, Uroplatus, for example. If our
hobby didn't exist,
who outside of Madagascar would even know they exist other than a
handful of biologists?
Who would care if they disappeared from the face of the Earth?
People can't value/conserve
what they have never seen or heard of.
Neil
I fully agree with Julie.
By claiming that all pet shops shouldn't sell herps at all and they should stick only to dog and cat food is ludicrous (besides, where would I get my parrot food then?). Though I admit some stores are horrendous in their care and they shouldn't carry them, I've seen others take fairly good care and go through numerous efforts to improve them. Heck I've even seen pet store workers REFUSE sales to a customers who wouldn't offer a cold blooded animal the proper husbandry.
Moving along, it's very true that if these 'exotic animals' aren't somewhere where the public can ever see them, our public will remain ignorant. I feel the same about zoo's and such, people try to shut them down, but without them, how are people ever going to know about endangered species, or about any animal other then their common domestics (dogs, cats, hamsters and guinea pigs). Many people dislike Steve Irwin and those like him, but they are doing us a favor by educating the public about the existence of these animals. You can't blame him for the morons who try to imitate him in their drunken stuporís (and any idiot who plays with a rattle snake while drunk deserves to be bit...and I hope in a place which will prevent him of ever reproducing.). And how large is the percentage of US going out there and actively educating the public, and I don't mean just occasional conversations, shows, or a single web site which may get 10 hits in a month.
When you were two, did you have a clue that that pretty parrot you see in a pet store window is CITES and very few exist in the wild anymore? How would you ever have found out when you were in grade 7 and doing research on that pretty bird that that was happening if you hadn't seen it in the first place.
When you saw your first reptile in an enclosure, one that you'd never seen before...you probably had no clue it ever existed until then. I know I was always fascinated as a child when Iíd see a new lizard, or any other animal Iíd never seen before. (Now I keep them, but thatís okayÖ.)
And how many people do you know that are aware of any other type of fish other then a goldfish or guppy?
On the not buying animals aspect just don't buy from the bad stores. Don't do it silently, don't be a jerk about it either. Calmly approach the manager and offer him proper husbandry information (written as well) about the animal. Explain how proper husbandry would benefit him (the animal will live longer, look better, and he'll sell more equipment if he displays the animal with the right stuff for it...THAT part will get his attention). By just storming out upset doesn't help the situation at all, since then no one is aware of the problem, and ranting and raving only will cause confrontation.
Well I'll be quiet now
-PC
ps. and if you see a petstore that is doing things PROPERLY, voice that, TELL THEM they are doing things well. That way they will continue to do so, take pride in that proper husbandry, and will even work on improving it. Human beings ARE animals, and just like them, we work better with praise then punishment.
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--
Neil Meister
Promotions Secretary
Global Gecko Association
http://www.gekkota.com
Promotions Secretary
Global Gecko Association
http://www.gekkota.com
http://www.gekkota.com/html/gecko_night_2002.html
President
Nova Scotia Herpetoculture Society
President
Nova Scotia Herpetoculture Society
http://users.eastlink.ca/~nshs
