The Ohio situation. Read- this may effect us all
- Thread starter snakeguy101
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Back a bit on the topic I would like to say this. First people have been going nuts over the slaugtered "bengal tigers". Wille its a considerable loss of big cats, THESE ARE NOT OF CONSERVATION INTEREST whatsoever. To my knowlege, nowadays there are no pure bengal tigers in captivity outside of India. There is not even a international studbook for bengals like there is for sumatran and siberian tigers. The tigers this person kept were most likely the mixed up, but more bengal like, lineage that is also shared by white tigers. These are the tigers most often seen in circus and small zoos, many are unwanted surplus "normals" and hets in atempts to create whites. Its a mixed lineage that includes siberian ancestry. So of no conservation value.
The other thing I would like to sher its about the space needed for captive animals. One thing I often hear from zookeepers that work on big cats its that lions for example, if kept in a large enclosure with hectars of space to roam, will often spend 80 % of their time in their favorite "hang out place" and most of the enclosure once checked out will be relatively ignored.
The other thing I would like to sher its about the space needed for captive animals. One thing I often hear from zookeepers that work on big cats its that lions for example, if kept in a large enclosure with hectars of space to roam, will often spend 80 % of their time in their favorite "hang out place" and most of the enclosure once checked out will be relatively ignored.
Interesting, I didn't know that about the "Bengal" tigers in captivity; that piece of info would trash the whole, "Those tigers were of conservation value," argument.
I don't believe it matters; any donations that they get greatly help the cause.
Read the white tiger origin for example in wikipedia or in hubbs. There were pure (and possibly there still are in a few public or private hands somewhere) and comonly spread, bengal tigers in zoological colections true out the world. The problem is that zoos didnt kept records on breedings and pairings, and there was mixing again and again first with siberian tigers. Then come the white tigers (which were bengal originally) and more mixing with siberian. This created an genetic soup difficult to tell apart, and so all the suspicious bengal progenity was put asside and rented useless for conservation all together. And then starts the breeding in zoos of pure bred sumatran and siberian tigers in studbooks. The others were still bred for "bengal" tigers (and allot are indeed very bengal like, they simply arent completly pure), in inproving and keeping the white tiger line and whenever cheap "generic" tigers were needed: private keepers, game reserves, circus, etc. Ironicly genetic studies showed they have a larger genetic diversity then pure bred tigers.
My opinion is that the keeping of wild and large dangerous animals (asside from dolphins and whales wich I beleave have no place in human hands besides perhaps semicaptivity) has its place in the private sector, however it has indeed to be regulated by very strict legislation. I by one part dislike many zoo policies and I HATE HAVING ZOO FOLK WITH THE THIRD GRADE telling me what to do, however if that is what takes for private keepers to be accepted, I do beleave that zoo-private keeper partnerships can and should be encouraged. Private keepers with the proper facilities could help in zoo programs by keeping excess animals, provided the proper facilities are available. These animals may not even belong to the keeper, they simply could be on a loan kind of contract. The keeping of these animals require a network of partnerships and planing ahead, for new homes to be rapidly found in the case of the person no longer being able to provide for its animals. And that is something I really see lacking in the nowadays private sector in comparison to most zoos. That for shure needs work. Also I do beleave that the private sector needs more studbooks for all species.
The zoos would have a GREAT DEAL to gain if they were to associate with the private sector. In the reptile and amphibian breeding department nobody beats the privates. The BEST reptile zookepers were and are private keepers on their own. Private keepers have the greatest compilation of knowlege of all aspects of herp husbandry in the world. If there is someone that should be in front of programs to save endangered species, its these persons, not the arrogant post doc that didnt even ever touched its test subject before. When it comes to herps most zoo keepers simply lack on experience, expertize and entusiasm, they simply want to get it done. Most vets same thing. I beleave that is the real importance of the private keeping, allowing people to contact with animals since a very early age and learn pretty much everything about them, and dearly love and respect them during all their lifes. A person that loves its pet iguana isnt going to run over a turtle that crosses the road.
The zoos would have a GREAT DEAL to gain if they were to associate with the private sector. In the reptile and amphibian breeding department nobody beats the privates. The BEST reptile zookepers were and are private keepers on their own. Private keepers have the greatest compilation of knowlege of all aspects of herp husbandry in the world. If there is someone that should be in front of programs to save endangered species, its these persons, not the arrogant post doc that didnt even ever touched its test subject before. When it comes to herps most zoo keepers simply lack on experience, expertize and entusiasm, they simply want to get it done. Most vets same thing. I beleave that is the real importance of the private keeping, allowing people to contact with animals since a very early age and learn pretty much everything about them, and dearly love and respect them during all their lifes. A person that loves its pet iguana isnt going to run over a turtle that crosses the road.
Seems like a logical proposal to me, omitting the reptiles of coarse. Personal can't understand the desire nor the need to own any exotic. Also the comparison of any of these exotics to dogs, cats, small mammals and fish is absurd. Not to mention the comparison to a kitchen knife
How can anyone logically compare the training and knowledge it takes to own an exotic as to that of owning a kitchen knive.Seems like a logical proposal to me, omitting the reptiles of coarse. Personal can't understand the desire nor the need to own any exotic. Also the comparison of any of these exotics to dogs, cats, small mammals and fish is absurd. Not to mention the comparison to a kitchen knife
Fail post of month. Congratz b!!! I will now kindly ask you to leave the exotic animal part of mfk. My croc is no ones buiseness other than my own. And I provid a better enclosure than many zoos.
