tonight on tonight....channel 7

[spotlight]

John Weigel is hardly a private keeper

John found and got the captive breeding thing started , but from there it's been private breeders breeding them to the numbers we have now , even I have a trio in my collection, no need to fight guys just saying private keepers do have a part in conservation!!!, more then conservationists think and the rough scale is proof

 

[CaptainRatbag]

What is happening to the roughies? Why are they losing numbers? Loss of habitat? Cane toads?

What is stopping them being bread for release in thier natural environment?

 

[saratoga]

What I meant is that if you love snakes and love keeping snakes, then surely you care about their habitat, conservation status and continued survival in the wild.

You would like to think so, but too often it is not like that at all. There is ample evidence just in the way some herp spots are torn up with rocks etc strewn all over the place.

 

[CaptainRatbag]

These days, most of human kind cares more about the buck than wildlife or thier habitat..... in fact they really dont give a fig

Such a shame

 

[wokka]

Conservationists don't like us keeping native animals as pets , they like fencing off areas in the wild to protect endangered wildlife not captive breeding, what I'm meaning to say is this is proof of how captive breeding has taken a animal off the endangered list due to captive breeding of private keepers

That's a bit "old hat". Keeping native animals creates awareness of those animals in the wild, which has far more long term benefit than locking a few animals up in some far distant paddock away from the view of the average public.

 

[RedFox]

I agree captive snakes are a great way to educate people. The more people who come in contact with a snake in a positive way, is hopefully one less person to take a shovel to a wild one. Education is definitely the key when it comes to conservation. There is no reason for our native populations to be as devastated as they are. They don't get any where near the support they need as they aren't 'cute' mammals or birds.

 

[MyMitchie]

The way they said, you can even buy snakes readily! Common..... we've been able to buy snakes fairly readily for quite some time now, it's not a huge new thing, it's an older popular thing.

I have to say though when they did that small bit on when all those cougars got out and they had to shoot them it pulled at my heart strings a bit. Having said that there was nothing on "walking with grizzlys" where the man followed them to watch their way of life and got eaten by one!

 

[RedFox]

That was so sad when the guy released all the wild cats. He had about 7% of the Bengal tigers in captivity. You would have thought if they could shoot them they could have just as easy darted them. America really need to have stricter rules regarding animals, especially endangered animals. As for the couple you said it is a right that Americans can keep whatever they want. If you truly love those animals you would know it was not in their best interest to be in private captivity. Also it is not a right but more a privilege unlike being able to carry firearms which is written into the constitution, but that is another topic.

 

[caleb96]

Steve Irwin wildlife warriors it's on Sundays at 6:30 its on before Bondi vet

 

[saintanger]

this is why i did not bother watching, and i dunno why they even bought steve into it. i got into reptiles because tv was banned in my house wen i was a kid. so i spent all day out side finding, lizards, blue tongues ect
wen i got older i did watch steve but even as a 12 year old i could tell it was all over the top it was made for american viewers.

 

[crocodile_dan]

That was so sad when the guy released all the wild cats. He had about 7% of the Bengal tigers in captivity.

There were 18 Bengal tigers shot in the Ohio incident. This is not 7% of the captive 'bengal' tiger population in the U.S. alone. There are more 'bengal' tigers in captivity in the U.S. than there is in the wild and the last estimate I was told on bengals was a wild population of 1,500-2,000. The facility I work at has 10 bengals alone not including other subspecies of tiger. There are many people who doubt the purity of 'bengals' and ensure the only pure bengals are found in India alone, as many 'bengals' in facilities are hybrids between either Sumatran's or Siberians.

Also saying the above, the facility responsible for the Ohio incident was not an accredited facility as far as I'm aware so even without the origin of captive bengals in doubt I would say it was highly probable his 'bengals' were from poor genetics anyway.

 

[RedFox]

There were 18 Bengal tigers shot in the Ohio incident. This is not 7% of the captive 'bengal' tiger population in the U.S. alone. There are more 'bengal' tigers in captivity in the U.S. than there is in the wild and the last estimate I was told on bengals was a wild population of 1,500-2,000. The facility I work at has 10 bengals alone not including other subspecies of tiger. There are many people who doubt the purity of 'bengals' and ensure the only pure bengals are found in India alone, as many 'bengals' in facilities are hybrids between either Sumatran's or Siberians.

Also saying the above, the facility responsible for the Ohio incident was not an accredited facility as far as I'm aware so even without the origin of captive bengals in doubt I would say it was highly probable his 'bengals' were from poor genetics anyway.

Sorry I thought I heard 7% somewhere. I must admit I am no expert on tigers

 

[CaptainRatbag]

However, it is sad that they chose real guns and lethal force rather than darting or trapping the poor animals.... even if they could have saved a fair amount of them..... they could have used the moron that let them out to bait the traps! :twisted: (or parts of him in each trap)

I bet the people that were 'allowed' to shoot them are so proud of themselves.... big game hunters

Any tiger of any breed killed, is a terrible waste and shame, in my opinion..... sumatran, bengal..... any, even 'home made x breeds..... they may even be all we are left with soon

 

[crocodile_dan]

No need to apologize RedFox, it could have been another statistic or it could have actually been printed in a news article. I'm also not an expert (but I'm hoping to become one)

The issue with darting animals is that the drug takes several minutes to take effect. Once darted the animal is panicked, defensively aggressive and is far more likely to cause harm to itself or someone. Whilst obviously I would have preferred all the animals to be secured alive back in captivity, there was really no alternative, human life was very much in danger so the police officers had to use the means they did. I did read somewhere of a women from another facility darting a tiger at which point complications arose and it was subsequently shot, so I believe people did attempt to capture more animals alive.

Another issue is even if all the animals were captured there is simply not available space to house them in zoos or rescue sanctuaries. We recently took in a lion cub that was a "photo cub" there are dozens if not hundreds more where he came from and they are continually breeding them to replace the cubs once they are too old to be used in photos. it is a never ending stream that needs to stop or at least be heavily regulated.

Unfortunately some of the captive tigers found in the US are doing less for conservation than they are for it.

I could go on for ages (I might start a thread later) but I've been involved in fundraising money for conservation projects for Sumatran Tigers in the wild and am very eager to continue that work on a larger scale in the near future. It would be a terrible shame to loose these and many more beautiful animals.

 

[RedFox]

Hmmm maybe you should start a new thread it is a very interesting topic. I just wish people didn't exploit animals for their own enjoyment or greed. A lot of species wouldn't have their populations so devastated if we left them alone and admired them for what they are. Not all animals were meant to be domesticated.