A couple of points.
A few people have said that finding 'pure' snakes overseas is getting difficult. I do not beleive this to be true, I actually beleive it to be the opposite. With regards to the USA go back a few years and carpets were carpets and childrens were childrens, (also in Australia as well) they were all breed together rarely with thought for locality, bred within the super spp rather than the two together. Locality breeding is a very recent trend. So more and more now we find people breeding locality specific animals. I myself grouped all my "childrens" according to their locality many years ago.
But if we think about what actually consists of a spp we run into trouble with locality breeding. What will happen is we will get a line bred specimen which will not be representative of the actual spp. We will get a domesticated animal instead. To breed as a spp we would need to use the zoo small population tables to decide which specimen to mate with which. I do not know many people doing this.
In other words the whole issue is extremely complicated because there is no consences as to what actually distinguishes a spp. So to bring the debate into herpetoculture and 'nit pick' is irresponsible in my mind.
Rather it would be better within the bounds of general understanding of a spp to group breed without regard to the physical i.e. asthetic characteristic of the spp we wish to breed.
For those vermently against hybrids etc... I feel they should attack with a positive rather than a negative. On other threads people have personally attacked others for breeding hybrids, I also note their apparent lack of experience from viewing their prior posts as well. I think it better to promote the virtues of 'pure' spp (as best as a spp is known). It serves no purpose to be negative on the issue.
I do not think it is very relavent to discuss conservation value of most spp as in reality the vast majority of wildlife in captivity has zero conservation value. This is just pandering to the AR extremists with no benefit to the hobby.
To those that say people breed hybrids for money, they obviously have no real understanding of the industry. If anybody knows personally somebody turning a REAL profit from producing hybrid herps please let us know. Because somebody sells an animal, does not mean it is profitable enough to warrent concentration, remember it costs money to bring the offspring to sale.
If you want to look at comparisons look at the bird industry there are many similarities. Yes people push their own points there as well.
Bottom line: as a hybrid and or morph becomes valuable/desirable people will breed them, as they lose their profitability/desirability people will breed less of them.
Solution ??? Go with your own flow, breed yourself what you beleive is desirable to you and don't worry so much about others
