It seems that more people are slowly beginning to appreciate the dedication a handful of breeders have committed decades to. Keeping locality stock 100% pure and line breeding for selective traits within a sub species. A large portion of fancy patterns and morphs can be attained through pure locality stock. I would think the majority, the only constraint is merely time and achieving some of these goals is certainly the long way round. I myself see it as the scenic route.
When jags smashed their way into the hobby, breeders had choices to make. Some got excited and eagerly dived in, some stayed out and other just got their feet wet. In any case I personally saw jags as a 'short-cut' to fancy looking carpets. So did many others when they were first spoken of. I found it amusing to watch some individuals mock and scrutinise those who dove into jags only to dive into them themselves. Will the time come again when people are embarrassed to say they own them?
I sincerely doubt many breeders today could draw an extensively accurate 'family tree' of the animals within their collection. Not just who they purchased animals from, but where the animals originated. How many breeders can be completely confident of their own collections? How far back can they go until it gets blurry? Jags will just further the confusion in time, especially with their siblings.
A few people preach that captive animals hold no conservational value. Perhaps not now, but what will tomorrow bring? Who knows what Homo sapiens will stuff up next? The bottom line is some keepers maintain a purebred collection because they enjoy the natural history attached to their animals. Others like fancy snakes in their cages. They are both challenging, but one is cloaked in mystery, pirates and porkpies..
Just ask yourself..
If you had the choice between two identical looking carpet pythons. Both are High Yellow and RP with the same mode of inheritance to produce similar progeny. One is a RPM Jungle Jag and the other is a pedigree jungle, line bred from the Palmerstone. Which would you choose?
Your answer would sum up your true opinion on jag/RPM's..