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Collection vs Conservation

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  • Collection vs Conservation

    I am probably lining myself up here to be blasted into oblivion from all angles but it is a serious subject that I feel strongly about. It is also likely that this has been discused at length and decided upon before I came on the scene and I'm just dragging it up again - then again maybe it's one of those touchy subjects no-one likes to talk about.

    Anyway, take a deep breath and here goes...... I'm a keen conservationist and support programs that attempt to breed & rear endangered species in the safety of a secure environment and then reintroduce them back into protected reserves in the wild - the Aspinal Foundation does this successfuly with Gorillas and Rhinos whose destruction of wild populations & natural habitat are well documented. I am also deeply concerned with the breeding of animals for profit and regarding them purely as merchandise rather than live creatures. It is obvious from viewing hobby bulletin boards and attending the show last Sunday that a great deal of captive breeding and trading in Tarantulas in done and is on the increase. My concern is twofold:-

    1. Is any concerted attempt made to reintroduce some of these species back into the wild where endemic populations are dwindling? I have read about the wonderful proposed Poecilotheria Sanctuary. Could other sites be found where successful captive breeding could help restore wild populations in protected areas? What about the decimation of the Brachypelmas in the Americas?

    2. Successfuly hatched eggsacs can produce several hundred young which if looked after properly can expect to survive to adulthood. Even conceding that males have greatly reduced lifespans compared to females, with this many individuals available on the market it would seem that supply must outweigh demand. What happens to all the spiders that don't get sold or nobody wants? Is a spider for life or just for Christmas? Is there a dirty underbelly where they are just quietly 'disposed' of? Not everyone who sells Tarantulas for profit (and there is most certainly profit being made) is as concerned for their welfare as the people that frequent this forum are.

    These are living creatures after all, not stamps or trading cards that if unsold and deemed worthless or more disturbingly- out of fashion- are just cast aside. Are we breeding too many of them and losing sight of what is morally justifiable in the search for the 'perfect' collection?
    Don't tell the elf!

  • #2
    I was considering getting a mate for my B Boehmei and try breeding. What put me off was the fact that there are so many spiderings. If a lot of them made it to adulthood there would be no way I could look after them all. It would be a case of selling them or giving them away but unless somebody wanted that particular spider they wouldn't be looked after properly in most of the cases.
    If I'm going to raise a spider to adulthood or even a large juve I wouldn't be able to part with it unless I knew it was going to be looked after.
    There are 10 types of people who understand binary code. Those who do and those who don't.

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    • #3
      COLLECTION V CONSERVATION

      I am afraid I don't have much time to answer, but this is an emotive subject. You have every right to ask questions, and well done for doing so.
      Let me say this very briefly, and I speak only for myself.

      Firstly, there is indeed a great deal of captive breeding. That is one of the aims of the BTS and is worded in item 4 of the constitution. Captive breeding is PROMOTED by the Society. Doing nothing is not an option.

      Attempting reintroduction to the wild is an interesting idea. One has to consider the ecological IMPACT this would have. Would the spiders be introduced into the 'wrong' area? Would they eat a certain food that is predated upon by other animals, thereby wiping THEM out? Would captive spiders survive in the wild?

      Also, there are real live situations out there where one can now say "what habitat??????" Poecilotheria habitats are dwindling or even now disappeared in some areas (see BTS journal for previous reports). Great swathes are being cut from small areas where certain species exist. If there is no captive breeding then certain species will be lost to the world forever - an unforgivable tragedy.

      In Ecuador, many Avicularia purpurea are killed every 'season' by locals who burn the roofs of their dwellings.

      There are many more issues - but good question.

      It is true that eggsacs can hatch several hundred young. To me the answer is simple. Don't breed for the sake of it. The BTS has a breeding directory which is about to undergo a facelift - so watch out for a co-ordinated approach to breeding countrywide which will require the input of BTS members.

      I don't know of anybody who 'disposes' of spiderlings. I have HEARD of people flushing them down the toilet etc. This says more about the individual (s) than the need to captive breed certain spiders!

      I can tell you that I certainly DO NOT sell tarantulas for profit, but for the love of the spider I make many available to others. One cannot easily 'make' money with spiders, trust me. The more spiders you have the more the feeding and heating bills rise!!!!

      I know many other poeple who sell as part of their hobby and not for profit. Car boot fanatics will make MUCH more money than us spider enthusiasts.

      I would like to say that many people breed spiders NOT for the money but for the challenge and the pleasure of actually trying to achieve this wonderful goal. Personally I have NEVER bred tarantulas thinking how much income I could effect. Merely, 'can I breed this species and why do I want to try it?'

      My PERSONAL opinion is that if breeding were to decline sharply, this may well be the catalyst for many more visits to the spiders natural habitat to collect and bring into the hobby.

      THINK before you breed spiders. Breed for a PURPOSE and not for the money. If you cannot handle the offspring then don't breed.

      Good questions and I hope I have added a little something to the debate.

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      • #4
        My wife and I are currently attempting to breed Brachypelma Smithi Boehmi and auratum .We are doing this firstly for the challenge secondly to put something back into the hobby that gives us so much pleasure . If successful the resulting offspring will be for the most part given to other enthusiast’s .Profit certainly is not a motive as we believe there is not a profit to be made once all the costs are taken into account. I have never even considered myself to be in any way a conservationist until I read the last post and if what we are doing results in just a few wild Tarantulas staying wild then that in itself would make it worth all the effort.
        Ian M

        Brachypelma.co.uk updated 22/06/06

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        • #5
          Hi,

          I breed many species each year, the current in joke is " do you have any Lasiodora klugi"?. as i had over 500 spiderlings for sale at the BTS.

          Even though i and a few friend produce large numbers of spiderlings of the same species, we sell a few, trade a few and then give the majority away.

          NEVER have i heard of people "disposing" of thier excess young by killing them.

          Sometimes letting groups feed on each other but never flushing them away.

          Captive breeding (IMO) is paramount there is somuch we do not know about Theraphosid spiders reproductive husbandry being for me the most important.

          Other than the above i agree whole hartedly with Carl and Ian

          RayG

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          • #6
            I agree with Carl on this one.

            P.S

            I think the "flushing" myth has been around since the beginnng of time. Its a bit like the " I bought a yucca plant and hundreds of spiders came out" myth. I must have been told that a hundred times when I have been lecturing.

            British Tarantula Society - Join today safe and secure online

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            The 29th BTS Annual Exhibition
            On
            [B]Sunday 18th May 2014[B]

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