anyone seen this?

[Ray Gabriel]

http://iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/red_list/2008_threatened_species_photo_gallery___case_studies/index.cfm

Ray

[KJ Vezino]

Wow, hard to believe there are so few of them in the wild. Makes Captive Breeding programs even more important. Anyone know what the status of the habitat is? Since it is now endangered, will that mean a halt on any new deforrestation in that area?

[Claire Beckett]

Ray

Interestingly enough, I was just reading the below thread from some time ago which has just been brought up on AB

http://www.the-t-store.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=7906

I dont think I need say anything further

Claire

[Phil Rea]

That's dreadful

Presumably the Indian government won't entertain a CB programme. I wonder if a zoo could take them on, given the govt.'s previous precarious relationships with societies.

[Mark Pennell]

Well there you go!
That's what you get for turning us down when we suggested a sanctuary for this species. Go figure...


Cheers
Mark

[Richard Gallon]

I hardly think any Poecilotheria sp. warrants comparison with the other species listed there!! Iberian Lynx is in a totally different league for a number of reasons:

It's taxonomically good.
Its former and current distribution is known.
Range retraction is known as a fact.
The reasons for decline are known.
Its ecology is well known.
Its wild population is countable.
It is unlikely to occur outside of its known habitat.
It is a top predator K strategist.

As for hanumavillasumica:

Its taxonomy can be debated.
Its current and former distribution is unknown.
Its ecology is scantily known.
Its wild population hasn't been counted in a meaningful way.
It's very likely to occur in other areas.
It's a highly fecund, rapid maturing r strategist.

Its IUCN Red listing can only ever be "Data deficient" based on the little we actually know about this species. If it's listed any higher it makes a complete and utter mockery of the new IUCN categories. It's all down to politics anyway, certainly can't be on a factual scientific basis lol.

I could point to loads of theraphosids known only from single specimens. Sounds to me that hanumavilasumica might be the equvient of a Tegenaria in terms of conservation biology - lol.

Cheers,
Richard

[Colin D Wilson]

Typical example of "politics" behind most situations like this !!!...........reactive instead of proactive.

[Ray Gabriel]

Where are Andys comments on the Pokie sanctuary?

I have had a couple people ask me

Ray

[Mark Pennell]

Where are Andys comments on the Pokie sanctuary?

I have had a couple people ask me

Ray

HERE on the articles page

Oh BTW Richard! spot - on dude

[alex smith]

It just makes me so cross that this is just happening, Indian Goverment,loggers and construction companys,locals and societys-why is this happening?.God just hope there are some here in captivity.

[Phil Rea]

Its IUCN Red listing can only ever be "Data deficient" based on the little we actually know about this species. If it's listed any higher it makes a complete and utter mockery of the new IUCN categories.

Well if its distribution is unknown, then even apart from all the other factors that you've stated, how the heck can anyone even make a wild guess regarding the numbers?

Who the heck makes these lists up then? Do they even do any research or do they just draw names from a hat?

[Colin D Wilson]

Think of a number and times by the loose change in your pocket i think !!

[Peter Lacey]

I had a good read of Andrew Smith's article yesterday - thoroughly recommended - and note he quoted approx 600 of these pokies (prior to the Tsunami) within the sanctuary. Is the IUCN informing us that all the trees in the santuary have been removed and if so why wasn't the BTS informed of such a move? I also note he mentions that Thurston Kroes collected the species for captive breeding. Do we know if this was successful? If so is it feasible that from that stock, or the generations of that stock, that P. hanumavilasumica could be re-populated. I ask this because I've never read of reintroduction of tarantula species from captive bred stock.

[Phil Rea]

I had a good read of Andrew Smith's article yesterday - thoroughly recommended - and note he quoted approx 600 of these pokies (prior to the Tsunami) within the sanctuary. Is the IUCN informing us that all the trees in the santuary have been removed and if so why wasn't the BTS informed of such a move? I also note he mentions that Thurston Kroes collected the species for captive breeding. Do we know if this was successful? If so is it feasible that from that stock, or the generations of that stock, that P. hanumavilasumica could be re-populated. I ask this because I've never read of reintroduction of tarantula species from captive bred stock.

Because there is no sanctuary. Politics, as it usually does, got in the way.

Did you read the second part here?

There are captive breeding schemes already in place. If I recall, Mark was assisting a Zoo in locating certain species for a conservation program. Whether re-introduction into the wild will ever happen is the question.

[Peter Lacey]

Thanks Phil, however that seems to have already been added to the original document with a date of March 2007 rather than June 2006 of Poecilotheria2 article.
I guess I got a little confused because people talked about the santuary as if it was going ahead but also because from the update there seemed to have been an alternative:

"The last thing that I heard about the Hanumavilasum tamarind plantation and temple site, was that its importance as a scientific site had been picked up by a leading Indian conservation group and that they were exploring the idea of allowing an established, Hindu temple trust in Calcutta to take the plantation under its wing"

Perhaps that also never materialised.
I can only hope that the species has evolved outside the area Andrew explored. Unfortunately the satellite images of the area that I found are dated back to Jan 2003 so its hard to determine how extensive the deforestation might have been.