Interesting WC chams Article

[Miss Lily]

I found this web page online. I was actually searching for images of gravid Parsons and this article caught my eye. I have only read parts as of yet, but have found it quite eye-opening and interesting! http://www.skypoint.com/members/mikefry/wildcaughthealth.html

 

[Karen]

Nice article Tiff, thanks for sharing

 

[eisentrauti]

Good article ! Should be read by everyone here

 

[laurie]

Wow that article sure makes you think twice about buying a WC cham. It is heartbreaking to read how they handle the chams on the way from the wild to the new owners ( I almost said to us but just couldn't) In my head I knew it was not good but reading it still hurts. I guess there is a reason I have bought all my chams from people I trust. Thank heaven for this forum so people like me, far from anything can still aquire CB chams.

 

[Miss Lily]

I found it interesting to learn that some people are actually scared of the chameleons. I haven't had time to read the whole article yet, but I will do at some point. I read the paragraph where they had to teach the locals how to handle the chams and thought I would share the article with my online buddies! Certainly an intersting read.

 

[mattjillson]

So old it's new again!

This is an old article written by Ardi Abate. Definite must read for anyone who is thinking about WC animals but realize the intention of this piece is to dissuade you from buying imports or Chams, even CBB, at all.

 

[Loz]

Sadly not surprised by the article.Interesting but hard to read about all the stress and poor treatment of WC chams.

 

[philanddeb818]

Thank you for this article Miss Lily. I actually printed it out to add to my cham article file. I also added a topic in General Discussion for Brad's "Round Table" The pros and cons of WC Chameleon husbandry.

Your contributions are always well received!

 

[Zen Reptiles]

Sticky this!

 

[prettykttkat]

Great article, thanks for sharing it!

 

[Anilr16]

The picture of the two chams trying to drink from a puddle is sickening.
Even if I was an importer and had to import more animals than I could count id atleast ensure better environments and other issues these poor animals face.

Sad thing is that im sure there are other Chameleons, reptiles, and all types of animals that go through such harsh conditions and even worse ones.
PETA!!!!?

 

[Jono]

I haven't had much time to look through this part of the forums but I found this article last night and was absolutely shocked, but sadly not surprised: from my travels I've seen this is the unavoidable norm in Africa. I'm pretty sure that the guys who collect the chameleons get practically nothing for them and the additional resources needed to properly care for these animals would make it unprofitable (plus people with nothing are naturally greedy).

Logically this sort of practice is detestable yet unavoidable given the circumstances and while the demand for them is there. For profit, or just to feed your family, the side effects are the same.

The same way battery chickens are treated to meet the massive demand for eggs, its easy for those involved to become desensitized and detached from the fact that they are working with living creatures.

I realize that there is as much chance of changing these practices as there is of eliminating battery farming so the best thing we can do is make the information well known so others can make informed decisions.

The same way I will never buy battery eggs now that I know the facts, I will never buy a wild caught chameleon having read this article. In both instances there are better alternatives.

Only by lessening the demand will we lessen the amount of animals that have to go through this sort of cruelty. This information is as important as supplementing calcium to a first time buyer! I implore you to put it in a more visible place.

 

[Nosybe]

This is a very interesting article. I am against the importation of wild caught chameleons except for those going to breeders. As with any animal, new genes are key to produce healthy offspring.

 

[Rocky]

I really hope you all realize this article is from 1999 and I believe cites stepped up alot of rules on importation(2001?) and it has gotten a lot better since then. While I am not saying the exportation process is nice, but it has gotten a lot better