Risk/Reward of WC

[EsqChams]

I'm fairly new to the hobby (about 6 months), and I have read and heard very different opinions about WC vs CB. I'm sure this topic has been discussed at length before, but at the risk of beating a dead horse, here goes:

It seems the process of collection, importation, and acclimation is incredibly stressful and creates a significant mortality rate. Couple that with the complete uncertainty as to the animal's age, overall health, etc., it seems very risky to the hobbyist (from a time and resource perspective) and to the animal.

That being said, there must be benefits to WC animals, and I'd love to hear what those rewards might be. Do WC make better breeders, or otherwise somehow warrant such an elaborate process?

Note: I'm asking this with NO pre-conceptions or agenda, just genuinely trying to develop an honest and objective conclusion about the merits of importing.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

The only reason to prefer WC animals for adding genetic diversity, unique characteristics, or species unavailable as CB. CB is always to be preferred, unless breeding is your goal.

 

[EsqChams]

The only reason to prefer WC animals for adding genetic diversity, unique characteristics, or species unavailable as CB. CB is always to be preferred, unless breeding is your goal.

Are there many species that aren't available as CB that can only be imported?

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Several! Too many to name. Some are so rare as CB animals, that WC animals are needed to establish a CB gene pool, because African countries, as well as Madagascar can and do close for allowing exportation of wildlife and/or change quotas for how many they let out, keeping the availability of animals under constant threat of halting or being severely limited. Now, if they stopped allowing exports AND protected the habitats from man, then I'm all for it, but that's not the case in many instances. Preventing passionate keepers from working with rare species, so they can wiped out by development isn't conservation, it's ignorance and the USA does lots of detrimental things, while making getting imports difficult for the average person.
Find a pesticide is dangerous to wildlife? We sell it to third world countries to poison their land and the food we later buy from them, while outlawing here, in the states. The system is a broken mess.

 

[EsqChams]

Several! Too many to name. Some are so rare as CB animals, that WC animals are needed to establish a CB gene pool, because African countries, as well as Madagascar can and do close for allowing exportation of wildlife and/or change quotas for how many they let out, keeping the availability of animals under constant threat of halting or being severely limited. Now, if they stopped allowing exports AND protected the habitats from man, then I'm all for it, but that's not the case in many instances. Preventing passionate keepers from working with rare species, so they can wiped out by development isn't conservation, it's ignorance and the USA does lots of detrimental things, while making getting imports difficult for the average person.
Find a pesticide is dangerous to wildlife? We sell it to third world countries to poison their land and the food we later buy from them, while outlawing here, in the states. The system is a broken mess.

Thanks for the insight, I appreciate it!

 

[jajeanpierre]

Wild caughts can be a challenge to keep alive. They often have life-long health issues related to the what happened to them around import. Often they are marked and disfigured for life. Parasites are to be expected- lot of parasites that you may never be able to eradicate. And then there is the moral issue of supporting an industry that has so much cruelty associated with it.

 

[Carlton]

I'm fairly new to the hobby (about 6 months), and I have read and heard very different opinions about WC vs CB. I'm sure this topic has been discussed at length before, but at the risk of beating a dead horse, here goes:

It seems the process of collection, importation, and acclimation is incredibly stressful and creates a significant mortality rate. Couple that with the complete uncertainty as to the animal's age, overall health, etc., it seems very risky to the hobbyist (from a time and resource perspective) and to the animal.

That being said, there must be benefits to WC animals, and I'd love to hear what those rewards might be. Do WC make better breeders, or otherwise somehow warrant such an elaborate process?

Note: I'm asking this with NO pre-conceptions or agenda, just genuinely trying to develop an honest and objective conclusion about the merits of importing.

Those of us who have worked with many species know that there are differences in their husbandry...and putting some wc chams into experienced hands can help us figure out their unique needs...keeping them healthy, identifying diseases that may threaten them, maintaining captive populations humanely, understand barriers to successful breeding and rearing multiple generations. Even if these species don't end up in hobbyist hands they do end up in zoological institutions, so the care info we develop can be put to good use. In some ways regulated trade can improve the fate of wild populations too. Some countries pay more attention to their native species that have commodity "harvest" value. If there isn't commercial interest and the residents don't care either, its more likely that their native habitat goes down the tubes too,

 

[paulkaranik]

I have a WC but caught him myself. He is happy healthy and relatively tame however I could see how importing one could mess up his life if treated poorly