Tortoise Tragedy

[Gaboon Adder]

So Buck Rogers you agree to rather kill a reptile than to save it?

[alberts]

Gaboon adder, I think you misunderstood Bucks post.

[Gaboon Adder]

Hi Alberts,

Hope you are well?

I will gladly admit if I'm wrong.Please elaborate or if Buck Rogers could explain?That's why my reply was in the form of a question.I just wanted some clarity.

Thanks.

[Colinh]

I have heard similar stories from people that took a Falcon they had confiscated from a guy as well. They said that they wanted to use him in shows to make money. So free me is give me you free animals and I put them down or make money out of them. The sad news is that Prof Gerrit Verdoorn supports them

[Gaboon Adder]

Howzit Colin,

Check my new Post under "Indigenous chelonians and crocodilians"

[phish]

So Buck Rogers you agree to rather kill a reptile than to save it?

I think Buck was expressing irony ... guess it doesn't translate over the internet very well.

One thing to keep in mind is that the conservation authorities have a different agenda to us. We are reptile lovers, we would like to save every reptile if we could. Conservation however are interested in protecting the environment as a whole, not each individual animal. When you have to think of the bigger picture it can make your decisions seem random and mean-spirited to people with a different perspective. The reason you are not allowed to randomly catch a release snakes is to preserve the genetic integrity of different populations and prevent the transmission of disease.

To someone with that objective it is better to destroy an animal rather than move it a 100 km away - even if your don't like it you should be able to understand it. Same thing applys to other area's of conservation ie the culling of elephants. Nobody likes doing it but its necessary to preserve the environment for all species, including the elephants.

my 2 cents

[Gaboon Adder]

Hi Phish,

I can mabey understand the disease side of things but still a weak excuse.And what if the veld is 1km away from where it was caught?Then genetic integrity isn't a factor surely?Culling of Elephants is a different story.I understand this because my Uncle had a farm and there were elephants that destroyed fences etc and because of over population in the area.Not the case with reptiles.

[Buck Rogers]

So Buck Rogers you agree to rather kill a reptile than to save it?

I’m a taxidermist and I support the killing of snakes cause they have a bloody cheek the way they slither around and think they own the place and leave their chickenbones for us to clean up!

[Bushviper]

I have popcorn and will wait to see how this turns out.

BV sits and waits hoping he can place bets!

[Westley Price]

Haha, I think Buck might have given his usernam and password to the wrong person!

[Buck Rogers]

Haha, I think Buck might have given his usernam and password to the wrong person!

I have actually been fooling you guys all this time, I am in fact a curvaceous black woman who works for NATCON!

[Wolf777]

Haha lol.

[froot]

I am in fact a curvaceous black woman who works for NATCON!

LMAO! I'm battling with that visual.

[Cornelius]

Scary buck very Scary lol. I will have to stop talking to you then. LOL

Well this post and the other 1 should actually be 1.

[Spoon]

What was the outcome of the tortoise story? I dont recall reading this post.
Can someone tell me why the muti traders cut off the front portion of the shell? The agony!

Hi,
A really nice update to this story I got the tortoise back! It is now living with a game ranger on a farm on the border of kruger park! He has it enclosed in a 1 acre piece of fenced off land and its doing very well! It will obviously not be release into the wild again but at least it can have an almost "free" life! The reason the muti traders cut the front portion of the shell was apparently so they could pull the head out and kill it. Fortunately I got to it before it got that far!