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Posted by doug on July 12, 2001 at 10:01:34:
In Reply to: Egyptian tortoise recovered! posted by doug on July 09, 2001 at 10:18:37:
: Well, I'm back at the library.
We have a vet appointment on Tuesday, just to check that all is well. He seems fine to me. He's got a little attitude, like he was quite happy to be making his own rules and now... Like a kid back from college. Should probably get a sample to check for worms today, I'll drop it off then talk to the doc on Tuesday. No one can believe that I found him.
The incident also makes me think about captive breeding again. About a year and a half ago, I guess, I talked to the Bronx Zoo. They have a captive kleinmanni program. If you had a giraffe, they don't want it, but I mentioned my Egyptian and they said, "Bring him in!" I decided that I liked him too much to donate and they said "No problem, if you get tired of taking care of him in the future, bring him in." Now, he's a pet and I do not get tired of caring for my pets. But, his escape raises those questions in me again. With me, he is a genetic dead-end. Even if he lives another 50 happy years at my house, that's it. They're incredibly endangered and he has valuable DNA that's out of the pool. What is my responsibility here? I'll probably talk with my vet (she happens to volunteer her time working with herps at the zoo) and see if maybe I could "loan" him to their program. I know this would mean a year or so without him, but I'd get him back and the contribution to the species might be vital. Has this been discussed before? What is the feeling about these issues? While he was gone, I kept thinking about how I had just let maybe the ninth most endangered species on the planet escape my care to stroll around a neighborhood in suburban New York until being eaten by somebody's dog or a racoon, or freezing to death come winter.
I still don't have the new computer (should be 7/18) so don't think I'm not interested because my presence is sporadic. Tell me what you all think, I'm not rushing to act, just considering the implications.
