Well, I

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Posted by meretseger on February 28, 2003 at 07:44:28:

In Reply to: I'm gonna get roasted for this (it's long, too) posted by nate351 on February 27, 2003 at 22:52:52:

:For those of you who don't recognize my name, I haven't posted much recently, but I am not new, and have read most posts in the last year... off and on. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I have at least a good workign knowledge of all the big issues about Igs...

:So, here is a philosophical question for you all... This subject has been hinted upon in the last few days here, but I wanted to bring it out on the carpet.

:Here is how I see this issue: there are far too many unwanted iguanas in this country, and babies are being imported by the hundreds of thousands further compoundign the overpopulation (even though 99% of them don't survive to the point of being abandoned and unwanted).

:Here is how I see our present attempts to remedy this situation: we discourage people from buying petstore imported babies, we promote proper care and health information, and we establish and support rescues and foster care for those unwanted.

:I have heard it mentioned on this very forum that these are not dogs that have been domesticated for thousands of years - they are first (maybe second) generation WILD ANIMALS. Because of this, they behave like wild animals.

:Here is how I see the reasons these wild animals are abandoned so often: 1) people buy a cute little iguana baby without realizing they get six feet long (aligator syndrome, I call it). 2) People buy these cute little iguanas believing they can feed them crickets and lettuce, only to find that their real care is a pain in the butt. and finaly 3)these wild animals can and do whip, bite, and scratch (especially when not properly socialized).

:so, if anyone is still reading this... here comes the heresy. Like has been done with so many other animals, would a contolled program of resposible captive breeding potentially solve these issues? If, for instance, everyone on this site agreed to continue to adopt unwanted iguanas and NEVER buy from an importer, and the only time we bought a baby was a quality raised CB, it would accomplish the same that we are now.

:Now here is the difference: twenty years from now, there is a possibility of a SEVERAL generation captive Iguana. While evolution does not occure in 20 years, a good deal of domestication can. Behavior is at least partially genetic, and so like so many other species, if responsible breeders produced a limited number of offspring from medium sized, mild tempered adults, eventually the progeny will become more naturally tamed.

:While this all may sound good on paper, I understand that we do not live in a perfect world. On that note, I may be the Karl Marx of iguanas, and my good idea might just not ever work in the real world. Reguardless, we do live in a world where breeders produce AMAZING results with morphs and traits of other species, and the importation and need to capture those animals is all but extinct. Why not these animals as well?

:Whew... that was cathartic. Thanks for reading, and I hope I do not get banned for throwing the possibility out. =) Just kidding.

:Nate.
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