12-26-2014, 12:09 PM
Like most hobbyist, my passion for dart frogs runs deep. Many years after I meet my first Dendrobatidae, I’m still completely captivated with their highly evolved colorations, their behaviors, their calls, and the most of all the nuances between morphs and localities which includes husbandry, visual and behavioral differences. I hold dart frogs in the highest regard as prefect little gems of nature.
You may see me as a business owner who has taking his hobby to another level, but I am not writing as Brad from Dendrobati, I’m writing as Brad the passionate hobbyist who has grave concerns about our beloved dart frogs. The same reason that I and many others obsess over our frogs is at risk for being lost. We all know the pressure put on the frogs and hobby from rural development, chytrid, smuggling, and many other factors both human and nonhuman. However, that may not be the greatest risk to the hobby. The greatest current risk to our hobby is the onset and acceptance of hybrid frogs.
Hybrid, cross breed, out breed, mutation breed, whichever term you want to give it, it completely contradicts the reasons why I am so passionate about dart frogs. I think many of you can say the same.
There are Dendroboard threads with strong undertones of support for hybridization, defended by just a few patrons. There is a largely controversial breeder who is likely going to start wholesaling and e-comming hybrid frogs in large numbers. There is a professional photography site selling stock images of hybrid dart frogs for marketing use. There are zoos producing hybrid frogs. Yet there is little that we are doing to combat this threat and to preserve our cherished naturally amazing frogs.
It is time for us, as a community, to rally and act. It is time for a collective effort to promote why we feel so strongly against hybridization and why it is unnecessary. It is time for an anti-hybrid campaign.
I would like to form a commission to start addressing this issue collectively. There are great efforts to a successful campaign, including websites, marketing, publication, forum patrol, and many other facets. For today, I challenge each of you to list below the reasons, in bullet format with 10 words or less per item, why our dart frogs should remain pure.
Stay tuned!
Brad
You may see me as a business owner who has taking his hobby to another level, but I am not writing as Brad from Dendrobati, I’m writing as Brad the passionate hobbyist who has grave concerns about our beloved dart frogs. The same reason that I and many others obsess over our frogs is at risk for being lost. We all know the pressure put on the frogs and hobby from rural development, chytrid, smuggling, and many other factors both human and nonhuman. However, that may not be the greatest risk to the hobby. The greatest current risk to our hobby is the onset and acceptance of hybrid frogs.
Hybrid, cross breed, out breed, mutation breed, whichever term you want to give it, it completely contradicts the reasons why I am so passionate about dart frogs. I think many of you can say the same.
There are Dendroboard threads with strong undertones of support for hybridization, defended by just a few patrons. There is a largely controversial breeder who is likely going to start wholesaling and e-comming hybrid frogs in large numbers. There is a professional photography site selling stock images of hybrid dart frogs for marketing use. There are zoos producing hybrid frogs. Yet there is little that we are doing to combat this threat and to preserve our cherished naturally amazing frogs.
It is time for us, as a community, to rally and act. It is time for a collective effort to promote why we feel so strongly against hybridization and why it is unnecessary. It is time for an anti-hybrid campaign.
I would like to form a commission to start addressing this issue collectively. There are great efforts to a successful campaign, including websites, marketing, publication, forum patrol, and many other facets. For today, I challenge each of you to list below the reasons, in bullet format with 10 words or less per item, why our dart frogs should remain pure.
Stay tuned!
Brad