Re: DBT Conservation?
Phil, I respect and agree with most of your views. I think you may be jumping to conclusions on the status of wild collection. The Tampa bay region was hit heavily by pollution, pet trade, and scientific research collectors in the 1970s and 80s. Most dbt populations in west FL are well hidden from developement. I know of a few populations that appear stable. I do not reveal or acknowledge such info to anyone without them acknowledging the locality to me first. The macrospilotas and key west populations (for what ever subspecies they decide) are two that are not seen in trade often. There are captive bred turtles that will be available in years to come, of at least the macrospilota. I am not aware of anyone or group that has more than 2 or 3 adult pairs. I am contacted every year by several groups and individuals looking for these turtles. You probably won’t find any wild caughts of this subspecies in trade. There is a major difference between conservationists/scientists that actually do field studies and “conservationists” that may have seen a picture of one once and are determined to protect them by screaming at anyone with one. I have only had to deter or relocate racoons on a few occasions from urban areas. I have been fascinated with the 10 000 island area for a few years. I would like to be in on some of the venture if time permitted. Scott — In diamondbackterrapins@egroups.com, allman_p