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BBC Science article
Has anyone seen this article against our hobby? One must be extremely ignorant about herpetoculture to make some of these ludicris statements.
"Reptile-keepers justify their hobby in a variety of ways. But look a bit closer and you'll find there's more misinformation than truth in their claims.
"Life in captivity is not as stressful as life in the wild."
In nature, the time between a prey animal first perceiving a threat and finally being killed is relatively short. Also, in a natural situation, biological systems can block the prey's psychological stress and physical pain, so even the most gruesome deaths aren't as terrible as they appear. In captivity, this mechanism breaks down as predator/prey interactions are nullified, behavioural opportunities interfered with and natural mindsets altered. Captive animals probably experience physical and psychological suffering much more sharply. Even if, superficially, captives seem 'content', the stress is largely continuous and unnatural, from the moment of capture or birth in captivity to death.
"Few reptiles die in shipping."
Reptiles are ectothermic: they have very specific temperature needs and are therefore more sensitive to change than most mammals and birds. Also, they have an extremely low metabolic rate, which means that though they often survive shipping, the onset of disease is merely delayed.
"Reptiles don't notice their captivity."
What we know of reptiles' perception of their environment shows that they are very aware of it. They are, for example, extremely sensitive to subtle chemical, seismic, tactile and visual changes. Differences between wild and captive conditions are all factors that the animal notices, whether psychologically or biologically. The problem is that humans don't notice how reptiles suffer in captivity.
"Captive reptiles live longer."
Llittle is known about reptiles' longevity in the wild. It is likely that reptiles generally live a lot longer in the wild than in captivity. In terms of quality of life, you only need to flick through a good pathology book, to see what captivity does to reptiles.
"An animal that is feeding, growing and breeding is fine."
Even those that appear to be doing fine are likely to be suffering from unseen disease and trauma.
"Reptiles don't need much space."
Free-living reptiles often wander distances of several hundred metres, even kilometres, every day. Small species and young can be as active as large species and adults, sometimes more so. Even the most spacious cages cannot replicate this.
"Pet-keeping encourages respect for animals."
If this were true, we would have to see that, for the tens of millions of reptiles suffering and dying for the pet trade each year, a stabilising team of productive naturalists emerges. These individuals would then have to prove that they would not have become naturalists had it not been for their pets. Reptile-keeping is disastrous for species conservation and welfare. Furthermore, the premature loss of a 'pet' often involves significant human distress. Many captive reptiles are dumped on rescue groups or released into local habitats and may become a threatening alien incomer. "
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