Mokele
New member
Except that's not what I said.
Recessive does not necessarily equal bad, and dominant doesn't necessarily equal good. But one of the most common types of mutations, loss of function mutations, where the gene is rendered non-functional, are usually recessive.
Furthermore, in the case of dominant damaging mutations, the case for inbreeding is much, much worse, so I was being optimistic, in order to avoid being labeled 'doom-and-gloom'.
When did I say anything even remotely like that? I've been keeping snakes for over 15 years, have cared for dozens of species, and have plans to try to introduce a few new species to captivity once I find time and space.
That I'm aware of potential problems in no way means I somehow think it's all bad. That's like saying a car mechanic who knows all the problems that can occur therefore hates driving and cars.
Not necessarily. Check out beardies - they're stunted and have shortened lifespan compared to their wild counterparts, all because Australia won't let new ones out, so the gene pool has suffered from founder effect and inbreeding effects. They're an extreme example, but any small population of animals - either on an island or in captivity - runs the risk of genetic drift fixing negative alleles.
I'm not saying we should stop captive breeding by any stretch - I'm simply saying that by introducing a dozen or so wild animals into the breeding pool every few years, a lot of potential problems will go away. Such a tiny number would have minimal impact on wild populations, while providing new genes for generations of captive bred animals to maintain health and fitness.
Mokele
