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Who do you consider to be the largest "pioneer" in the business?

What breeder do you feel has impacted the business the most?

  • Bob Clark

    Votes: 26 19.1%

  • Rich Ihle

    Votes: 2 1.5%

  • Peter Kahl

    Votes: 5 3.7%

  • NERD

    Votes: 20 14.7%

  • Mike Wilbanks

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • The Baldagos

    Votes: 3 2.2%

  • Brian Sharp

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Ron Tremper

    Votes: 6 4.4%

  • Casey Lazik

    Votes: 1 0.7%

  • Morph King

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Sandfire Dragon Ranch

    Votes: 2 1.5%

  • The Sutherlands

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Mark & Kim Bell

    Votes: 7 5.1%

  • The Barkers

    Votes: 12 8.8%

  • other

    Votes: 52 38.2%
  • Total voters
    136
I would agree, Rich must go on the list as well.

Also, me being a tegu man. I would need to add Bert Langerwerf to the list as well. He brought a bunch of different species into the US, and successfully bred them. I might also add, he was the one that brought the super meal worms here, and bred them for the first time in the US. Now they are found in almost every pet shop across America, as well as all over the web.
 
I had to go with other even though I don't have a particular person in mind. Many others have said it, but I think Evan said it best. The people on this list have done a lot for the bussiness, but in the overall scheme of things there were others who came before who did much more in terms of the importance of their discoveries if not the scale. If I had to pick person off you list I would have gone with Bob Clark, who is also getting more votes by far than anyone else on the list. I wonder if that is because he is first on the list?
 
I have to put in my vote. These breeders have been breeding herps since the 70's and have contributed to thousands upon thousands of beautiful captive bred snakes. Their knowledge and experience in the hobby is really staggering if you were to sit and talk herps with these people. Their animals speak volumes. I have been blessed very much to know them and own their animals. The people who have been around for a while in this industry may recognize these names:

John Meltzer-RJ Reptiles
Don Soderberg-South Mountain
Don Shores-Shores Enuff Snakes
The late Ty Kubin-Reptilia, EMI
 
How about Ralph Davis? He is not in the original list. Although he is new to the business (in relative terms) he has done a lot with new boid morphs.

If I'm not mistaken the original question was about: "The terms that were considered were, what did they introduce as far as morphs go, as far as availability goes, etc, etc." If we are talking morphs it's one thing, if we are talking contribution to herpetology as a whole is a completely different topic altogether.

Regards.
 
lets not forget the deceased

besides ditmires and Schmidt and others of published books but how about Dwain ( spelled ) Collins and Josef Laszlo and Zdenek Vogel and J.P Jones and Findlay Russell and Sherman Minton and Ross Allen and Klauber and Kauffeld and Fitch and Cliff Pope ? Among still living I believe and not mentioned, Carl Switick ( spelled ) , James Murphy, Max Nickerson ( Max Allen ), even Hass at what , 92 years old ! If we are talking the " true " pioneers......chime in here..........
 
Why all the snake people

What about tortoises- the longest living animal on earth. Dr. Bill Zovickian was hatching radiated tortoises and buying ploughshare tortoises from Madagascar before most on this list were even born. Or, Dr. Charles Townsend who brought a bunch of galapagos tortoises to the U.S. in the 1930's without whom we would only see these tortoises in the Galapagos. These guys are visionaries who did it for passion.
 
Hmm..

We forgot one key person that has been at the forefront of herpetoculture, the late Lloyd Lemke. Lloyd was one of the best gents I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and was around long before many other breeders now popular today.

- Vic
 
i had the oppotunity to meet and talk to who i believe was definetly someone who should be mention also and that would be terry lilley from central coast reptiles. im not saying he was the "pioneer" but honorable mention should be said.

santho t...
 
Terry Lilley is one of the worst things that has ever happened to this industry. Search his name on the BOI and read how many people he has screwed over the years! He is a proven liar and all around person to avoid at all costs!

Lloyd Lemke was a name that should have made this list sooner. He was a pioneer.
 
dang.. i just took evans advice n checked out the BOI and im speechless.. that stuff is crazy.. that foo is skandalous.. sorry guys ya should juss delete my last post i take it back.. haha sucks to be him...
 
Not one of the names on the list have anything to do with my favorite genus, Corallus.

How about Tony Nicoli of Awesome Arboreals, Danny Mendez of Urban Jungels, or the new master of Corallus (to me at leat), Matt Lerer? They have produced some of the most amazing treeboas known in existance and Matt Lerer has produced C. hortulanus this season that just BLOWS MY MIND.

In my opinion the voting list is missing a TON of key figures and is isolated to very few species of reptile breeding.
 
Wow, I have to agree with Evan and the others. If you were to go back 10-20 years ago you would not have even heard of the majority of those on the list. Yes, they have made a contribution, but they aren't pioneers.

I would like to add 3 people to the ongoing list; Roger Conant, Bill Haast, and Don Hamper.

My vote would go to Carl Kauffeld for his book Snakes: The Keeper and the Kept :thumbsup:
 
Ross Allen, Bill Haast, Raymond Ditmars, Roger Conant.

I read Ross Allen's "Adventures with Reptiles", when I was about 10. I was amazed that there were grownups who were actually interested in reptile research.

These are 4 big "pioneers" in my book. All the breeding and morph stuff came later.

Oops, forgot Klauber.
 
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