Chelonian Meeting Kent 28-2-2010?

[Kirkie]

Here's something to ponder over. The Horsfield tortoise importation business in the UK is controlled by the tropical fish importers not the reptile importers. Perhaps Chris' comments on the fate of adult females involved in ranching operations was a subliminal message to discourage the purchase of Horsfields and encourage the purchase of Hermanns and Graeca tortoises for which the reptile wholesalers still corner the market?

Chris' vested interest is the reptile trade, perhaps he was bowling us a bit of spin? God, I hope thats true, REPTA campaigning the ceasation of tortoise imports, even it is one species, with a vested interest.

[ClareandCo]

Something I didn't think to ask yesterday - does the farm Chris talked about just supply the UK market?

[Kirkie]

I wouldn't have thought so Clare. Chris said that virtually no Slovenian Hermanns had entered the UK last year, with them all coming from farms in Macedonia, yet they still produced 5000 hatchlings to order. Germany is by far the biggest European importer of farmed tortoises, then Holland then the UK. At least that was the case a few years ago.

[Geomyda]

Originally Posted by Kirkie

Here's something to ponder over. The Horsfield tortoise importation business in the UK is controlled by the tropical fish importers not the reptile importers. Perhaps Chris' comments on the fate of adult females involved in ranching operations was a subliminal message to discourage the purchase of Horsfields and encourage the purchase of Hermanns and Graeca tortoises for which the reptile wholesalers still corner the market?

Chris' vested interest is the reptile trade, perhaps he was bowling us a bit of spin? God, I hope thats true, REPTA campaigning the ceasation of tortoise imports, even it is one species, with a vested interest.

Maybe Dave, you should run this premise past Chris Newman?
My own view, is that paradoxically, the prospect of farmed T hermanni, and T graeca, is a more ethical and biologically sustainable resourse. The current CITES rules, which exclude T horsfieldii, from having a required A10 cert to enter the legal pet trade is an unfortunate anomaly. Though the species does have a huge geographical range and may be, or at least used to be locally very common. My sense, is that this species is quickly becoming a very threatened animal in the wild.
Though for different reasons there may be pressures on other Mediterranean species of Testudo spp. Collection, for the Pet trade has long since ceased and anecdotally, when visiting various locations around the Mediterranean, on holidays I have seen very recently good wild populations of T hermanni, & T hermanni boetgeri, T graeca ibera, T marginata.
Personally, I suspect that the preference Chris was stating in his presentation yesterday for some of these species had nothing to do with trade allegiances, Fish/Reptile, it had more to do with common sense.

[ClareandCo]

Ok, thanks. I did find some of it a bit difficult to hear - definitely age related in my case though! I've got nearly a good 10 years on you......