Important Conservation Efforts...

[Tarantulaguy2001]

You're 14? And you want to lead a multi-million dollar conservation effort?

Look. You've got people literally in the conservation field in this thread right now. Instead of going on and on about dreams, learn from them. There is some great advice on here that has been blatantly ignored.

Oh, and yes, I am going to spend a lit of $ and in this. I will not die until they do. If they do, all the money goes back to the donators and supporters. The joke will be on us.

 

[Tarantulaguy2001]

I truly do hope that you mature into a true conservationist. We don't have enough of those. You have a great heart, clearly, but you won't make it far with this close minded behavior.

I am matured. I am in early college. Plus, I thank you for the compliment. I agree. This might be worthless. It is worth a try, though.

 

[Coconana]

Is everyone here pessimistic? I'm pretty sure.

There is a marked difference between pessimism and realism. You have nowhere to throw any money you may have when it comes to 'saving the species'. We understand your passion --that's what unites every hobbyist here--but you did not come to this thread with realistic expectations. You came with 'dreams', and ideas, which, while respectable, is not enough to accomplish what it is that you want.

Calling the choir you're preaching to 'pessimistic' is counterproductive; many of us are already contributing to the current captive population by breeding and promoting the species, given that is is likely to be extinct in the wild in twenty, thirty years. I recommend you join the effort (as we can see that you do care very much) by listening to some of these members here, especially given that there were some very thoughtful and informative posts in this thread.

 

[Tenevanica]

I am matured. I am in early college. Plus, I thank you for the compliment. I agree. This might be worthless. It is worth a try, though.

I took community college classes at age 14 as well. Perhaps you have more in common with me than we thought. However, it doesn't appear that you're very "matured" at all. There are people on this thread that are experts in the fields your project needs. We took what you read, looked at the logistics at it, and realized it's not going to happen. We offered you advice for more realistic things you could do to help the species. A "matured" person would take our advice and opinions and use them to help themselves. Instead, you decided to call us pessimists, and accuse us of crushing your "dreams." You don't seem very mature at all. We're not being pessimists. We're being real. I promise you, not a single person on this board wants P. metallica to go extinct. We just realize that your plan to repopulate their dying habitat is not the way to go.

I already said I'd join your email group. I love that you want to take a stand to help pokies. I'd help fund a reasonable project that would help the species. If you can find an entomologist willing to run the experiment, and write out a plan for funds, I'd help fund a Lincoln Peterson or similar test. If you want to start breeding P. metallica I'd lend you some funds to find a female. I will not however help you with a million dollar project that is very unlikely to succeed.

You're trying to do something that large organizations with lots of money have failed to do for animals like red pandas. You're "dreams" are not a reality, at least not right now.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Mah. There's plenty of genus Poecilotheria go figure Poecilotheria metallica. Let's embark together in a journey (enter now those kind of RPG a la "Suikoden" game opening epic music) for spread the Verb and save the true Theraphosidae that deserves our help, the noble Goddess 0.1 Pelinobius muticus I say.

It's only a matter of 0.1 Pelinobius muticus, all the other Theraphosidae are chained to the Goddess, therefore:
- Save the Goddess, Save the Theraphosidae. And Save yourself.

 

[BobBarley]

Mah. There's plenty of genus Poecilotheria go figure Poecilotheria metallica. Let's embark together in a journey (enter now those kind of RPG a la "Suikoden" game opening epic music) for spread the Verb and save the true Theraphosidae that deserves our help, the noble Goddess 0.1 Pelinobius muticus I say.

It's only a matter of 0.1 Pelinobius muticus, all the other Theraphosidae are chained to the Goddess, therefore:
- Save the Goddess, Save the Theraphosidae. And Save yourself.

I wonder if the Goddess's species is in danger of extinction...

 

[Chris LXXIX]

For instance, no one is warm hearted enough to think for a minute, and a minute only, how much, how many 0.1 Goddess Pelinobius muticus suffered in Uganda, when Idi Amin was in charge? I'm the only one?

We need to know the exact number, as well for a true expedition for discovering, once and for all, the Goddess Brother, the true "Missing Link"... yes I'm talking about Citharischius stridulantissimus. Pay no attention to speculations, for that the Goddess Brother exists... he's living under in his burrow, waiting like Cthulhu. He only wants to be reunited with his sister, the Goddess :-/

Then and only then the 0.1 Goddess Pelinobius muticus Reign will come and Roma will rise again, leaded by a new Papacy :-s

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I wonder if the Goddess's species is in danger of extinction...

0.1 Goddess Pelinobius muticus is 24/7 in danger. Nobility had always powerful enemies, and the Goddess is pure Nobility.

 

[Toxoderidae]

Time to dip my voice in.

You've got a good heart man, I'm 13, and Poecilotheria is my favorite genus. I love them with a burning passion, and my quest is to own every pokie species (which I am 5 away from my quest) but lets be honest and frank.

Unless a massive PLAGUE wipes out a chunk of India's population, Poecilotheria as a genus is doomed, especially Poecilotheria metallica. The reason? They all (except regalis, striata, and fasciata,) have incredibly small ranges, with metallica's range at its peak being around 1KM. We are all that can save and protect this genus of tarantula, as they are damn near extinct in the wild. This isn't pessimism, this is realism.

 

[Poec54]

Is everyone here pessimistic? I'm pretty sure.

It's called reality, something teenagers fight all the time. The British Tarantula Society, with their influence and resources haven't been able to make much progress with the Indian government regarding Poecilotheria. Last I knew, the relationship had deteriorated significantly. And you're going to waltz in with the miracle solution no one else could come up with? You, a 14 year old with no money? Good plan. Who in England and India's even going to listen to you?

Contact the BTS and see what the status is on their Poecilotheria efforts and then get back with us.

 

[Poec54]

Let's not let our poor p. Metallicas dreams die, am I right?

The governmental reaction to Poecilotheria's precarious situation is leaning towards banning interstate travel of them. That will do nothing for saving the spiders and create problems for people trying to propagate them in captivity. Bureaucrats are more interested in 'doing something', rather than doing something that actually helps. The problem with Poecilotheria's continued survival isn't the pet trade or smuggling, it's the wanton land clearing and habitat destruction in the wild. We keep reproducing thousands in captivity, and they keep killing thousands in the wild. What will releasing CBB's back in the wild accomplish with so few places left for them to live? The locals don't want them anyways. We care, they don't. Governments like to pass 'feel good' legislation, even if it makes matters worse. That's what we're up against, and the BTS are the people to talk to. They have, or had, connections to key people in India.

Any effort that has a chance of success will involve the entire genus, not one species. You'll need to broaden your focus.

 

[Trenor]

The locals don't want them anyways.

This is a key point that a lot of people fail to see. It's like snakes for us. Local snakes are inconvenient and worrisome for us and are readily killed when encountered. My neighbors have no interested in snake habitat issues anymore they the people in India care about Poecilotheria's habitats. To them it is one more pest that encroaches in only daily life.

 

[ratluvr76]

+1 on the idea that the best way to help P. metallica, or really any Poecilotheria seems to be to breed them as much as possible in the captive populations we have. Plus, educating people to help overcome peoples fear of arachnids in general could only help with that. Whether that happens through spreading the hobby, or just convincing people to tolerate them, and more importantly, tolerate our keeping of them. The real danger, in my mind, is that through ignorance, there could be future legislation that would prohibit us from keeping them in captivity even. Then the ones we DO have in captivity could possibly have to be destroyed to conform to said legislation's. That would be a true shame. I'm in agreement that saving them in their wild populations is unobtainable, but to lose them to legislation would be further tragedy.

 

[Ceymann]

+1 on the idea that the best way to help P. metallica, or really any Poecilotheria seems to be to breed them as much as possible in the captive populations we have. Plus, educating people to help overcome peoples fear of arachnids in general could only help with that. Whether that happens through spreading the hobby, or just convincing people to tolerate them, and more importantly, tolerate our keeping of them. The real danger, in my mind, is that through ignorance, there could be future legislation that would prohibit us from keeping them in captivity even. Then the ones we DO have in captivity could possibly have to be destroyed to conform to said legislation's. That would be a true shame. I'm in agreement that saving them in their wild populations is unobtainable, but to lose them to legislation would be further tragedy.

What I find interesting is that the sale of endangered animals is illegal in the US, is it not?? and if you look on the ICUN redlist site, pretty much every species of Poecilotheria is listed as endangered. Im honestly surprised sale of said species hasn't been banned. I doubt they would make current owners destroy their spiders, they would be "grandfathered in" but sales of them would be banned if legislations were made. Im not an lawyer, so just speculating, I very well could be wrong.


As far as the OPs mentioned conservation "project" let the guy dream a little, even if its not realistic. Many years ago when I got into coral propagation I had a similar idea to help save Atlantic Acropora species.
I was just a kid and didn't live near the ocean, so had absolutely zero means to execute the idea. Fast forward a few years and guy started the coral reef restoration project in Ft, myers FL focusing on Acropora and it has really taken off. Nothings impossible, nothing wrong with dreaming. However, dreaming doesn't warrant a kickstarter/ go fund me type of deal.
Study hard and get a degree in entomology, focus your studies on the genus, get a plan, propose the idea to get grants to fund the project and go from there. I admire your ambition and wish you luck.

 

[Poec54]

This is a key point that a lot of people fail to see. It's like snakes for us. Local snakes are inconvenient and worrisome for us and are readily killed when encountered. My neighbors have no interested in snake habitat issues anymore they the people in India care about Poecilotheria's habitats. To them it is one more pest that encroaches in only daily life.

Exactly. If they're cutting down trees at a prodigious rate for construction & firewood, and usually killing tarantulas on sight, how can people in another country across the ocean do anything to stop it? The top priority for India is managing the huge human population that exceeds their resources. They've got poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, famine, disease, lack of sanitation, lack of doctors and hospitals, lack of roads, etc. They're a third world country. They're not going to drop everything to save what a few crazy white guys think are pretty spiders.

The US is full of ignorant people that kill snakes on sight. Do you think people from another country can get those people to stop doing it? We can't even get them to stop doing it, and we live here with them.

We're not the ones to preach to. We're not cutting down trees and killing spiders. There's a guy from New York, Romulus Whitaker, that moved to India to work with the locals to save king cobras. He's been featured on several TV specials. If you're as passionate & committed as you say you are, you will do the same with Poecilotheria. You have to be there with the people who are impacting the animals on a daily basis, that's the only way to make a change. Without that person-to-person contact, they'll continue doing what they've been doing. It's a hands on thing, just like with Whitaker.

 

[ratluvr76]

What I find interesting is that the sale of endangered animals is illegal in the US, is it not?? and if you look on the ICUN redlist site, pretty much every species of Poecilotheria is listed as endangered. Im honestly surprised sale of said species hasn't been banned. I doubt they would make current owners destroy their spiders, they would be "grandfathered in" but sales of them would be banned if legislations were made. Im not an lawyer, so just speculating, I very well could be wrong.

The sale of endangered animals from wild populations is illegal. The sale of endangered species from captive bred and propagated populations isn't always illegal. Particularly of species that aren't cute or cuddly enough for the general population to care enough about. Maybe I'm not saying what I mean in the right way, but this is the only way I know to say it.

 

[Ceymann]

The sale of endangered animals from wild populations is illegal. The sale of endangered species from captive bred and propagated populations isn't always illegal. Particularly of species that aren't cute or cuddly enough for the general population to care enough about. Maybe I'm not saying what I mean in the right way, but this is the only way I know to say it.

I see, certainly isn't that way in the reef hobby, some people are stuck with corals that became endangered and now can't sell the trimmings/ props, they have to throw them away, sad and pointless if you ask me, sounds like the lines maybe blurred in the eyes of the law when it comes to different animals, I get what you are saying though, but who said pokies aren't cute and cuddly?

 

[Poec54]

"Ceymann, post: 2509064, member: 115387" I get what you are saying though, but who said pokies aren't cute and cuddly?

99.99999% of the world's population.

 

[Trenor]

I see, certainly isn't that way in the reef hobby, some people are stuck with corals that became endangered and now can't sell the trimmings/ props, they have to throw them away

I'm not sure how the laws would work in this case but would one be able to give away these trimmings? Is the law geared toward the profit or toward ownership?

 

[BorisTheSpider]

99.99999% of the world's population.

Poec you might be detrimental to the hobby , but at least you are advantageous to humor .