- Joined
- Aug 17, 2006
- Messages
- 96
*Posted with permission from Scott and Debby*
Attention: US tarantula breeders, vendors, and keepers! We need your help!
There are currently five species of Poecilotheria listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and this number is likely to grow. Due to their status, they cannot legally be sold or traded across state lines. This leaves many keepers unable to legally acquire these species, and with no idea when or if they will become available in their state.
The US hobby relies heavily on imports from Europe, where much more breeding is being done. As of 2018, Brazilian endemic species can no longer be imported into the US from any country, per the US Lacey Act. This means the Brazilian endemic spiders that entered the US prior and up to 2018 are all that we have. Without a conscious effort to sustain the US populations, we stand to slowly lose many species through a lack of breeding. This affects many well known species, including Acanthoscurria geniculata, Grammostola pulchra, and Nhandu chromatus, just to name a few.
Breeding loans and true gifts of ESA Poecilotheria across state lines are allowed under the law. As a proactive measure, and to facilitate future breeding projects and gifting where needed, a searchable database of Poecilotheria and Brazilian endemic species owned by state is being created. This project is a collaborative effort between myself, libra0804 (Wonderland Exotics), RHawk, Randeezy (North Texas Tarantula Breeders), ldmorris, and a couple other folks. Our goal is to work within the law, to ensure each state has legal access to these species. The database is currently being set up in a Google sheet, which will be made available for anyone to view with a link.
The first "Tarantula Sustainment Project" survey is ready! This survey is for residents of the contiguous United States, who currently own any species of the Poecilotheria genus. You can take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tarantulasustainment.
Please keep in mind, the info collected in these surveys will be added to the database, which will be publicly available to anyone with an internet connection. Please be aware of your state's laws (if any) regarding which species are legal to own. Links to the Brazilian endemic survey and to the database will also be posted once they're ready.
Thank you to everyone who's shared their interest in helping this project grow! We can't do it without you!
Attention: US tarantula breeders, vendors, and keepers! We need your help!
There are currently five species of Poecilotheria listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and this number is likely to grow. Due to their status, they cannot legally be sold or traded across state lines. This leaves many keepers unable to legally acquire these species, and with no idea when or if they will become available in their state.
The US hobby relies heavily on imports from Europe, where much more breeding is being done. As of 2018, Brazilian endemic species can no longer be imported into the US from any country, per the US Lacey Act. This means the Brazilian endemic spiders that entered the US prior and up to 2018 are all that we have. Without a conscious effort to sustain the US populations, we stand to slowly lose many species through a lack of breeding. This affects many well known species, including Acanthoscurria geniculata, Grammostola pulchra, and Nhandu chromatus, just to name a few.
Breeding loans and true gifts of ESA Poecilotheria across state lines are allowed under the law. As a proactive measure, and to facilitate future breeding projects and gifting where needed, a searchable database of Poecilotheria and Brazilian endemic species owned by state is being created. This project is a collaborative effort between myself, libra0804 (Wonderland Exotics), RHawk, Randeezy (North Texas Tarantula Breeders), ldmorris, and a couple other folks. Our goal is to work within the law, to ensure each state has legal access to these species. The database is currently being set up in a Google sheet, which will be made available for anyone to view with a link.
The first "Tarantula Sustainment Project" survey is ready! This survey is for residents of the contiguous United States, who currently own any species of the Poecilotheria genus. You can take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tarantulasustainment.
Please keep in mind, the info collected in these surveys will be added to the database, which will be publicly available to anyone with an internet connection. Please be aware of your state's laws (if any) regarding which species are legal to own. Links to the Brazilian endemic survey and to the database will also be posted once they're ready.
Thank you to everyone who's shared their interest in helping this project grow! We can't do it without you!
I really want to help improve the breeding situation in the US so I'm excited ya'll are doing this project
