Is keeping WC animals ethical?

[kinyonga]

@Jevin said..."issue of reintroducing a species to the wild is also something in the back of my mind in this area, as if an ecosystem has adapted to the absence of an animal, reintroducing it could be devastating"...but if the animal was lost due to. Something like a tidal wave or another one time type disaster, if we had some in captivity or collected what was left in the wild we might be able to put them back in their home area and they will exist until another disaster devestates them. If they die off because the ecosystem has changed then it wouldn't likely do much good to try to put them back.

If we take some from the wild and learn how to breed them then at least there is a chance/hope of them being helped if they need it IMHO.

A few examples...
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...-endangered-back-from-brink-conservation-news
https://medium.com/taronga-conserva...es-saved-from-extinction-by-zoos-682c454d0125

 

[Jevin]

@Jevin said..."issue of reintroducing a species to the wild is also something in the back of my mind in this area, as if an ecosystem has adapted to the absence of an animal, reintroducing it could be devastating"...but if the animal was lost due to. Something like a tidal wave or another one time type disaster, if we had some in captivity or collected what was left in the wild we might be able to put them back in their home area and they will exist until another disaster devestates them. If they die off because the ecosystem has changed then it wouldn't likely do much good to try to put them back.

If we take some from the wild and learn how to breed them then at least there is a chance/hope of them being helped if they need it IMHO.

A few examples...
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...-endangered-back-from-brink-conservation-news
https://medium.com/taronga-conserva...es-saved-from-extinction-by-zoos-682c454d0125

And I agree with that. Where it starts to trouble me is for example where I live, we have an invasive species of crayfish in some of the waterways because someone had kept them for breeding and when they no longer wanted them, dumped them into a creek. Doing what life does best though, they survived. In the province I live in crayfish are only native to a few watersheds, and the invasive crayfish is one not native to the area. So I guess I don't agree with the keeping of WC animals if said person is irresponsible I guess.

 

[jamest0o0]

And I agree with that. Where it starts to trouble me is for example where I live, we have an invasive species of crayfish in some of the waterways because someone had kept them for breeding and when they no longer wanted them, dumped them into a creek. Doing what life does best though, they survived. In the province I live in crayfish are only native to a few watersheds, and the invasive crayfish is one not native to the area. So I guess I don't agree with the keeping of WC animals if said person is irresponsible I guess.

Glad to hear that, I know there's loads of people out there advocating for the breeding and dumping of animals into non-native environments .

But the thread isn't about whether or not we should take WC for breeding, where possible, I am entirely for it. The thread is in regards to animals that can't be bred in captivity, but otherwise live fine.(trust me, I'm guilty of only reading the title of a post too, I figured I'd have to repeat myself a bunch of times here)

 

[jamest0o0]

Yes, I realize I have got here late, the issue of reintroducing a species to the wild is also something in the back of my mind in this area, as if an ecosystem has adapted to the absence of an animal, reintroducing it could be devastating.

On the note of crabs, could it be the young require brackish water? I know some other creatures are like that. And reading the other posts that could be a possibility. The best chance at success I'd imagine would be to try and replicate where brackish water occurs in nature. I'll admit though I have limited knowledge, just going with what I do know.

In the case of the species I'm talking about, it seems they generally hang around brackish water and then drop the eggs in saltier water.

 

[kinyonga]

And I agree with that. Where it starts to trouble me is for example where I live, we have an invasive species of crayfish in some of the waterways because someone had kept them for breeding and when they no longer wanted them, dumped them into a creek. Doing what life does best though, they survived. In the province I live in crayfish are only native to a few watersheds, and the invasive crayfish is one not native to the area. So I guess I don't agree with the keeping of WC animals if said person is irresponsible I guess.

That bothers me too. "We" had a "recycling" program here in Ontario for quite a while when I was younger...for a $5. fee turtles and such could be turned in at a certain pet store and that way they would be kept from being released into our wilds.

When I was younger there was a pristine lake that had small mouth bass and other good fish to eat and the few cottagers caught them with limits in order to keep them in good supply. At the end of this lake there was a damn that the Beavers had built and in the river on the other side of the damn there were pike. Somebody took the pike eggs and put them on the lake side of the damn and soon there were no small mouthed bass or other good eating fish in the lake. It ruined the whole ecosystem in the lake.

 

[kinyonga]

you said..."But the thread isn't about whether or not we should take WC for breeding, where possible, I am entirely for it. The thread is in regards to animals that can't be bred in captivity, but otherwise live fine.(trust me, I'm guilty of only reading the title of a post too, I figured I'd have to repeat myself a bunch of times here)"....
That is a harder question.
Maybe it's ok to allow a controlled number to be taken from the wild as long as we leave plenty to keep it so they aren't in danger of becoming extinct?

 

[SoberParrots]

I can’t speak about crabs as I know little to nothing about them. However, I find the whole issue of capturing wild animals for the pet trade a complicated bag. So many cons…trauma and deaths associated with the actual capture and transporting, indiscriminate selling to anyone with the $$, possibly endangering natural populations, etc etc. So few pros, but significant enough to weigh equally… destruction of natural habitat and pollution leading to threats of extinction, increasing human fondness and caring for the animals which leads to promoting education and action to preserve natural habitat, increasing our knowledge of the animals and world around us, etc.
While in the wild the animals face many natural threats and have shorter lives overall, they do live natural lives and are free.
I think this is a question that is best answered by one’s own beliefs and philosophies.

I think if they are in danger they should be caught and kept in shelters/rehomed, etc. I agree with your points. But I don’t agree with catching animals from the wild to keep them as pets when they aren’t in actual danger because it can lead to issues with the animal and owner and it can definitely effect an animals mental health all together.