Wild Caught Jacksons

[Dan]

Hey everyone,
So there is a golf corse in my town that I have been told is running wild with jacksons that a breeder had let loose there several years ago. If anyone is interested, I can see if i could catch some. Although I have never attempted to catch a wild cham, its worth shot.

 

[Duke]

Did you ever check out the "wild" Jackson's rumor?

Duke

 

[Dan]

No, whats that?

 

[christyo2o2]

If you catch a younger one please let me know!

 

[dodolah]

i'm interested!

 

[mrcackums]

i heard it is a challenge to get wild ones to drink. but if you do catch one, im sure they would be in a better spot then at a golf course

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

I dont know what the "rumor" is but, i know in north america there is a wild population in morro bay, i have seen numerous pictures from old town up there, of wild jacksons, and have emailed the photographer for advice on where to find them. They are also listed in a book i forgot which one, but showed a small population in nor cal. There is also a very small wild population in orange county that i have visited and observed, but please dont ask where, i wont tell.

 

[christyo2o2]

I dont know what the "rumor" is but, i know in north america there is a wild population in morro bay, i have seen numerous pictures from old town up there, of wild jacksons, and have emailed the photographer for advice on where to find them. They are also listed in a book i forgot which one, but showed a small population in nor cal. There is also a very small wild population in orange county that i have visited and observed, but please dont ask where, i wont tell.

where in OC?

 

[Dan]

Yup, the ones in morro bay are the ones that I am talking about.

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

its prob true then

 

[Kam808]

Woo have fun! Jackson's are wild here too (Hawaii) and they are very hard to spot in the jungle. GL!

 

[Dan]

Well, I am not gonna be able to get out there to try and catch some untill next week probly. I will keep ya all updated on whether or not I catch any.

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

here are pics of the jacksons in ca, http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/c.jacksonii.html

 

[Tyrenlds]

Forgive me for necro-posting but i just got some interesting news regarding the wild Jacksons in Morro Bay.

Today I overheard a woman at a pet shop in San Luis Obispo looking for crickets small enough for her new baby chameleons ...she didn't know what size to get. The clerk didn't know either so I asked how old they were... long story short I find out her husband had caught a chameleon and it had been pregnant. After some discussion i learned the husband caught her at a neighbor's house in my town. pretty exciting.

No reason for posting this really. Just wanted to confirm that yes, apparently there are wild Jacksons here in Morro... pretty cool.

 

[johnC]

I would be interested if you caught some

 

[Dave Legacy]

This thread is a prime example of why this "rumor" should have been kept under wraps. If a ferrel population isn't bad enough, now people are offering to catch and distribute them. This is a species that is easily obtainable as CB so I feel that the ferrel group should be observed, but not disturbed; just my opinion.

 

[Tyrenlds]

agreed.

I jokingly told the woman she needed to deposit at least half of the babies back where they found the female... but really I meant it.

you can imagine the affect just one missing clutch would have on a fledgling population.

 

[SoCaliSon]

I agree that we should observe these wild populations without disturbing them... at least at this point. I am so excited to learn that there are some in Cali just because it gives me the op to do some actual field herping on one of my Favorite reptiles without having to book a flight to Africa. I would love to do some research into things such as what kind of Vegetation they are inhabiting and at what altitude. And even look into more importantly what they are preying on to survive and what kind of effect there presence is having on the local ecosystem. I will admit that if I found an awesome looking male with some bitchin horns out in the wild... It would be very tempting to take him. Some may not agree with me but as a chameleon lover
I love the fact that there are wild chams here period, Whether native or not... It's awesome. We just have to keep an eye on it ... Make sure they aren't causing the ecosystem to fall apart somehow... And then if they become over populated or a nuisance somehow... We can go catch them all before the wildlife people start erraticating them...Free Jackson's for Everyone!

I agree .... shhhh... This should be our secret.

 

[Jeweledchameleons]

I'm of the opinion that non native feral animals
tend to cause more damage then they may be worth.

Yeah I know it's fun and cool
AND I know that they often escape and survive in some of the various areas

it's just not a good idea (imo) to re-release them back into the neighborhood.

I had toyed with the idea of letting a a few veilds out
but then after I though about it,
I realized that all those places were they could live
were valuable and protected stopping /resting and "refueling" points
for many migratory birds as well as nesting sites for other species.
The native creatures have it hard enough around here as it is.

 

[Dave Legacy]

I'm of the opinion that non native feral animals
tend to cause more damage then they may be worth.

Yeah I know it's fun and cool
AND I know that they often escape and survive in some of the various areas

it's just not a good idea (imo) to re-release them back into the neighborhood.

I had toyed with the idea of letting a a few veilds out
but then after I though about it,
I realized that all those places were they could live
were valuable and protected stopping /resting and "refueling" points
for many migratory birds as well as nesting sites for other species.
The native creatures have it hard enough around here as it is.

I almost feel like it would be best if the entire feral population be eradicated. In this case they're obviously not creating a very large impact on the ecosystem they inhabit and certainly other feral species around the world have turned out to be ok. I think one of the biggest problems with taking these "wild" jackson's is that people will be tempted to release them when they're done with them.

It seems like a more reasonable thing to do, because one is simply releasing it back into it's "adopted habitat", but one in turn risks infecting the entire feral population with a foreign illness. The illness could then easily be spread to native species thus further damaging the already compromised ecosystem. This is an absolute worst-case scenario, yet not unrealistic.