RFI: releasing butterflies
Liz Swanson/Graceful WIngs
gracefulwings at cox.net
Thu Apr 10 17:02:27 EDT 2003
Glenn in response to your concern about releasing butterflies........
Most of the opposition statements on releases are from the North
American Butterfly Assoc. web site.
Below are some POSITIVE :-) responses to concerns about releases from
the IBBA (International Butterfly Breeders Assoc.) There is much more
info available with opinions from experts listed on the IBBA's web site
under Butterfly Release- Why it's OK. www.butterflybreeders.org
Liz Swanson
Many elementary school students raise and release butterflies as part of
their science education program. This is a magnificent introduction into
the wonders of nature for the small children. The release of butterflies
at funerals, weddings and other events is a very worthwhile, spiritual
and emotional experience.
The release of butterflies at special events increases public awareness
of the magnificence of this insect. Hopefully, people will become
involved in putting a stop to the unbridled destruction of butterfly
habitat, the indiscriminate use of insecticides and they will develop a
desire to modify their landscape to include larva host plants and nectar
plants. Butterflies are the ambassadors of goodwill for the insect world.
Commercial butterfly breeders are meticulous in the raising, packaging
and shipping of live butterflies so they arrive healthy and vigorous.
They're not shipped at inappropriate times of the year. The USDA and the
State Departments of Agriculture will not permit butterflies to be
shipped and released in areas they do not normally occur. Butterfly
farmers adhere to USDA permitting regulations and ship butterflies
interstate for release to the environment ONLY where they occur naturally.
There is no scientific data that commercially raised butterflies spread
diseases and epidemics to native butterfly populations. To the contrary,
commercial butterfly breeders must be meticulous to prevent the spread
of diseases from the wild population to their butterfly stock. If this
happens, their stock will be completely wiped out and they will have no
butterflies to release.
In the last 32 years, Insect Lore has shipped out over 8 million Painted
Lady larvae; and Monarch Watch Program has shipped 250,000 Monarch
larvae in the last 8 years. No damage to local butterfly populations nor
to the environment has been reported to have occurred as a result of
this livestock being sold, raised and released.
Glenn Williams wrote:
> I am currently raising a few Painted Ladies, as is my daughter's
> kindergarten class. Could someone direct me to an article or source
> for information on the danger of releasing these after they have
> become adults. I remember reading something about this but I can't
> recall the details. I thought it had to do with their hard-wired
> migratory and navigational ability. I would like to be able to
> explain why these buterflies should not be released if it is indeed
> wrong to do so.
>
>
>
> Glenn Williams
>
> Mystic, CT
>
>
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