Butterfly Dealers

[John Acorn]

----------
>From: semjase at aol.com (Semjase)
>To: leps-l at lists.yale.edu
>Subject: Re: Butterfly Dealers
>Date: Mon, Jun 7, 1999, 7:03 PM
>

>>Subject: Re: Butterfly Dealers
>>From: w2mxw at nospam.com
>>Date: 6/7/99 3:36 PM Pacific Daylight Time
>>Message-id: <375c4962.1757385 at netnews.worldnet.att.net>
>>
>>Most of them are selling livestock for the major zoos,  whose
>>butterfly houses have become a popular attraction. More of these open
>>at zoos every year.  A dealer I know who sells mainly Saturniidae does
>>an annual volume in the several thousand range to such buyers, and he
>>is a one-man operation. Universities doing research (Max Planck
>>Institute, U. of Wisconsin, etc.) buy certain species in huge
>>quantities. Wedding releases are also grossing large volumes of
>>material as they become more popular (unfortunately). Collectors of
>>adult papered material make up the minority of sales, in terms of
>>volume per individual, but there are many collectors, especially in
>>Europe. I recently received snail-mail 'spam'  from a Mexican company
>>which offered Central American species as papered adults, wild
>>collected. (I guess once you're on the Lepidopterists' Society mailing
>>list...) Personally, I think that Lepidoptera should not be turned
>>into a corporate mega-giant profit-oriented business, like everything
>>else these days- it ruins the enjoyment when profit becomes the prime
>>motive. (And concerns about release of non-indigenous genomes,
>>pathogens, etc. tend to be glossed over when money is involved). Let's
>>stick with the research, science, and appreciation of Lepidoptera for
>>their own sake, as interesting and beautiful wild creatures, not as
>>'units of inventory'.
>>      
>>                                                -  Jon,  W2MXW
>>                                a fellow Ham and an avid Lepidopterist
>
>Well written but a totally fake e-mail,  why bother?
>
>S.
>

Is it "totally fake"?  If so, why?  Since I've set myself up as a sort of
behavioural watchdog here, I have to say this is yet another example of a
message that serves mainly to offend, and not to inform.  Please, tell us
what you are thinking.  It is not obvious to me, and I'm a perfectly
intellignent, well-informed person.  Gratuitous insults are the main reason
this list has problems.

John Acorn