Collecting anything and future nature interest

[Neil Jones]

In article <01bebd7b$3aeeace0$23e11ac3 at e5q5n1>
           venters at iinteralpha.co.uk "Nigel Venters" writes:

> Yes, yes, but crap comparison! Birds lay rather few eggs.... butterflies
> mostly hundreds of ova! also birds = difficult to breed! (Most rare breeds)
> Butterflies (most breeds) = not too difficult!

I find that there is some validity to the comparison. In terms of the impact 
that unscrupulous people can have on vulnerable populations there is often
little difference. Captive breedng can bring its own problems. How on
earth do you put a ring on a caterpillar.:-) 

 So the bottom line is breed
> rare butterfly species.... make the livestock available.... and by this
> action protect the wild stock! I was amused to see last year in the
> national press the usual nonsense from UK  Butterfly conservation about how
> they must protect the high brown fritillary (Argynnis adippe) from
> collectors...

Perhaps you can produce evidence to substantiate this? I do not recall
seing any press release on the subject. Perhaps you are confusing it
with the press release on the Marsh Fritillary which was given legal
protection last year? Even then there is no mention of collectors
in the press release. I do not recall ever seeing a Butterfly Conservation
press release that even mentioned collectors. 

 when this species is so easy to breed you could buy 12 ova
> captive bred ova for less than a gallon of petrol! Why would anyone need to
> collect them?
> Nigel

For some people it is the pleasure of the hunt that matters.


-- 
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.nwjones.demon.co.uk/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve