It seems like the consensus is that only a small percentage of captive-bred animals ever cross international borders to be reintroduced to the wild. On the other hand, the availability of captive bred specimens might relieve some of the pressure to collect wild specimens. So far, I have adopted adult tortoises from owners who could no longer take care of them. Eventually, I might want to breed tortoises, but I would only want to breed species that actually need to have larger captive-bred populations. After browsing rescue listings, I am somewhat ambivalent about allowing my Redfoots or my leopard tortoise to breed. But it would be so much fun for my son to raise some hatchlings under my supervision. I am curious about how you all approach these thorny ethical dilemmas, and which species might warrant captive breeding for conservation purposes.
Also, would you ever consider purchasing wild-caught tortoises? It seems like the various hingeback species and some others might benefit from captive breeding efforts, but by purchasing them, we would be subsidizing their collection from the wild. But maybe they would just be redirected for human consumption if we weren’t giving them homes? In your opinion, which species, turtles or tortoises (if any), need the help of small-scale hobbyist breeders?
As you can tell, I am prone to overthinking, and I respect everyone’s thoughtful opinion on this question. I appreciate the care you all give to your own tortoises as well as the knowledge you share with us on this forum!
Also, would you ever consider purchasing wild-caught tortoises? It seems like the various hingeback species and some others might benefit from captive breeding efforts, but by purchasing them, we would be subsidizing their collection from the wild. But maybe they would just be redirected for human consumption if we weren’t giving them homes? In your opinion, which species, turtles or tortoises (if any), need the help of small-scale hobbyist breeders?
As you can tell, I am prone to overthinking, and I respect everyone’s thoughtful opinion on this question. I appreciate the care you all give to your own tortoises as well as the knowledge you share with us on this forum!
