The Dark Side of Species Discovery

This was shared by Amphibiaweb on Facebook today. It's an old article which may've been posted here before but it was the first time I'd read it so thought I'd share. It's a transcription of an interview with the scientist who discovered the Laos newt and makes for pretty depressing reading.

The dark side of new species discovery

Food for thought when you next see that $200 "must have" new species.

I've always suspected this type of situation happened, and while I don't like hearing about it, it's good to have it documented example. I think collectors and sellers alike should be more aware of their purchasing decisions when it comes to newer or rarer species.

The more captive bred individuals that are on the market, the less of a demand there is for wild caught. I think that it's important to emphasize captive bred animals are always a better option.

For a new species to the hobby, it is a bit more difficult to curb consumers' appetites. Until captive bred populations exist, I'm not sure what you can do to keep people from looking for a purchasing rarer species. If you point people to an article like this they can connect real world consequences to their actions when purchasing new species, and in some cases that may be enough to change their mind.