Gopher, back to the wild ? Cruel ?

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But, why take the chance of taking something out that doesn't need to be. Suppose it's carrying a virus or bacteria that it picked up in captivity in SPITE of being in a different room. There are airborn nasties too.

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I'm perfectly aware of all this. But as long as the animal in question is healthy and native to the area its being released, I just don't think its a very big deal. Thats what I'm comfortable with, thank you.

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I think we have so little evidence to support either side, that it may be best to err on the side of caution. Take the golden frog for example. I believe it was Tracy Barker that was doing a study on the golden frog in S. America and (I could be wrong, paraphrasing) Dave barker had said on Reptile Radio that the golden frog is believed to be extinct in the wild. All because of hikers propagating a fungus (I think, it could be something else) when they tracked through the jungle. The golden frog has been nearly eliminated from simply walking!

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Word.

I mean, going by that, if we really, truly want to make a difference, we should never go into nature again and just stay in our buildings and cars. This is not feasible.

Its like choosing to be a vegetarian to help the environment, yet still own/drive a car. You're really not doing that much. So people need to practice what they preach before they get on to me about saving the world, so to speak.

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Originally Posted by Ophiuchus

I'm perfectly aware of all this. But as long as the animal in question is healthy

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Ohhhh, I missed the part about making sure it was healthy.

I take it for granted that since no one in this thread is a Vet., that one will be consulted, the snake will be taken in and checked for parasites, bacteria and possible viral infections. You see, short of that, there is no way to truly know if the snake is healthy or not.

Of course, if one is prone to ASSumptions........

He stated that it had healed up.

And how healthy is "healthy"? I mean, I dont think there's a living being on this planet thats 100% healthy; free of any and all possible ailments, diseases, disorders, parasites, etc. Where should one draw the line as to how healthy the snake in question should be to permit release?

Just food for thought...

If that snake was exposed to Crypto or any other fatal parasite/bacteria/virus, then how is the rescuer going to know??

It's just not wise to release any LTC animal back into the wild, regardless of how good the releaser's intentions are. The snake may be carrying something that wild snakes have never been exposed to, and then it gets spread like wildfire, killing off the native species.

Not something I would want to be responsible for..

Exactly.

IMO, this is about as important as worrying about contracting Salmonella.

I guess I'm alone on this one.

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Originally Posted by Ophiuchus

. Where should one draw the line as to how healthy the snake in question should be to permit release?

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This statement brings to mind the thread about newbs asking advice then getting mad when they don't hear what they want.

You've asked a question several times and gotten the same answer several times.

The line, for several posters, is once it's in captivity it stays in captivity. I'm sure you can see that.

You are alone, apparently, on this one. Draw all the allegories you want but the bottom line is that most feel it is better to be safe than sorry.

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Originally Posted by Ophiuchus

IMO, this is about as important as worrying about contracting Salmonella.

I guess I'm alone on this one.

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By the way, there is about an 80% chance that you do have the salmonella bacteria active in your system right now, quite possibly more than one strain of it. However, so long as you are healthy, not stressed, living comfortably in captivity, you will show no signs of it, even though you will expell it through your feces and other body fluids such as saliva.

But hey, go ahead and turn that guy loose. I mean, what the heck, he LOOKS goood. Right?

Indeed.

My point was that nature will often find a way. Mankind as a whole is a huge encroachment upon every other living thing we share this planet with, and yet we still worry about parasites that may or may not actually do a darn thing. But hey, I'll remain open-minded about this (contrary to what the snobs at BP.net think)...is there some evidence that proves releasing LTCs reptiles back into the wild is detrimental and aactually poses a large risk to the species in question? I'm not talking about soft, absorbant-skinned amphibians here; I'm talking reptiles. I'll read it if someone can post a link?

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This statement brings to mind the thread about newbs asking advice then getting mad when they don't hear what they want

You've asked a question several times and gotten the same answer several times.

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First of all, I'm not a newb. Secondly, I'm not the one who started this thread or asked for anyone's advice. We all just have different opinions and I'm trying to share mine. And right now, until someone shows me some of that bonafide evidence, nothing has changed; its merely your opinion against mine.