Yes who defines species/racial purity? This has gotten a few governments in trouble over the years. I doubt such draconian measures would get off the ground since
Germans tried Auschwitz
The South Africans set up Homelands
Pol Pot tried the Killing Fields
Saddam found the Kurds in his way
Aussies even tried to steal a generation
The point is we are not all seeking the same goal. Diversity, mutation and selection fuel sustainability, success and evolution. Attempt to exterminate any of these and you are headed not for some idealized pure state but for extinction.
I think after perfecting finch breeding I'll take up philosophy.
Hybrids
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finchbreeder
- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
- Posts: 11635
- Joined: 27 Jun 2009, 20:00
- Location: Midwest of West. Aust. Coast
- Location: Midwest of West.Aust.Coast
I was advocating DNA testing. NOT for purity, but
In the case of birds to be able to say what they are. Then if people are happy with the answer great and if they are not fine.
In the case of people for early detection and eradication of disease (heaven forbid racial purity when my family claim rights to the united nations of genetic background)
But - I sure got a reaction.
LML
In the case of birds to be able to say what they are. Then if people are happy with the answer great and if they are not fine.
In the case of people for early detection and eradication of disease (heaven forbid racial purity when my family claim rights to the united nations of genetic background)
But - I sure got a reaction.
LML
LML
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Myzomela
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- Posts: 1545
- Joined: 24 Jan 2011, 18:44
- Location: Melbourne Vic
The mechanics of microchipping are not insurmountable. There already exists a smaller chip than the traditional one and with time "micro" microchips will be readily available, cheap and quite feasible to implant in finches. But that doesn't help us now.
The real answer is, as has been suggested, education and responsibilty. Know what you've got and be honest about it!
The spanner in the works is human nature. There will always be someone trying to bend the rules. But if the majority do the right thing then we will be in a much healthier position.
If we continue to indiscriminately hybridise, and lose wild-type birds in a sea of genetic mutations, we have no chance of ever gaining credibility with governments and conservation groups. I'm not bagging these aspects of the hobby per se, but we need to make clear distinctions between wild-type birds, mutations and hybrids.
Otherwise we should forget about any chance of being involved in captive breeding programs for rare species, even though we undoubtedly have the skills to be extremely successful at it- and certainly more successful than government run programs!- and just stick to having a hobby! This would be a real pity since we collectively have the potential to offer a great deal.
The real answer is, as has been suggested, education and responsibilty. Know what you've got and be honest about it!
The spanner in the works is human nature. There will always be someone trying to bend the rules. But if the majority do the right thing then we will be in a much healthier position.
If we continue to indiscriminately hybridise, and lose wild-type birds in a sea of genetic mutations, we have no chance of ever gaining credibility with governments and conservation groups. I'm not bagging these aspects of the hobby per se, but we need to make clear distinctions between wild-type birds, mutations and hybrids.
Otherwise we should forget about any chance of being involved in captive breeding programs for rare species, even though we undoubtedly have the skills to be extremely successful at it- and certainly more successful than government run programs!- and just stick to having a hobby! This would be a real pity since we collectively have the potential to offer a great deal.
Research; evaluate;observe;act
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GregH
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- Posts: 1671
- Joined: 17 Feb 2009, 08:20
- Location: Brisbane
- Location: Chapel Hill, Brisbane Qld
Certainly we do need better recoring and accountability procedures for the conservation side of the hobby. That said I don't think amateur aviculture is ready to incur the sort of charges involved in DNA profiling yet. While it's possible the cost of individual DNA profiling down to the individual level would be prohibitive but it is coming down. I know for about 100 SNPS markers in rice the cost is now about $100 now and 5 years about that would have been $60/marker when it was all done manually. The cost to develop the primers and data base that records the diversity within lines can be a killer and we're talking about creating fingerprints down to the individual level in 50 species. I think we need to find out if Craig Ventner or Bill Gates keep finches and pump them for funds and then I'll transfer to the International Finch Research Institute - if it's in Australia!
Micro-chipping as Myzomela suggested might be an alternative but it is more open to cheating for those that want to cheat the system and for such small birds it is a rather invasive procedure. If all aviculturists were as honest and caring as the AFF members we might get the government support needed to try more difficult/rare species and perhaps even imports.
Micro-chipping as Myzomela suggested might be an alternative but it is more open to cheating for those that want to cheat the system and for such small birds it is a rather invasive procedure. If all aviculturists were as honest and caring as the AFF members we might get the government support needed to try more difficult/rare species and perhaps even imports.
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monotwine
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- Posts: 352
- Joined: 15 Jun 2010, 20:36
- Location: Cape Town, South Africa
- Location: South Africa
As I see it all systems are fallible but one, the rules that governs our world we live in today...
SUPPLY and DEMAND
If buyers demand purity / genetic testing / record keeping of pure or mutations / close rung banding and all the suggestions made and veto breeders that don't give what they want, then you will turn the supply into what you really want.
The trick is to educate everyone and potential future aviculturist (so you have majority) on what you want them to want!
Lovely tricksy circle.
SUPPLY and DEMAND
If buyers demand purity / genetic testing / record keeping of pure or mutations / close rung banding and all the suggestions made and veto breeders that don't give what they want, then you will turn the supply into what you really want.
The trick is to educate everyone and potential future aviculturist (so you have majority) on what you want them to want!
Lovely tricksy circle.
Monique