Discussion -- Releasing Pets into the Wild

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jm1212

Pterophyllum scalare
Jul 22, 2006
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Jon
this is much like the Monk Parrot (Quaker Parakeet) colony we have here in Chicago, and there are many other breeding colonies in other cities across the U.S. there are so many breeding populations that some states have banned them and you can be fined for posessing a Quaker, and in some states it will be imediatly euthanized. some Quakers may have escaped by accident, but there have been mass releases by PTA and other animal rights extremeiststs that have lead to the deaths of many of these birds, either from food depirvation, being captured and euthanized, or freezing or being killed by harsh waether. needless to say, the population of Quakers keeps growing. i do not agree with releasing fish/birds/cats/dogs/ rabbits etc. etc. etc. whatsoever (especially because of the risks as mantioned above, and because they have learned to depend on people for food)

back to the fish... well, there are numerous Aisan carp poulations in the Du Page River that were released by people that were origionally pets (may have been koi and reverted back to their natural state) and dont serve much of a problem, but they have reduced natives in our area by a bit. there are also snake head incidentsin remote lakes where the local population has be totally decimated by these predators.
 

coupedefleur

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Jul 25, 2006
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Of course if there's a major flood, you may not have any choice in the matter. We had a flood several years ago and the water was 2' deep in the basement, just inches from the rim of my 50 gallon tank. If fish had escaped they would have been loose in the basement and probably flushed into a sanitary sewer, but a major knock-your-house-down flood is going to release any fish to the outside world.
 

The TRUST

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mach_six said:
I didn't know Snakeheads can live in waters that cold up north.

Only 1 species of Snakehead can which is Channa Argus aka The Northern Snakehead. All other Snakehead species are cold sensitive and wont stand a chance in the cold north. Heck most wont even survive a California winter.
 

jm1212

Pterophyllum scalare
Jul 22, 2006
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coupedefleur said:
Of course if there's a major flood, you may not have any choice in the matter. We had a flood several years ago and the water was 2' deep in the basement, just inches from the rim of my 50 gallon tank. If fish had escaped they would have been loose in the basement and probably flushed into a sanitary sewer, but a major knock-your-house-down flood is going to release any fish to the outside world.
that would be considered accidental, not so much intentional, like when an irrisposible fish keeper can no longer sustain his 40 koi and releases them into the local lake, or when an animal rights extremist group (cough cough PETA cough cough) goes in and buys every last black skirt tetra, for exmple, and then releses them into the river, as their totally INSANE idea of SAVING them, when they are acctually introducing a plague of tropical diseases, along with the fact that they will all most likely die from the cold water.
 

Lobo.

sheep in wolf's clothing
Feb 24, 2005
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kiduv like when peta bought all the minks from a mink farm, and released them into the english countryside, where they ran umok killing native plants and animals until the local townspeople rallied and killed them off...

i always worry that snails are getting out of my tank through waterchanges... ill bet that ive introduced ramshorn, pondsnails, and MTS into the sewers at least, could they then survive to the river?
 

plah831

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Apr 29, 2006
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Lobo, I've worried about the same thing. I've heard of them surviving in plumbing, only to back up your sink after growing for a few months! So I've no doubt they can survive in the sewage systems and rivers.

But it's so hard to avoid washing down some baby snails when I do a water change. I should get in the habit of pouring some bleach down the drain after I'm done, I guess.
 

Evan214

iSi se puede!
Nov 12, 2006
188
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Los Angeles
Someone stated above that there is a Monk Parrot population in the wild in Chicago. Well in Long Beach, CA, there is a wild parakeet flock of apparently escaped or released pets. The first time I saw them, I had to double-take because I just thought they were extremely colorful pidgeons. But no, they are honest to God parakeets! Just thought I'd let an interesting fact out.
 

fishcatch22

The Picotoper
Jun 13, 2006
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Evan214 said:
Someone stated above that there is a Monk Parrot population in the wild in Chicago. Well in Long Beach, CA, there is a wild parakeet flock of apparently escaped or released pets. The first time I saw them, I had to double-take because I just thought they were extremely colorful pidgeons. But no, they are honest to God parakeets! Just thought I'd let an interesting fact out.
yeah, we had the same thing back in florida.

one good reason why you must ALWAYS clip the wings of your pets birds unless it is a homing pigeon
 

Evan214

iSi se puede!
Nov 12, 2006
188
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Los Angeles
fishcatch22 said:
yeah, we had the same thing back in florida.

one good reason why you must ALWAYS clip the wings of your pets birds unless it is a homing pigeon
Good point! :idea:
 
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