You need a reason!?

[Sarraceniaobsessed]

Mike King has reported that he has heard from a relieable source that the ENTIRE red tube stand in the ANF was poached. Folks we are talking about 1000s of plants here. Mike had also spoken with a represenative at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens' conservation program and that a simlar poaching occured at this site in 92 when all ther giant red tubes were poached. If indeed this is true, we have lost one of the most incredible sarracenia sites ever. If this is not a rallying point I don't know what is. I am shocked , dumbfounded and angered beyond belief. See for yourself what has been reportedly lost.

 

[Starman]

People are talking about this on CPUK forum aswell!
Reportedly, there were around 4000 plants taken.  

Only around 5-25 were left alone.
Stupid

Why, why take so many?! If there was
only 1 or 2 taken for a collector who could
look after them, then I would say it could be excused.
But 4000!!!!! 8/10 of those plants will get put
in garden centres, and they will be sold to people
who cant look after them! They just
dont care about nature!!  

Stupid, money-hungry

The only thing they care about is getting money
in their pockets!! All they care about is money, money
money! They dont give aabout nature!!  

How could anybody do something like that?!  

Well done poachers, you have not only destroyed
one of the last remaining habitats of these plants,
you have also killed the majoroty because people will buy them
them from a garden centre, they will then kill them because they dont know how to look after them!  

If those poachers are caught, they should get
at least 100 years in prison!
Or even better, death row.
 

**EDITTED by Mod for bypassing profanity filters***

 

[Tony Paroubek]

Starman I can understand the feelings here but DO NOT bypass the profanity filter or you will be outahere.

Tony

 

[Starman]

Huh
What do you mean, Tony?

 

[schloaty]

Starman, he means don't type in curse words with letters replaced with symbols. i.e. Schloaty= Schl*@ty.

 

[superimposedhope]

he means no #@$%#^ to get around the filter.


Don't do that, is what he meant

Joe

***edit by Mod***

 

[Bugweed]

Gives you a good idea how the NASC could help. If we were in working mode, we could return to the wild what was taken, and rescue the site. The program would have helped us to keep the site active, healthy, and viable. I can only wish that this Conservancy start up would move a heckuva lot faster than a snail. When I read stuff like this, I wonder why this is taking so darn long to get this Conservancy moving. On the other hand, I know why it is taking so much time, and the frustration of something like this, intensifies this frustration. We have to get moving, but I just can't do it alone, and neither can Casper.

 

[Starman]

Oh, right.

 

[Pyro]

I too am working on getting information from ABG and considering I am in ATL it is probably a bit easier for me. I will be there this weekend. I don't know who Mike has been talking to but I know most of the big names there. I will pass on what I know

 

[Pyro]

If this has happened (and that is still an 'if') then I suggest we all keep our eyes and ears open. Someone who takes that many plants is going to want to off load them as fast as possible, probably to try and make a quick buck. If anyone hears of red tube flavas going for cheap prices or of bulk sales of them then please get back to myself, SarraceniaObsessed, Mike or Barry Rice. All of us have contacts who can probably take it to the next level.

 

[PlantAKiss]

Yeah that's what I was wondering. A poaching of that size...what would you do with them all? Would someone want that many for propagation or would it more likely to sell as is? And wouldn't the dispersement of so many red tubes be noticed?

Its really sickening...I hope they can be caught.

 

[Pyro]

I made a post to the listserv and recieved a quick reply from someone I trust who knows the site pretty well.

Quote[/b] ]I was there in April and the site was looking good and definitely undisturbed. I had an email from Jim Miller (who would probably be one of the best to contact about this since he lives right nearby) about a month ago with attached photo of the site that also looked great.

So from the sound of it the site was not poached and it is doing just fine.

 

[Mike King]

Hi Pyro, I heard this from Jim Miller who lives in Tallahasee. I have sent him another email just to verify about this with links to the pictures that Brooks Garcia has posted. I really hope a simple mistake has been made, but like Brooks has mentioned above, a lot of the truly giant red tubes were removed around 1992.

 

[Pyro]

Mike, I know that the origin of this is from Jim. The email I got indicates that someone familiar with the site saw a picture Jim took in May and from that picture they are under the impression that the site is alright. They were also there in April and got the same feeling. I have dropped you a few emails with more details

Yes, I know of the 1992 poaching and it is pretty well documented. Unfortunatly, to the best of my knowledge, no one knows who did it so we can't bring the guns to bear on them

 

[Finch]

GRRRRRRRRRRR.... This threatens the long term survival of the red tubed form of this species.

They should put in a electric, high-voltege FENCE if thats what it takes to keep it out!

Wait, even that and armed guards couldnt prevent one collector from wipin out the last colony of a endangerd butterfly..

These people care nothing about the plants!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know that forensics scientists can find people with peices of hair, they should do do here too!

ANd once we find them, take them out back and....

 

[Bugweed]

Negative in the take'em out back thing. Send'em to jail where they belong and let the powers that be handle it. Pyro can do what he says, so let him work on it. Consider too that these may have been poached for European sale as well, so an international alert should be sounded. The NASC could have replaced what was taken, if anything was, but we aren't moving yet.

 

[buster1]

Without a foaming at the mouth lecture could someone seriously explain to me the benefit of replacing hundreds, if not thousands of plants in an area that has been attacked by poachers. Isn't it sort of an invitation to come back again and repeat the poaching? Don't get me wrong I'm not against restocking plants but doesn't it become a never-ending they take, we put back, they take, etc? Is there a second step in the process to ensure less poaching happens? Thanks to anyone who can clear this up for me.

 

[Finch]

...

if the poachers are determined, there are few things that can keep them out.

...

Quote[/b] ]someone seriously explain to me the benefit of replacing hundreds, if not thousands of plants in an area that has been attacked by poachers. Isn't it sort of an invitation to come back again and repeat the poaching

um i am shure there are

i just cant think of them at the moment

 

[NickHubbell]

Something that would be nice is to add wireless weatherproof cameras to sites. They just might give a clue sometime. On the other hand, they could easily be taken out.

 

[Nflytrap]

Quote[/b] (NickHubbell @ July 03 2004,10:44)]Something that would be nice is to add wireless weatherproof cameras to sites. They just might give a clue sometime. On the other hand, they could easily be taken out.

video cameras would be expensive, but useful. I think that if they were all covering each other, it would be very difficult to down them all and not be seen.