The Invisible Ark: In Defense of Captivity

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chris_mcmartin
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The Invisible Ark: In Defense of Captivity

Post by chris_mcmartin »

by Dave and Tracy Barker.

http://vpi.com/store/products/invisible ... arker-2014

$15 US, includes shipping.

I have the book. I've read the book. It is interesting and walks the reader methodically through its main points. Curious to hear others' thoughts.
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Kelly Mc
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Re: The Invisible Ark: In Defense of Captivity

Post by Kelly Mc »

That sounds very interesting. I have always admired the caliber of information and presentation of Vida Preciosa.
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gbin
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Re: The Invisible Ark: In Defense of Captivity

Post by gbin »

Good tip, Chris! I'm going to order a copy for myself now that I know about it, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit for my thoughts on it.

Gerry
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chris_mcmartin
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Re: The Invisible Ark: In Defense of Captivity

Post by chris_mcmartin »

I got mine within a few days of ordering direct from the Barkers, and they even signed it.

I moved it to the front of my stack of books awaiting my attention, and I'm glad I did. I STILL have a big stack of books to read... 8-)
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Kelly Mc
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Re: The Invisible Ark: In Defense of Captivity

Post by Kelly Mc »

Yeah this sounds good.

Captivity can be an intriguing lens. I have wondered also about the effect of being habituated to the absence of predation, The Utopia Effect I call it.

That it is unnatural isn't the key issue, but the plasticity of behaviors and what we see because of it, because of its anomaly, can be one of the few "lenses" we have in our grasp.

But it all is moot without other factors that create a living space that provides replicant of factors that enable normal movement, and perception of surroundings.
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chris_mcmartin
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Re: The Invisible Ark: In Defense of Captivity

Post by chris_mcmartin »

The book's focus is not on husbandry but rather the idea that we have a large reservoir of various species (not just herps) being held privately that serve as a hedge against extinction. I don't want to give too much away as I probably won't represent the book as faithfully as simply reading it--it's around 160 pages and a quick read.
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gbin
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Re: The Invisible Ark: In Defense of Captivity

Post by gbin »

Chris, are you familiar with a book by Jon Luoma on the professional side of this subject, A Crowded Ark? It's rather dated now, but if you haven't yet read it I think you would still enjoy doing so.

Kelly, I don't think it will be much longer before one or more books come out summarizing, and hopefully synthesizing, all of the work that's now going on in the area of animal thought processes, in particular as they pertain to animal management. There are quite a number of people in zoos and some elsewhere presently looking at animal personality types (e.g. introverted versus extroverted) and outlooks (e.g. optimistic versus pessimistic), etc. in addition to much older related areas such as intelligence and self-awareness, and in quite a diversity of species. Interesting stuff!

Gerry
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