Hogg Island Boa extinct? Says who?

[BoidKeeper]

I’m looking for all the natural history on this snake I can find. If anyone knows of any books, or articles, on line or otherwise I would love to hear about them.
Now everyone is saying that they may be extinct in the wild but I can only find it in writting in one book. “ The colourful Hog Island boa may be extinct in the wild.” (Wagner, p.64, 1996) Furthermore it dose not say they are for a fact extinct, they say they “may” be. Has anyone else read a study or article which discuses whether or not this animal is in fact extinct in the wild?
Thank you,
Trevor

[nuno]

Trevor here's a article that suggests the possibility of the TRUE hog island hasn't been spotted in the wild.


http://members.cox.net/jmromley/jhi.htm

[BoidKeeper]

Thanks nuno. Good little essay but he did not include a bibliography.
Cheers,
Trevor

[hip]

I would contact Gus renfro at riobravoreptiles.com or Dennis Seargent in Winter park Florida. But your best bet might be Vince Russo(spelling?) He makes Trips to south america to look for and study various boids including the insular forms of B c i as well as the more rare forms of B c c they all have web sites I just cant seem to remember them right now but I will look for them If you want. Just let me know

Peace

Hip

[BoidKeeper]

Please do, that would be great. My goal is to read everything published on this snake.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Jeff_Favelle]

How would you EVER know if an animal is extinct? Just because you don't see it doesn't mean its not there (Asiatic Jungle Elephant). But if they haven't been spotted in the wild for a decade or two, then chances are they aren't doing so well.

[BoidKeeper]

That is sort of my point too Jeff. I keep hearing this and reading someone say that some else says that it may be extinct and blah blah blah. We'll that's not good enough for me. I was trained to conduct research and critic sources, and if I don't read the facts for myself or see the evidence first hand then I can't accept anything as fact. If someone once said they are possibly extinct I want to know who said it, when they said and I want to know what they are basing their claims on. I want to know how the research conducted, and finally what are the researchers qualifications?
My two cents,
Trevor
:grab:

[Jeff_Favelle]

Great point Trevor!

But, heh hhe....always a "but":

Why does it really matter? Are there not bigger, more-pressing queries? Like "why did the numbers decrease so dramatically" or "is this a natural extinction as opposed to man-induced" or are these boas so genetically different from mainland Bci that we need to worry" or etc etc etc etc. I highly doubt that it really matters whether or not there are 2,5, or 10 Hoggs left in nature. The gene pool is so small, they are likely lost anyways. Way too big of a bottleneck for sufficient DNA to still be kicking around. I just think that if we answer the other questions, the whole extinct-thing will have more of a chance of being resolved.

[BoidKeeper]

Oh absolutely. That’s why I said in an earlier post I want to read everything ever published on this snake. They have fascinated way before I ever knew anything about them other then the fact that they were some type of small boa. And from the moment I held one of Chris Marshall’s I knew I had to have one. I just wish I had developed a passion for some thing a bit cheeper.:p
Cheers,
Trevor

[Jeff_Favelle]

Tev, I know what you mean!! I am bitten by the Hogg bug too!! I'm just biding my time and waiting for the right situation. Keep in touch about it man. Maybe we can trade offspring etc etc.

Good luck man! How are the BRB's? Feed the heck out of them.