RHJ 3
Dmitri Tkachev
MADAGASCAR: A PERSPECTIVE FROM RESPONSIBLE HERPETOCULTURE
RHP founder Dmitri Tkachev describes how the fascinating herpetofauna of Madagascar inspired his interest in reptiles and amphibians (and wildlife in general) from a very young age and continues to do so to this day, and how herpetoculture has been and could continue to be a valuable tool in the conservation and preservation of this island nation's unique endemic species.
Craig Durbin
A SUCCESSFUL MODEL FOR BREEDING PARSON'S CHAMELEONS
Craig Durbin, a private herpetoculturist from the USA discusses the challenges associated with the herpetoculture of the Parson's chameleon, and presents one successful model he has developed for the captive management and reproduction of this impressive, but delicate species.
Petr Nečas
THE GREATEST PARADOX OF PARSONS' CHAMELEON (CALUMMA PARSONII) THE KING OF THE MALAGASY JUNGLE, THE FLAGSHIP SPECIES, UNDERSTUDIED, AND CLOSE TO EXTINCTION
Author, herpetoculturist, and renowned chameleon expert, Petr Nečas describes the biology and natural history of the Parson's chameleon. Details are provided on the taxonomy, species range in Madagascar, habitats it occurs in, regional variants, conservation and population status, threats, and the future in the wild of this largest species of chameleon in the world.
Sergei Prokopiev
PARSON'S CHAMELEON: NOTES AND REFLECTIONS FROM MY FIELD TRIPS TO MADAGASCAR
Private herpetoculturist from Ukraine, Sergei Prokopiev shares his impressions and experiences of observing Parson's chameleons in the wild while on a trip to Madagascar. Sergei discusses responsible ecotourism, reintroduction of species into nature preserves, education and volunteer opportunities along with creation of ex situ populations, and how all of these activities can be used to benefit the Parson's chameleon in the wild along with many other species that share its habitat.
Xavi Olivares
BREEDING OF RADIATA TORTOISES IN SPAIN
Xavi Olivares, a private herpetoculturist from Spain shares the story of his history with tortoise care and breeding with a focus on the radiated tortoise of Madagascar. Xavi provides a brief natural history of the species, along with a detailed discussion of how he manages and reproduces his colony of these beautiful tortoises.
British Herpetological Society (BHS)
"GOLDEN MANTELLA FROG" CONSERVATION PROJECT BY BRITISH HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY
British Herpetological Society kindly shares one of their publications on a conservation project they sponsor on Madagascar for the preservation of the golden mantella frog. The project history and goals are described along with methodologies for population size estimates, habitat assessments, and future strategies for working with this species and preserving it in the wild.
Bill Hughes
CAPTIVE HUSBANDRY AND PROPAGATION OF MADAGASCAR TREE BOAS
Bill Hughes, a private herpetoculturist in the USA, discusses his techniques for the husbandry and propagation of Madagascar tree boas. Bill presents a discussion of the taxonomy and natural history of the two subspecies, along with his general care methodology, breeding and raising of the resulting neonates of this beautiful Madagascan boa.
Petr Nečas
PANTHER CHAMELEONS' PERSPECTIVE IN RESPONSIBLE HERPETOCULTURE
Chameleon expert, Petr Nečas discusses the history of the Madagascar panther chameleon in captivity. Subjects focus on challenges to the long-term viability of captive populations, and what some causes of fitness in later captive generations of this species may be, along with potential solutions that could help maintain the captive population of this species for generations to come.
Philip-Sebastian Gehring, Dmitri Tkachev
INTERVIEW WITH PHILIP-SEBASTIAN GEHRING: "I CAME TO HERPETOLOGY VIA HERPETOCULTURE"
RHP founder, Dmitri Tkachev interviews Philip-Sebastian Gehring, herpetologist and herpetoculturist from Germany, and discusses how his interest in herpetoculture inspired him to pursue an education and career as a herpetologist. Philip-Sebastian also shared details of the work he is doing with Uroplatus, the Madagascan leaf-tailed geckos.
Hubert Dobosz
SOME NOTE ON HUSBANDRY OF CORK-BARK LEAF-TAILED GECKOS
Private herpetoculturist from Poland, Hubert Dobosz discusses the natural history and characteristics of the cork-bark leaf-tailed gecko from Madagascar. Hubert then shares his techniques for the husbandry and breeding of this beautiful and only recently described species in the genus Uroplatus.
Roger Roks
KEEPING AND BREEDING OF MASOBE GROUND GECKO IN CAPTIVITY
Roger Roks, a previous RHP author, and private herpetoculturist from The Netherlands shares his experiences with the husbandry and reproduction of the Masobe ground gecko in captivity. This beautiful Madagascan species has a reputation for being delicate in captivity, but Roger provides details of the methods he has employed to successfully maintain and reproduce this species over a period of several years.
Oleksii Marushchak, Dmitri Tkachev, Oksana Nekrasova, and Anastasiia Marushchak
KEEPING AND BREEDING OF SATANIC LEAF-TAILED GECKOS AT BION TERRARIUM CENTER: EXAMPLE OF A SPECIES EX SITU CONSERVATION THROUGH MASS BREEDING
RHP's own Oleksii Marushchak, Dmitri Tkachev, Oksana Nekrasova, and Anastasiia Marushchak present an example from the BION Terrarium Center on how to successfully manage a large scale breeding operation for the production of Satanic leaf-tail geckos, and how such an operation could be adapted to the large scale production of a variety of other species for both conservation and herpetoculture purposes.