To
be or not to be!
(a member of an arachnid society....)
by Martin Overton
Most of us in
this hobby are members of an Arachnid Society,
such as the ATS or BTS, but what are the benefits
of belonging to a society such as these. This
article was written to explore the pros and cons
so that those new to this fascinating hobby can
understand why they really should join.
1. Part of a group of
like-minded individuals:
This is the main reason most of
us joined a society, as our hobby is still
relatively new when compared to what most people
would call normal pet related hobbies (cats,
dogs, birds, etc.)
It allows us to pool our
resources, compare notes, and maintain sexing,
breeding and research groups.
2. Experts just a
call away:
We all need help from time to
time, yes the internet has made it easier to find
our arachnophiles, and everyone's got advice to
offer, and by and large most of the advice on
offer is relatively good. BUT, many of the
experts are not on the internet, wouldn't use a
computer if we paid them to and therefore their
contact details are usually only available to
other society members.
3. The Journals:
Funds of information, from simple
observations to papers on new species. The
society journals have something for everyone
interested in this hobby. A great place to share
your thoughts and findings or just to debate over
previous articles.
4. Giving something
back to the hobby:
Many societies have breeding
programs to help alleviate the threat to the
native stock. Many offer libraries, sexing
services, etc. By offering an article to your
societies journal, whether it be a simple
observation or a full technical article, you are
helping to raise the level of our understanding
of these fascinating creatures.
Some members go further by doing
talks and presentations to schools, youth groups
or indeed anyone that is willing to listen.
This helps to dispel the myths
and half-truths and just maybe this information
will be passed on to others and like a rolling
stone, the momentum will gather......
Well I'm sure there are more
reasons than those I've listed, but this is
enough to start that stone rolling.
As usual if you have any feedback
or additional information that you feel is
missing, then please drop me a line at the usual
address. Thanks!
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