US Designer Chondros – part 1
The topic of US designer Chondros is so extensive that many articles will appear in the coming months.
A central element will be the Morelia viridis breeders of the last 40 years, as well as some of the most spectacular lines that have emerged with the enthusiasm of these people.
Lines that have also found their way into Europe and Germany and have been and continue to be promoted by well-known breeders.
Before the first part of this series begins, we would like to thank those people and institutions without whose support and permission this series would not have been possible.
Herpetoculture Magazin: https://herpetoculturenetwork.com/
Bei Kauf-Interesse: https://www.magcloud.com/brose/issue/1850727
The Herpetoculture Network: https://www.facebook.com/theherpetoculturenetwork/
Creating Mr. Blue A (Not So) Short History
Ich möchte Tim sehr herzlich bedanken für die bereitgestellten Bilder und die Erlaubnis zur Veröffentlichung.
Mid-Atlantic Arboreals: https://www.facebook.com/midatlanticarboreals/
Vibrant Viridis, LLC: https://www.vibrantviridis.com/
The story of Mr. Blue - Part 1
A (not so) short story by Tim Morris
Everyone has a story to tell about how they started out with a passion.
For my journey into the world of Green Tree Pythons (Morelia viridis) it was the book "The Reproductive Husbandry of Boas and Pythons" by Ross & Marzec, published in 1990 as a follow-up to their 1978 book "The Python Breeding Manual".
In this book there were several pictures of incredible looking yellow and red neonates of the Green Tree Python!
In addition, many of the images of the green tree python were attributed to a person who apparently worked at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.. His name was Trooper Walsh.
At this point I realized that there was no alternative to a trip to the National Zoo with my nephew (Sean Stewart).
Only then would it be possible to meet this Trooper Walsh.
When we arrived at the reptile house, we kept a wary eye out for the staff there.
Strolling through the hall, we noticed that to our right was an access door for the zookeeper. Out of it came this beefy human wearing a National Zoo-issued khaki shirt and shorts - barefoot, and carrying a 20 liter bucket full of rodents.... he walked right past us, and mesmerized, I glanced at his name tag, and I thought (key word: "thought"): "That it says Trooper".
No sooner had my brain processed this than he walked through the door on the left. I tried to convince my nephew that I had a positive ID and that we should knock on that door.
After about 5 minutes of back and forth about who should knock, we finally had the courage to do so.
We knocked on the door (I can't remember exactly which one of us did it!) and, like Lurch from the Addams Family, the door slowly opened and a head squeezed through the gap. A voice said, "Can I help you?" I think at that moment Sean and I looked at each other in shock. I'm sure we stared at him like he was the president or some big celebrity! He allowed us in. We chatted about various herpetological topics. We didn't meet any troopers that day.
But I learned that the National Zoo also offers a program for volunteer keepers.
I filled out the application. I was convinced that this would be the best chance to get to know this Trooper and find out more about these green tree pythons.
I then worked as a volunteer for several summers during the semester breaks. During that first summer, I tried my best to earn the favor of the legend Trooper Walsh.
As it turns out, Trooper can be quite fickle - one day he talks to you like you've known him for a while, and another day he just walks past you and doesn't say a word.
Through some volunteer work I was doing with Pete Kahl, I learned about the National Reptile Breeders Expo (NRBE), which at the time was held regularly in Orlando, FL.
Pete spoke about the reptile event as if it was THE mecca of all shows.... THE event you have to visit.
I am now in my second summer (1993) volunteering at the zoo, and I remember meeting Trooper one afternoon and he seemed to be in a good mood.
I asked him if he was taking part in the NRBE - he said "yes".
I asked him if he would sell Chondros.
He paused, looked at me and said, "No, I don't have any for sale."
He continued, "Tim, I don't just sell animals to anyone, you know?"
End part 1
Click here for the original article: Creating Mr.Blue