So, How was Gersfeld this year?

[david]

Alot of nice animals, or problems because of the heat wave this summer?

 

[sergé]

If you go there only because of the animals then I think people miss a lot.
For me it was nice to meet friends, listen to the lectures, exchange idea's on breeding and keeping and work on that species will survive in captivity to stop import from the wild (things like the Molch-Register, a kind of studbook, see www.ag-urodela.de). I was most impressed by the presentation on skull evolution in salamandrids. But also the presentation of pictures of a new Tylototriton/Echinotriton species and it's habitat in northen Vietnam was very impressive.

Main thing for me is the exchange of information and spend time with other 'loonies'.
But of course one of the good things is that everbody brings their captive bred animals, and you can talk to the breeders in hope to succeed the same offspring in a few years.
In Germanny the heat has certainly given some problems, for me (and several others) in the Netherlands not many problems occured. But we could stay below 30 °C for most of the time, because we live closer to the sea.

 

[david]

Did anybody else go to Gersfeld? Any other impressions?

 

[philipp]

Hi
No, couldn´t come this year, spent my days where nobody´s talking anymore,.....
But i heard a lot of things, that shouldn´t happen but seem to be noticeable regularly,...
For everybody who knows this "event":
I hate cars!And Sunday´s good looking but nothing else,...
Butid anyone of you write some words while listening to nice stories about Vietnam or Tylototriton asperrimus?
Would be very interested!ONLY for private use, of course!Pics would be nice too!Guess i should talk to someone from Spain?;-)
Greets,
Philipp
P.S.:Sun´s quite helpful, if you have half-dead pet trade-victims like Eumeces c.chinensis in quarantine,...

(Message edited by grundtner on October 23, 2003)

 

[ralf]

Hey Dave,
I totally agree with Serge. And yes, one of my personal highlights was the lecture on the excursion to Vietnam. Hopefully there will be a publication on this. What they found in two jungle ponds was a rather small (max. 11 cm) olive-green caudate in aquatic condition (mostly males) with traits of both Echino- and Tylototriton. Another aspect of the lecture was that the range of P. deloustali most probably exceeds Tam Dao. At least there were large and similar looking Paramesotritons found in different spots as far up as the Chinese border (often misidentified as guanxiensis as the lecturer stated). He also announced that a description will be published soon by a different working group about a new Tylototriton that was found at Tam Dao. Sorry Philipp, I don't have any notes or pictures. Hopefully there will be an article in "amphibia" on this year's topics in Gersfeld.

Downstairs they had Würzburger Hofbräu on tap (Dave you might know this). Most unfortunately they kicked us out at 2 a.m., harshly interrupting our discussions on...guess what? Ha, ha, ha, caudates of course.

Ralf

 

[philipp]

Hi Ralf
Würzburger Hofbräu?-Uuh, what a p**s,...;-)
Thanks god that i´m allowed to live in southern germany,.....My weekend was built up on gin-tonic,
Ullrichs Bergbier,Jägermeister,Vodka and other nice water to make you forget everything around you easily,....
But it´s all under control!
Rlease think about me, if you get any note of gersfeld or any publication about vietnams treasures.As you know, i´m also interested in several reptiles of that area,....
will have to save a lot of money for keeping whatever i need for living the next time, so i would be very happy to get an helping hand,
giving me the chance to read what i can´t pay.
So:Any copy will get a nice home here in my collection;-)
Hope to see you.Still thinking about a regional meeting od´f a smaller group of urodele-interested people in germany/austria/.....,
in a more "gmiadlich" way.But not as a kind of
"starting Gersfelds enemy"....
Still just an idea, but,....;-)
Greets,
Philipp

 

[fabian]

Hi,
I've been there for the first time and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't looking for animals (don't know how this alpestris apuanus got to in my backpack) so I didn't have to stay at the parking lot to much. I really loved those caudata related travelling reports (about the Appalachians, the east of Turkey and Northern Vietnam). And the beer-powered newt and salamander discussions in the evening. I hope I'll be there next year too.
Fabian
PS: That’s the way caudata enthusiasts use their napkin:

 

[gustavo]

There is my napkin i writing to one french keeper what species of Cynops i keep.

 

[mike]

Due to family commitments, I couldn`t make Gersfeld, but as I had arranged to swap fire salamanders with a Spanish friend, my would be travelling companion agreed to "do the deal" for me.
(CB anerythristic S.s.terrestris from the Loire valley for high yellow CB S.s.terrestris originating from Solling forest in Lower Saxony)
Cheers Dave and Gustavo.
Hopefully I`ll make it next year.