"Unauthorised" releases

[David M]

One bonus of "unauthorised releases" is that it provokes interesting debate on forums such as this: it makes a change from "I saw such-and-such in A.N. Other Wood and here are my masterpieces (photos attached)".

No sense of humour lack
In our Nairn-based Jack
Look what I've seen, aren't I great?

[Jack Harrison]

Ethical or not?

I visited a site in the Highlands near Nethy Bridge today where I suspect Small Blue might occur.  There is a significant patch of Kidney Vetch.  But I saw no butterflies.

So naughtily, (?) I snipped off 14 developing Kidney Vetch seed heads.  They are now at home in water.  I hope (but am not optimistic) that in due course, I might find some caterpillars, thereby proving the occurrence of Small Blues at this location.  Any resulting adults will be released back where they began life.

I have bred Small Blue in the past.  Relatively easy.

On Friday I will visit a well known site at Ardersier near Inverness Airport.  I confidently expect to see Small Blues and Dingy Skippers.  But I won't be taking any livestock away this time.

Jack

[jasonbirder]

Surely all releases barring the occasional Official Re-Introduction project (and i'll reserve my own opinion on many of those) are Unauthorised.
And this sites policy is pretty unambiguous... Its Butterfly Code states - NO releases of captive stock.

• There are the risks of parasites and diseases
  Eggs/Pupa are taken from genuine populations
  And they make the job of Butterfly Recorders impossible...how can any migrant/dispersal records be taken seriously with so many releases of species from the common to the Exotic.

The jokey way its treated on this site/on FB/by County Recorders is ridiculous...Oh I do like these marsh Fritillaries as it saves me driving a long way, oh these Glanville Fritillaries are "sort of okay" because Lady Glanville lived nearby in the 18th century, well i'll never see a Black-veined White in the UK so here's a photo of one I saw...just legitimises what is absolutely appalling behaviour on the part of people who release them.
People visiting site with released populations simply encourages those involved in the releases and no-doubt the posting/sharing of photographs of the species released gives them some kind of vicarious thrill and encourages them to do it more.
People who indulge in releases need to be identified, called out publically shamed...