What a "cherry" head is

[Redfoot NERD]

Carl you are certainly entitled to your opinion and I don't have a problem with that. You had been my mentor for years and have taught me alot about incubating and the different ssp? of redfoots from different regions. This email from July '05 is an example:

Joe Terry's animals are long termers from the 1985 Pet Farm shipment. But they are not Paraguayan as cherryheads are simply NOT found there. Or if they are, it is only in a tiny portion of the country. But the German researchers that I know who LIVE IN PARAGUAY, and who have studied the redfoots for years, assure me that they are NOT found there at all.
All of the confusion regarding so called "Paraguayan" cherryheads is from the fact that Brazilian animals were shipped from Paraguay back then----although they certainly were not collected from there.
Brazil was closed to exportation so the simple way around that was to truck hundreds of (actually, the one shipment consisted of nearly 5000 animals) tortoises into Paraguay and then send them to the USA from there. I know this for a fact as I have two friends who managed the reptile department at Pet Farm at the time. They were the ones who told me of this.
But since they were called 'Paraguayan' redfoots by Pet Farm back then (remember, Brazil was closed so Pet Farm calling them Brazilian Redfoots was tantamount to admitting they were illegally obtained) the name has stuck. But all of these animals being called true Paraguayan cherryheads is nonsense.
Joe's cherryheads was an established breeding group that he bought some years ago. He asked me how to incubate the eggs about 6 or 7 years ago and said he couldn't hatch a single one. Now he produces a bunch of very pretty ones.
But they are not from Paraguay.
Carl

You are welcome to call Carl since there seems to be differences between us now that haven't existed in the past. I didn't intend this to get "off-topic" like it has. And I certainly didn't mean any misunderstanding about the Cherryhead marketing ploy as explained to me by a few that were there when the first ones came in. If this is viewed as back trackling then so be it. Unfortunately interpreting(sp?) the written word is not always made clear with words.

Terry K

 

[allegraf]

I don't believe that I ever expressed a like or dislike of you, it is your attitude that I abhor. There is no point in discussing anything with you on the phone or otherwise as you do backtrack, downplay your inflammatory statements and then cry foul. I think you have great information that helps people with the care of their torts, but you do not like any other opinions other than your own. You are also quick to accuse people of being wrong or not caring about their torts when they don't do as you say or preach.

 

[cdmay]

Terry...that old e-mail from me that you posted was to point out two things. One, that the animals called cherryheads are not actually from Paraguay and so calling them 'Paraguayan Cherryheads' is incorrect.
Second, that the name cherryhead itself--as I have said many times--is very misleading and it was in fact originally coined as a marketing gimmick.
However, that was in 1984 or 85. But you MUST understand that now cherryhead is simply used as a common name for the tortoises that originate (presumedly) from Bahia, Brazil. The name cherryhead is NO LONGER used as it once was as you constantly imply.
Most everyone familiar with redfoots beyond the casual level uses this name as an identifier---not as hype or rhetoric or anything else nefarious. It is just a name that has now stuck.
Please stop taking my statements out of context.

 

[Bryan]

Oh, people do read your posts Terry. And despite your nearly impossible to comprehend style of writing, we do see what you are trying to insinuate.
In your original reply to Doc Cosmonaut you did in fact state that there are 'few differences' (meaning only slight) between the animals known as cherryeads and other redfoots. Then you stated that there had been much rhetoric involved and used words like 'marketing' and 'copy'. All of this gives the impression that you are trying downplay the fact that they are quite different from some of the other races. Other comments you have made in the past have made it clear that you think all redfoots are basically the same animal with maybe only subtle population variations. Thats OK. Defend that view in a respectful and intelligent manner.
But time after time you make snarky comments that there is some sort of pro-cherryhead agenda designed to boost sales. You have also given the very distinct impression that anyone who actually reads a book is wasting their time since you have a website that is the be all and end all of tortoise knowledge. You have also implied that authors who write books about redfoots do so for fame and fortune. You frequently insult people and come off as incredibly pompous.
And yet, when confronted you predictably back track and claim to be misunderstood. Or that people are not reading you correctly.
You are like the guy who goes and kicks someone in the shin and then when that person responds by punching you in the mouth you cry and claim to be the victim.

This is my take as well. As for people "marketing" Cherryheads when they first came in, how is that any different than Ford marketing their new Mustang or F150 to try and get people to buy it because it is new and different than what has been seen to that point? It's almost as if Terry takes it personally that his Northerns maybe aren't selling as well as they used to because "everyone" wants cherryheads because of this huge marketing machine that was put forth years ago. Or something