James Wilson
Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:56 pm
It occurred to me that many members of this forum are fairly new to blue-tongued skinks (myself included), and may not realize how lucky we are to have James Wilson participating on the forum lately. In case you are not familiar with who James is, I thought I would try to give a glimpse of his credentials.
James has been a member of this forum since it began, and was instrumental in helping Zach get the thing started. That was around 7 years ago. At that point, James was already an "Old-timer" in the BTS world. He has been keeping and breeding BTS since the '80's I believe, and probably knows as much or more, from FIRST-HAND experience, about keeping blueys in captivity, than anyone else on the planet. It would be virtually impossible to learn something about the captive care and keeping of BTS that James doesn't already know.
When I first discovered this wonderful Genus, James was a kind of mysterious legend that all the knowledgable BTS people spoke admiringly of, but someone who had just decided to take a break from keeping BTS for personal reasons. He vanished into obscurity, and no one seemed to know exactly where he was or how to reach him. It was kind of like discovering E=mc2 the day after Albert Einstien died. I pictured him as a gray-haired scientist that knew ALL the answers to the thousands of questions that I had when I first became addicted to BTS. I regretted for years the fact that I never had the opportunity to talk to him about BTS.
One of the coolest things he left behind though, was the article he wrote for the November 2001 issue of REPTILES magazine. I am sure that most of you have not read this article, but it is without a doubt, one of the best articles ever written about blue-tongued skinks. There is more information in his article than can be found in most books. I would HIGHLY recommend acquiring this back issue to anyone who enjoys reading about BTS. I don't know if it is possible to order back issues from Reptiles Magazine, but I may know where there are some brand new issues available if anyone would like one and is not able to get it.
I was absolutely thrilled last year when Andrew Seike (another Old-timer authority on BTS) told me that James was getting back into BTS! I was planning to meet up with Andrew at the Anaheim Reptile Show, and He told me that James Wilson was coming, and that I would have a chance to meet him in person! I couldn't believe it, I was going to meet the legend face to face! I was slightly shocked when this "blonde dude" who looked like he was maybe 30 walked up. He looked like he had just come in from a day surfing the waves (I actually think he did. He is not actually 30 though)
James is not your typical breeder that is concerned about maximizing profits at the expese of the animals. I have never met anyone who cares more about his skinks than James. I don't mean "his skinks" as a group, I mean each and every individual animal that he keeps. He doesn't view them as possessions, but rather as incredible creatures of infinite value that he has the privilege to care for. I have learned so much from James during the short time that I have known him. I am truly grateful.
James is a great guy, and I have really enjoyed getting to know him a little over this past year. I have even been lucky enough to meet his beautiful wife and his neice and nephews too. I just hate it when people who have spent years acquiring vast knowledge and experience are not recognized for it. Sometimes people who make lots of posts on forums seem to be given more credibility than people who have actually earned it. James is someone who has earned credibility.
James has been incredibly generous with his time on the forum latley, and I do not take that for granted. I realize that things change, and James may not be able to spend this much time on the forum forever. My hope is that all of us will appreciate his time while we have it. Everything he posts is worthy to be "bookmarked" for future reference. I am still trying to figure out how to do that, but I am definitely taking it all in.
Just wanted to make sure everyone realizes who it is making all of these great posts lately!
James has been a member of this forum since it began, and was instrumental in helping Zach get the thing started. That was around 7 years ago. At that point, James was already an "Old-timer" in the BTS world. He has been keeping and breeding BTS since the '80's I believe, and probably knows as much or more, from FIRST-HAND experience, about keeping blueys in captivity, than anyone else on the planet. It would be virtually impossible to learn something about the captive care and keeping of BTS that James doesn't already know.
When I first discovered this wonderful Genus, James was a kind of mysterious legend that all the knowledgable BTS people spoke admiringly of, but someone who had just decided to take a break from keeping BTS for personal reasons. He vanished into obscurity, and no one seemed to know exactly where he was or how to reach him. It was kind of like discovering E=mc2 the day after Albert Einstien died. I pictured him as a gray-haired scientist that knew ALL the answers to the thousands of questions that I had when I first became addicted to BTS. I regretted for years the fact that I never had the opportunity to talk to him about BTS.
One of the coolest things he left behind though, was the article he wrote for the November 2001 issue of REPTILES magazine. I am sure that most of you have not read this article, but it is without a doubt, one of the best articles ever written about blue-tongued skinks. There is more information in his article than can be found in most books. I would HIGHLY recommend acquiring this back issue to anyone who enjoys reading about BTS. I don't know if it is possible to order back issues from Reptiles Magazine, but I may know where there are some brand new issues available if anyone would like one and is not able to get it.
I was absolutely thrilled last year when Andrew Seike (another Old-timer authority on BTS) told me that James was getting back into BTS! I was planning to meet up with Andrew at the Anaheim Reptile Show, and He told me that James Wilson was coming, and that I would have a chance to meet him in person! I couldn't believe it, I was going to meet the legend face to face! I was slightly shocked when this "blonde dude" who looked like he was maybe 30 walked up. He looked like he had just come in from a day surfing the waves (I actually think he did. He is not actually 30 though)
James is not your typical breeder that is concerned about maximizing profits at the expese of the animals. I have never met anyone who cares more about his skinks than James. I don't mean "his skinks" as a group, I mean each and every individual animal that he keeps. He doesn't view them as possessions, but rather as incredible creatures of infinite value that he has the privilege to care for. I have learned so much from James during the short time that I have known him. I am truly grateful.
James is a great guy, and I have really enjoyed getting to know him a little over this past year. I have even been lucky enough to meet his beautiful wife and his neice and nephews too. I just hate it when people who have spent years acquiring vast knowledge and experience are not recognized for it. Sometimes people who make lots of posts on forums seem to be given more credibility than people who have actually earned it. James is someone who has earned credibility.
James has been incredibly generous with his time on the forum latley, and I do not take that for granted. I realize that things change, and James may not be able to spend this much time on the forum forever. My hope is that all of us will appreciate his time while we have it. Everything he posts is worthy to be "bookmarked" for future reference. I am still trying to figure out how to do that, but I am definitely taking it all in.
Just wanted to make sure everyone realizes who it is making all of these great posts lately!
hope he keeps teaching us all sorts of new interesting things! 
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