VPI has a very unusual patternless Central American boa, which is the focus of one of the company's latest breeding projects. The Barkers have attempted to document much of the information and many of the experiences that they have accumulated during their herpetological and herpetocultural careers. To that end, the Barkers have published on a wide variety of topics, both in professional journals and in popular magazines. In recent years they have concentrated their efforts on pythons. To date, their most notable contribution has been the publication of Pythons of the World, Volume 1, Australia , the first volume of a monograph on the pythonine snakes.
Work continues on the next volumes.
The published works of Dave and Tracy are listed under the heading Print Publications at this website. The future goals of VPI include a continuing emphasis on publishing the most current and correct information on herpetoculture and herpetology. Going online in early 1999, it covers a wide variety of topics and features some of the best herpetological photography on the Internet. VPI also is currently in the filming stages of video projects for future release. The words vida preciosa are Spanish and mean precious life .