The regulations obviously vary from area to area. In Alberta, Canada it is illegal to capture any native wildlife. Enforcement of this is nearly impossible and for harmless herps it is often overlooked.
The problems with catch and release are mainly disease transfer, missed mating seasons, and improper relocation. To prevent disease transfers do not release any animal that has been in direct or indirect contact with another herp (even in the same room or house on many cases as tropical disease outbreaks in the wild can prove disastorous). Also important is to not release long term captives, as the immune system and environment changes over a period of time. Lastly, the animal should be released to the exact location so as not to mix local disease from population to population.
To prevent animals from missing their vital mating season avoid capturing gravid females, animals at hibernaculums and do not keep individuals for long periods of time. This is especially important with rare and/or endangered animals or sub-species.
A very important part of releasing herps is making sure it is in the exact spot they were found. In many areas where animals hibernate, their hibernaculums, or any other space deep enough to avoid freezing can be hard to find. In many cases simply releasing the snake on the other side of a hill or valley can lead to it's demise.

Native animals are just as interesting as exotic herps and can make great pets. If it suites your purposes it is always better to find a captive bred source (even if it is out of state) if the animal is to be kept. (Obviously not a candidate for release)

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