Carnivals still do this? That's terrible; it makes more sense all around to use the stuffed animals.

I agree with the above posts but would like to add a new perspective. To begin, where do you live and what reptiles are allowed there? I would concentrate on these animals.
As for animals that are rare and not well studied; they are just that, rare and not kept much. Generally only experienced keepers will go to the lengths to import these animals.

I think that at the front of the ethical debate is the uneducated owner attempting to care for animals bought impulsively (without prior research) from a petstore. This problem is complicated when the animals involved are not good for beginning hobbyists (iguana's, monitors, burmese pythons ect)

Another important ethical debate is the rigours involved in the mass importation of reptiles. A perfect example is the ball python. This species is captive bred regularly and thousands upon thousands of CB animals are available for sale each year. Still, many more thousands are imported to supply the market of "cheap" wild caught animals for those not willing to spend a little more for quality. During this importation many more thousands die from the stress and crowding, and those that survive often die soon from the stress as well. It is hard to imagine that with the numbers imported how wild populations are affected.

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