With a VERY few exceptions, I personally feel that there is enough variety AND value out there in terms of captive bred animals that it makes almost no sense at all to harvest them from the wild any more. And I have even stronger views on wild caught imports, which supports a trade that destroys many animals for profit. When I read the KS classifieds and see w/c animals for sale from OUR area, I also bristle.

Many people view w/c animals as a cheaper alternative to buying one. But given the fact that most experienced herpers suggest such measures as a fecal float, vet visit, and or whatever measures need to be taken to rid these animals of pests, a properly cared for w/c snake can/should be MORE expensive than many of our common c/b animals.

I am always concerned when I hear that a w/c animal is introduced into someone's c/b collection. I suspect that cross-contamination happens more that some people think, and the c/b animals are not equipped to deal with this situation.

So...With the exception of a few experienced breeders out there who want to introduce some new and/or locale specific genes into their stock (and are willing and able to do it CORRECTLY in terms of the health of ALL their animals)...I say leave the wild snakes in the wild and enjoy the heck out of the huge variety that we have available as c/b specimens. Just my opinion, although I must say that I do feel rather strongly about this issue. Duffy

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