But you're missing a lot of important points here. A lot of people are. First of all, the reason,.. the FACT why you can't lay this on the breeder is because if the breeders did not produce the quality captive bred snakes for the pet trade market,. then the same numbers (or greater) would be imported. Prices would be even lower (fact),. the animals would be more diseased (fact), probably more aggressive,. probably more of a chance of a human death resulting from it eventually. The list of cons can go on and on with this scenario. Because of a constant demand for these animals there will always be suppliers for them (fact). So there seems little we can do about this aspect of it. But honestly Rob,.. wouldn't you rather they be captive produced animals, and not taken from the wild? If you can just concede that this is favorable I can move on to my next point.



There is no doubt in my mind that the pet shop industry is the main cause of placing the wrong animal into the wrong hands. I know a LOT of upstanding breeders that genuinely care about the snakes they produce and would not allow their offspring to go into the care of someone who is either incompetant or incapable or unrespecting. But I have yet to meet a pet shop owner that gives a hoot. Why? Because they have SERIOUS overhead and competition and they almost have to indiscriminately peddle their products in order to survive. I make no excuses for them,. I wish they didn't exist. They do a serious injustice to the animals they sell. Even before they are sold. They generally have appauling overcrowding, poor or inadequate living conditions, filthy and cold or lacking humidity, underfed and lying in their own filth and more often than not, parasite ridden. To them, they aren't living animals, they are PRODUCT. I don't go in to pet shops any more if I can ever help it because it depresses me so much. One guy in a local chain near me had several skinny burmese with shed retentions in a parrot cage in the rear corner of his dark and danky cold store. I told him how they should be kept, and he nodded at me, but I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn't listening and didn't give a hoot. But most breeders, Rob, most breeders keep their snakes warm and humid, well fed and healthy, and mite free (most do). Now which of these groups seems more likely to care where their snakes go? I think the answer is clear. I would wager that if you somehow traced the origins of your rescues that the VAST majority originated from pet shops.



And you ask me what happens after I die or retire? This almost implies to me, "why bother doing anything at all, it won't continue after you're dead". But I don't believe that. I believe that I will certainly influence hundreds if not thousands of other herpers in my time in a very positive way. Ripples in a pond, my friend,.. grow into tidal waves. Plus,. just so you know, my entire Will and last testiment is structured around the safty, security, future and well being of my animals. And of course for my wife too. But she is on the same page as me. I would not have married her if she did not share my passion and my love for the animals.



But other than that,.. the big picture,... I am not in this for personal wealth. And I am not in this to be the guy that is revered as creating some new morph (notoriety). I am in this with sincere goals to reach a point where I can actually make changes for the better. To help put a stop to mass importation. To help put a stop to abandoned animals... abused or neglected animals. Call it fighting fire with fire. I make money on this so as to have working capital to battle the injustices. I even have ideas of possibly starting up free schools where one can go to learn how to properly care for large reptiles. I hope it's not too unrealistic, because that is one that I really want to do. But the bottom line here Rob, is that I am in this for the animals' well being. And I personally know other people in the "business" with equally noble intentions (and you'd be surprised who I don't lump in with that catagory). I can't spell out exactly what my plans are here, or why I will be doing what I will be doing in the future, but I have good reasons and only good intentions for the animals themselves with everything that I do or will be doing. If you are curious about hearing about this email me privately and I will go into more detail.







>>Brian, I am not out of line. I was voicing an opinion for which I strongly believe in. I in no way meant to offend anyone but rather put provide observations from over 20 years of being in the field professionally. We take in over 35 burms annually. THat doesn't include the many retics, rocks, anacondas, boas, gators, etc. that fall on our doorstep...the numbers more than quadruple. Being a professional, I have extensive networks set up with many other professionals who will echo my exact concerns. No, I cannot provide more than "in house" stats but there is no doubt in my mind that most burms will someday become abandoned....sad but true....thankfully, a good portion of these abandoned burms will find a good home but many will not. Brian, you have a 100% guarantee and that is great, but what happens when you "retire", pass on, etc.? What will happen to the 100's of burms you produce? Who will take them in that case? This just isn't a realistic selling point for the argument at hand. Most breeders (probably 99%) will not take an animal back unless they see it as somethng that will profit them. Brian, you make money selling burms and that is fantastic (I know what it is like to enjoy one's work) but lets be honest here, if fewer people bred burms, we would have fewer burms in the market place while still having PLENTY of burms to meet the demand. I will vehemently stick to what I feel is the truth. Brian, this isn't meant to be disrespectful to you. You have made some great contributions to this forum and our pool of knowledge. It is okay for forum folks like you and I to disagree on such matters; that is what keeps things interesting. But in the end, Brian, I do not feel that I am out of line.

>>

>>Cheers, Rob
-----
If 50% of one's enemies are still breathing,... it just means you're doing a half-assed job.

[ Show Entire Thread ]