"From my perspective commercial collecters are the ones hiding, not the breeders."



ever heard of PIJAC? I do believe there are plenty of commercial representatives with membership to that organization, so they aren't "hiding".



I actually agree with OHI on some of this. I don't support HCU (vocally or financially) because of their criticism of "commercial collectors". If they want to be an organization strictly for the "recreational" keeper/breeder, that's fine. But I've heard too many from HCU that belittle commercial collection, and that is not a way to treat those that should be allies. I don't think commercial collection should go unregulated (there should be limits placed on collection and that number should be reevaluated every year or so and changed based upon collection impacts on populations) but it is very important to the pet trade and the continuation of endangered herps all over the planet. Many of our "non native" snakes that we keep were brought into this country by commercial collection. And commercial collection and sale can provide new "fresh" genetics to breeders who don't have access to the natural home range of the snakes that they breed. I live in Virginia, and it would be hard for me to make it to Texas to collect my own wild specimens of, say, gray-banded kingsnakes. Much less a breeder overseas. Should they not have access to obtaining these animals? Do you believe that only people in and around Texas should be working with these animals? By excluding commercial collection you have inadvertently (or maybe advertently) limited your support size to only local individuals plus a select few nationwide friends.
-----
-David



Check out my pet pics at:

http://www.myspace.com/obx_fisherman



1.0 ball python (Pandora - don't ask)

1.0 argentine boa (Prometheus)

0.0.1 colombian boa (Athena)

0.1 hogg island boa (Andromeda)

0.0.1 brazilian rainbow boa (Inara)

1.0 Dumeril's boa (Hannibal)

1.0 kenyan sand boa (Diablo)

0.0.1 normal corn snake(Cypress)

0.1 amel. corn snake (Morgan LaFay) RIP

0.0.2 baby corns (Romulus and Remus)

- 1 normal, 1 ghost

0.0.1 banded cali. kingsnake (Cain)

1.0 tangerine honduran milksnake (Narcissus)

0.0.1 snow corn snake (Valkyrie)

1.1 garden phase amazon tree boas (Pegasus, Lenore)

0.0.1 baby yellow amazon tree boa (affectionately called

Snuggles)

0.0.1 albino san diego gopher snake (maybe Octavian)

0.0.1 sandfish skink (Slick)

0.0.1 fire skink (Phoenix)

1.0 bassett hound/black and tan coonhound mix (Luke)

0.1 Boxer (Zoe)

1.0 bearded dragon (Leonidas)

1.1 ferrets (Ares, Enyo)

1.2 cats (Galahad, Ripley and Sassy)

2.0 rats (Pan, no name yet)

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