Barry,

You are wrong, buddy. It is quite obvious that you are way to emotional about this to debate reasonably.

Let’s go through some of your post. If the Chinese are selling Endangered turtles w/o permits then these folks are poachers. They are breaking the law. The law that is already on the books. If they are not going to follow the law now they will not follow it when banning regs are enacted that shut down collectors, dealers and breeders in the US.

“It is fair to the serious exporters that take the time to hatch turtles from their own animals.”

It is not fair. You are saying that they can’t export any wild caught. That is a ban and that is wrong. You are against the sale of wild caught that is clear. Okay, you have the right to that position but you don’t have the authority to take away the rights of other US citizens because of YOUR views. I am sorry but it doesn’t work that way. This is the United States of America NOT the United States of Barry.

“You cannot and will not sustain a balanced environment at the rate that we are allowing adult turtles to be taken from their natural environment. This is a proven fact, that is well known by all parties at all levels of the scientific community WORLD WIDE!”

This is not a proven fact. It is an opinion. This opinion may have some merit based on the natural history of turtles and the amount being harvested. So since there is a concern we should stop unregulated collection and manage harvest at sustainable levels. Not ban harvest and not ban sales.

“So, with that said, by anybody suggesting that money, rights of man, or American this or that, your argument is completely baseless and naive.”

No Barry you are wrong. It is not baseless and naïve it is fair, smart and wise. You are pushing into extremism here. Extremism never works and it is bad for all.

“If you do not have the interest of the environment as your number one priority I propose one thing. Go out, get in your vehicle, drive to the highest point in your area, press the gas pedal until your reach the highest cruising speed and leave this great earth.”

You are losing touch with reality in this statement. Yes, the environment is vitally important to life on earth but wise use of natural resources is the ONLY way to go.

“You are not the only person living or breathing on this planet, nor will you be the last. Money is not everything, and neither is material wealth. These animals were here long before you were and they will be here long after you, God willing!”

You are, also, not the only person living on this planet. Money is not everything but it is required to live on this planet. And the guy that may or may not “live in the sky” has nothing to do with it.

“All I want is to be able to go outside in 50 years and see a common snapper in the river by my house. At the rate that we are going, you will not be able to. Period!”

I to want to be able to see herps later in life as well. Sustainable harvest allows this. It allows harvest and continuation of the species forever. You need to really research harvest and wildlife management. It is not collectors you need to worry about, Barry, it is habitat destruction, human population growth, the impacts of roads, pollution and climate change. Those are the issues that can cause extinction. Collecting doesn’t usually cause extinctions. Now, over-collecting could cause some major issues with populations. Which is why we should stop over-collection.

I can tell by your post that you are extremely blinded by the banning agenda pushed by AR groups, academics and conservation groups. Believe it or not I used to be like you before I educated myself about animal populations and harvest. There are ways to harvest in a sustainable way all herp species that are not listed as Endangered or Threatened. That is just reality. I understand that you are worried. Bag limits and other management tools do work and they allow folks to access to wild populations without over-exploiting them.

Welkerii
El Paso, TX

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