Oh what a tangled web we weave...please read the entire thing. From most recent HerpDigest.

""2) Petco Is Asked To Stop Adoption Of Exotic Pets Seized In Arlington (U.S. Global Exotics Case)
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010, by Susan Schrock, Fort-Worth Star Telegram

ARLINGTON -- The SPCA of Texas asked Petco stores to cease adoptions Wednesday of 2,000 animals seized from U.S. Global Exotics because the effort violated its agreement with a wildlife welfare agency.

The SPCA had given the hamsters, fancy mice, lizards and snakes to Wild Rescue Inc. of Texas, an agency partnered with the Petco Foundation, a nonprofit linked to the pet store chain.

The Star-Telegram reported Wednesday that Wild Rescue was making the animals available for adoption at 22 Petco stores in Dallas-Fort Worth and that the Petco Foundation, which provides supplies and support to animal welfare groups, was set to collect a nominal adoption fee.

The SPCA was aware of Wild Rescue's plans, but the agency stopped the effort Wednesday after learning that Petco required that the actual ownership of the animals be surrendered to the stores, which violated the agreement between SPCA and Wild Rescue, said Maura Davies, SPCA spokeswoman. "That gave the perception that the animals were going back into the pet trade industry," Davies said.

A Petco spokesman said the company was not seeking financial gain from the pet rescue. Wild Rescue, which works closely with Petco, is a separate nonprofit agency.

"They were concerned that ... Petco and/or the foundation are somehow gaining benefit by the partnership," said Kevin Whalen, a Petco spokesman, adding that the adoption fee would have helped the foundation cover the cost of housing the animals. "That's not true. That's not our intent. We're extremely disappointed."

The 2,000 animals were among the 27,000-plus that Arlington seized Dec. 15 because of inhumane conditions found at U.S. Global Exotics, an international pet wholesaler. This month, the city turned custody of the animals over to the SPCA, which has placed many of them with zoos, animal sanctuaries and welfare groups.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals also opposed the Petco adoption plans.

"These animals were destined for Petco shelves to start with," said Daphna Nachminovitch, vice president of PETA's cruelty investigations department. "If they weren't in the business of selling animals, there wouldn't be a U.S. Global to start with."

Arlington's animal cruelty case before a municipal judge relied heavily on testimony, photos and videos taken by undercover PETA investigator Howard Goldman, who worked at U.S. Global Exotics for seven months last year.

U.S. Global Exotics sold animals primarily to zoos, pet stores and other distributors, such as those that supply major pet chains like Petco and PetSmart.

Nachminovitch said turning over the animals to Petco would have been like giving the store free inventory.

The animals at Petco will be returned this week to the SPCA, which will continue working with Wild Rescue and other nonprofit animal welfare groups for permanent placement, Davies said.

"These animals will find loving homes," she said.""
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PETCO is one of the clueless villains seeking to monopolize the market and dumb it down, IMO. They are clueless when it comes to husbandry and couldn't care less. The animal is simply the hook in their business model, used to entice unwitting customers into spending many more times the cost of the original animal on unnecessary and useless products in a futile attempt to keep their new purchase alive and happy.
Like the article said the animals originally came from that villain Global Exotics and were therefore doomed from the get-go.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

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