The government prays (and thrives) on ignorance. But I refuse to just bend over for it.

I used to see hundreds of kids come through the pet store I managed back in NJ. These kids were bright, loved reptiles, and could spout boat loads of information off the tops of their heads about whatever madagascar species they were keeping in a box. They would go home, look at snake porn online, buy books on foreign species, and then grow up and go to school thinking that all the cool stuff lives somewhere else! That real conservation has to happen half a world away!

These same kids couldn't identify an eastern milk snake if it bit them and I handed them a field guide. Why? Because they are illegal. Because every nature center and summer camp teaches these kids that their native wildlife is best "left alone". Its crap. People's passions are capable of being redirected by grassroots movement. Typing on this forum is just a place for me to vent, but I can assure you that there are more serious endeavors coming down the pipeline. In the mean time, supporting USARK and programs like TWI are a great start.

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