Zoos and academics are usaully exempt from most new regulations anyway whether they are qualified to be or not. I have known some academics who didn't know diddly about keeping herps. Also, KRZ says they don't care about the herp industry and venomous keepers but care about finding cures for diseases. They wouldn't have very many animals to cure diseases if wasn't for the herp industry yet they are not willing to support it?

Not to many academics have come out and supported the industry either. I have sold many animals to academics. I feel used and abused!

There has also been talk from large snake breeders about certifications and creating other self regulations to require "backyard breeders" to meet certain minimium standards to include: proper zoning for manintaining herp collections, insurance, required vet care, etc. The large breeders say that the backyard breeders undercut their prices because they don't have the overhead. In other words now that I built my business from backyard breeding you can't.

All these things are very disturbing. People using the industry and then not suppoting it. And in some cases hurting it or advocating against it. You have sell out hobbyists who lie about their activities and then they go bad mouth certain segments of the herp industry at state regulatory meetings. You have brown nosing hobbyists who support agenda disguised as "conservation" in hopes the regulators won't come for their animals. You have large breeders trying to make even more money by shutting down the smaller breeders.

We need to estblish a national platform that supports and advocates for all asepcts of the herp industry. USARK has been fighting the national stuff but not enough has happened at the state level. Florida and Texas have banned turtle harvest. New Mexico has passed some mis-guided regulations. Georgia (except venomous), Tennessee and New York ban all harvest of herps. California only allows commercialization of three or four species. Captive propagation is conservation and sustainable harvest guides the process. There is no reason that we should allow all these AR regs to pass and stand.

Welkerii

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