The concept of a White and Black is completely flawed. It is regulation for the sake of regulation as explained previously. You obviously don’t read my posts thoroughly. Please go read why it is flawed. We already have a protected list it is called the Endangered and Threatened List. There are criteria that need to be met for a species to get listed. I am looking for data. I already know that many in academia have a banning agenda. I have worked with many academics and have seen what they write. Thus, just because some academic or a group of academia say a species needs to be protected doesn’t make it fact. There are numerous examples of academia pushing agenda and trying to seek grant funding. Examples include the python climate paper and SREL python study. Older examples include the snail darter (fish) and the Tellico Dam Project on the Little Tennessee River (read up on it). So before they take away my rights to harvest an animal I want some credible data and I want to eliminate AGENDA.

I believe that any species that is not listed either Endangered or Threatened should be allowed to be harvested in some number. If a species can’t handle harvest then it most certainly should be listed Endangered or Threatened. If it can’t handle any harvest then they should have the data or be able to get the data to get it listed. Now, I understand that getting species listed isn’t easy and we don’t want to cause the extinction of any species. The Black List just bans these species without data. Further, I know for a fact that many species on the Black List are widespread and common thus it is obvious to me that it is AGENDA. But let’s say there is a species on the list that they are concerned about but they don’t have the data to get it listed. Why don’t we put some bag limits in place? Why don’t we use other wildlife management tools? Why ban it? It doesn’t make since. Also, since I did my Masters thesis on the White and Black List. I know that many species on the White List maybe shouldn’t be there. So the whole concept is just bad. Species that should be listed as Endangered or Threatened should be. I don’t think any of the species come close except maybe the Plateau Earless Lizard. We can use management for those that they are concerned with. Then for those species which we don’t need to worry about we don’t need to worry. So we don’t need a White and Black List, we need management. Hint: This will also create herp jobs.

Oh yes if a hobbyist, zoo, museum, or other citizen wants a species that is not listed then yes I want to collect it for them. That is PART of what I do for a living. Captive propagation is conservation. Many hobbyists were the first individuals to figure out how to take care of and breed many species. No species in the herp hobby has ever gone extinct. In fact we make more of the species. So yes I encourage collection for captive propagation. Further, since no one is really doing diddly about stopping habitat destruction and the impacts of roads. Yes I support collection and captive propagation. All species including Endangered and Threatened should be completely harvested from areas around cities that are going to be developed. Cities have 15 to 20 year development plans and these species are just killed so yes I support collection and captive propagation. You can’t have captive propagation without harvest in the first place.

Many states also use “species of special concern” to take away my rights to harvest. They usually list these species as such to avoid actual management. Thus SSC needs to go away. And FYI most states hardly have enough resources to protect Endangered species. Threatened and SSC species are basically ignored thus if they were at least allowed to be captively produced they would not go extinct. So SSC species should be managed with bag limits rather then banning and wildlife agencies might want to consider harvesting some Threatened species and placing them with private sector breeders. Another benefit of that approach is that the private citizen pays for the care of that species so the tax payers don’t have to. Arizona Fish and Game is over loaded with displaced Gila Monsters. They should be placed in the private sector.

Welkerii

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