Yes, you're point is well taken and a good one. However, I can see a reason to collect what you are legally allowed. This would be for the pure passion of what you enjoy doing. On top of that, new blood and beauty lined up into your breeding colony isn't such a bad thing. However, I seriously can see the point that you are making and I do agree to a certain degree. It's the attitude more than anything that scares me. Chris seemed to approach it with a "how awful and how dare they do such a thing". Well, in my book, it really isn't that big of a deal. I think the biggest reason why it doesn't bother me as much as other species is because 99.9% of what is taken is from the road/cuts and other land is not as easily accessible. If there were an easy way to collect them like there is for zonata, then yes, 10 per person would be a bit extreme. However, you cannot flip them in numbers like some species; you just have to have a lucky encounter. So, if I go out and do what I thoroughly enjoy, herping for alterna, spend lots of money doing so, and I happen to get WAY lucky and find 10, then I might just keep them all. I'm sure there are many factors in such a decision that I would make, but I might let 5 or more go, or who knows what. I just know that this side of the argument is legitimate and worthy of voicing. I just see no sense in getting upset about someone’s good fortune, especially when it concerns a species that has an incomprehensible population with very few means to collect it.



Brad



P.S. I'm glad that some people feel that way, like Chris and yourself. It makes for a good balance, it's just not for everyone, and that's ok too.

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