Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everybody,

I am doing this for my college tech writing course (I have to take it to get into vet school). Please help me out. We are currently drafting proposals. I am proposing that some of the CITES quotas be reduced and that CB specimens be used instead of WC specimens. I just need to know the following things…

The current CITES quota for exporting reticulated pythons out of the wild is currently set at 162,000 specimens. This includes live animals, and those that have been skinned for purses and etc. I personally find this number to be excessive; do any of you feel that this number is excessive? If so, what would you lower it to?

The current CITES quota for exporting ball pythons out of the wild is currently set at 143,950 specimens. I also feel that these numbers are indeed excessive, and if you agree what would you lower the overall number to?

My last question is:

Would you recommend using CB specimens over WC animals? Please state why.

Thank You all

Evaggelos Klonis

1.0 Lavender Albino Retic
1.0 Het patternless
0.1 Super Tiger het patternless
0.1 Tiger
0.1 Het Clark Strain Albino

>>do any of you feel that this number is excessive?

I don't know enough about their numbers in the wild to comment on that...

>>Would you recommend using CB specimens over WC animals?

Using for what? Can you elaborate a bit?

What I meant by using CB animals instead of WC animals, was that they would be used as pets in the pet trade.

IMO captive animals are way better in the pet trade.

Chicken/egg thing though, imports are so cheap sometimes it makes it non-profitable to raise CBB. If the WC numbers were reduced/eliminated, the CBB prices would climb, maybe even to the point average joe reptile owner could not/would not afford them? If the prices went up, more people would breed and prices would then come back down. Hard to really say where it would all end up.

Bottom line, I would rather see more WC stay wild and more CBB in the pet trade.
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
4.12 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

The majority of Python regius, allocated for export, are ranched specimens and the numbers you cited were slightly off, as the 2006 quotas are as follows:

Benin: 80,000 ranched specimens and 2,500 WC specimens.

Cote d'Ivoire: 100 skins and WC specimens

Sierra Leone: 250 skins

As for Python reticulatus, the following numbers have been quoted:

Malaysia: 4,500 WC specimens and 157,000 skins.

Captive produced specimens are always better for the pet trade. However, the need for an influx of WC specimens, to bolster the gene pool for herpetoculture, cannot be underestimated.
Unfortuantely, the vast majority of Python spp. exports are not for the pet or herpetofauna trade, as the demand for leather greatly out competes the need for pets.
There are several organizations that "red flag" species for amendment to CITES appendices. Also, groups and individuals are requested to submit proposals for review each yaer to this regard.
I believe you have undertaken a commendable subject for your assignment and I wish you teh best of luck...

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947