I have followed the Lester / Jeff debate over HL study issues and I can’t seem to restrain myself from posting my own point of view. 
The issue has to do with a general group of people that are “hobbyists” vs. a group of “biologists.” These groups have two different goals that overlap in areas. That overlap comes out as help and information on this forum. The main issue to me is the lack of ability on the part of the hobbyist to contribute to the knowledge base by keeping, breeding, and studying some HL species personally due to current laws and regulations.
As the posts by Geckoboy indicate, there are many of us forced by regulations to sit by and watch as the fascinating Coastal HL (and others) are bulldozed into oblivion or run down by offroaders. Is this in the spirit of the law? I doubt it. I believe the laws were probably established to prohibit the commercial collection of HL’s and collection by curious but ignorant folks who might take one home for the kids to play with. There is another group out there that fits somewhere between biologist and the curious but ignorant collector. People like Jeff, myself and many others, who are willing to devote considerable time, effort and expense to be able to keep, study, breed, and contribute to the overall knowledge base of horned lizards. The main focus may not be the direct benefit to the “biological and ecological” well being of the HL’s in the wild from a scientific perspective, but we are very likely to contribute to this knowledge base as a byproduct of our efforts.
I have personal past experience with Discus, which are a very beautiful and delicate fish from the Amazon. These fish were near impossible to keep earlier in history. But the study by hobbyists and scientists alike added enough to the knowledge base that today they are relatively easily kept by anyone who cares to learn about their specific needs and who is willing to provide for them along those lines. It is not easy but again, it is not rocket science. There are many hobbyists who are actually breeding them now. Link
The point is, HL keeping is not rocket science either (to quote a forgotten poster to this forum). It is challenging and expensive but it is manageable by anyone with a little sense, enough resources and a commitment to learning and doing what is necessary to ensure a healthy captive environment.
If I can relate my own personal experience… which is admittedly short. I bought 4 wild caught DHL’s online. Of course I was warned against this by many a post on this forum, but the fact is everything to do with HL’s is warned against at some point on this forum. It’s difficult to sort out the truth here sometimes amidst all the opinion. Anyway, the 4 DHL’s arrive in dubious condition. They ranged from skinny to down right starving. Aside from being very upset I was also very angered and amazed that anyone could “care” for an animal in such a way. These “breeders” are obviously in it for the Buck$ and not for the hobby. Does that make anyone who would catch, raise and breed HL’s for sale bad? I don’t think so. These guys reflect the worst element of the hobby. Anyone with an interest in keeping and breeding HL’s has already gone far beyond making a buck. Anyway, that was a few months ago. I have lost one HL in that time. He was the worst of the lot and nearly skin and bone on arrival (photo posted previously). I believe he may also have had some type of intestinal issues. As for the other three? They are all on their way to recovery; gaining weight and eating much better than when they first arrived. I learned some lessons both on my own and from this forum in that time. I learned that one of the DHL’s in particular prefers P. Californicus to P. Rugosus and would probably have wasted away in time had I not learned this (info provided by a fellow forum hobbyist thank you very much! J ). Bottom line is the 3 DHL’s I now have are doing very well and gaining weight. I provide an outdoor enclosure when the weather is good (which I plan to greatly improve over the winter) and a 60 gallon and 30 gallon tank with good lighting for indoors.
Now if I had been able to purchase captive bred and healthy HL’s to start with, I would not have had to spend the last 3 months or so playing doctor and stressing almost as much as the HL’s I bought must have through their capture and shipping. I paid less than $20.00 each for these HL’s but I would have gladly paid $100.00 or more (maybe up to $1000.00 depending on species) for the same HL’s that were captive bred and healthy. I realize probably not everyone would be willing to pay the higher price, but that’s the great thing about it. Those who are interested enough, committed enough, and financially able to provide what is need probably will. This high price eliminates the purchase by the casual person with a passing fancy for keeping HL’s. It would also probably eliminate about 90% of the captive mortality so often quoted by Lester and others here. I have a 25% mortality rate to date, but I started off way behind in the game due to the condition of the HL’s I had available to me. I am confident this would not be the case had I been able to purchase captive bred HL’s. I spent months doing my homework here and all over the web. I am willing to spend the time, energy and dollars necessary to keep healthy HL’s. And I know there are quite a few folks out there with the same commitment and desire. (Sure my wife thinks I’m nuts but what can you do?)
There are also many folks both in the US and abroad that are currently keeping and breeding HL’s and have been for years. It is doable!
I would love to be able, in time, to provide healthy captive bred HL’s to others in the hobby community with a similar desire. But the laws and regulations do not make this a simple thing to do. It appears that if I am able to breed my DHL’s over the next few years I will not be able to sell them to fellow hobbyists. There may be other species that I would be able to sell but it is no simple matter to research the permits, locate the HL’s, capture and eventually breed them. Am I in it for the $$$? Pardon me while I chuckle quietly to myself… I can’t tell you how many hours I have into learning about, caring for and capturing food for my DHL’s. If I could get minimum wage for those hours I’d be a much richer man. I do it because they are fascinating creatures that capture my interest. Have I been enriched? You bet. I know more about HL’s, ants and both their habitats than I have previously learned in 30 years of hiking, hunting and observing nature. Are the HL’s enriched due to my experience? The answer is YES! I have become much more aware of their challenges in the wild and the factors that threaten to encroach on their habitat. I have become much more interested in the conservation of their existing territories and needs. I am much more motivated to help clean up their environment and do what I can within reason to prevent development on areas set aside for their protection. And probably the biggest benefit long term is that those around me are also much more aware.
What does it boil down to for me? The controversy. I see Lester’s points and I believe I do understand them. I see Jeff’s points and I know them. The problem is people like Jeff are precluded from doing what they would and could to contribute to the betterment of HL’s. The way the system is set up it is people like Lester who decide to some extent what folks like Jeff can do regarding HL’s. Because they don’t have exactly the same goals there is resistance. To put is simply those of us like Jeff are getting jipped out of our experiencing HL’s to the extent we desire and the HL’s are getting jipped out of the knowledge and awareness that would be created by that experience. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of HL’s that could fulfill that experience which instead are being mashed into pulp by bulldozers for the new homes that will inevitably be built in spite of all of Lester’s studies and petitioning. I know you are having a positive effect Lester, but you can’t hold it all back.
Not all of us have the time to become conservation biologists even though we might like to. Does that mean we don’t deserve the experience? If we are capable, willing and able to keep HL’s in a healthy and reasonable way and to contribute what we can to their understanding and ecological benefit, where’s the rub?
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