Reptile & Amphibian Forums

...just in case anyone here might be interested.

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From the SONORAN HERPETOLOGIST 18 (2) 2005

LAW ENFORCEMENT NOTE:

"Illegal Possession of Gila Monsters and Rattlesnakes"

By Raymond Kohls
Arizona Game & Fish Department, Mesa

Jeffrey Craig Almond of Cave Creek, Arizona was cited on November 20, 2004 for several charges of unlawful take and possession of reptiles including closed season species, exceeding possession limits of rattlesnakes and possession of restricted exotic venomous snakes. Almond, 42, was formerly the owner and operator of J&R Reptile Relocation Service, a wildlife service company that operated in the Phoenix area.

The charges against Almond stemmed from a search warrant served at his residence on January 9, 2004. Almond was one of the subjects of an investigation into the unlawful trade in reptiles that spanned 3 states: Arizona, California, and Utah. A total of 75 reptiles were seized from Almond's residence, including: 7 Arizona Ridge-nosed Rattlesnakes, 8 Banded Rock Rattlesnakes, 1 Twin Spotted Rattlesnake, 6 Tiger Rattlesnakes, 11 Speckled Rattlesnakes, 3 Copperheads and 2 Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes. Almond had 24 rattlesnakes over the legal possession limit. A total of 15 Gila Monsters were seized at Almond's residence including one specimen that Arizona Game & Fish officers discovered had been implanted with a microchip as part of an Arizona State University West research project. Eleven of the seized Gila Monsters were found housed in a bathtub. Most of the reptiles were in poor physical condition and appeared dehydrated and emaciated.

Almond pleaded guilty to all charges at a pre trial hearing in the Scottsdale Justice Court on January 13, 2005. All seized reptiles were forfeited to the State. Civil revocation proceedings are pending as are Federal charges for unlawful interstate trade in wildlife.

UNREAL ~ Takes animals from there natural surroundings and neglects them and keeps them in such poorly conditions , I really do not understand people . Thank GOD they caught him before the animals health and conditions became worse and untreatable .

I heard about this bozo, rescue and relocation my a$$, sounds like capitalism at work again. I wonder how many passed through his hands BEFORE he got caught!

although i don't condone this type of behavior, i hope you're not implying that all capitalism is bad?? capitalism for the most part is what fuels captive breeding efforts of lizards like these. i have read on other heloderm forums the debate over allowing a closed season animal like the gila monster, open to take with a lottery like permit system. i believe this is an interesting proposal but who knows..........any thoughts out there on this?

You have been posting on every message board that this guy is a herper. He is a poacher. Herpers don't do this. Quit trying to blurr the lines.

Fieldherper

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It is surprising and alarming how many people in these forums and who also sell animals on the various sites are engaged in illegal activity. I have seen a lot of people selling animals from states where the species offered is protected, selling native animals from states where the sale of native species is illegal, selling lots of a particular species (either for pet shop inventory or as feeders) from states where the collection/possession limit for the species is 2 etc etc. A lot of folks just want to sale a pet they no longer want and stop when they learn it is unlawful, but many of these people are trying to make a buck and argue with or ignore the laws. It is not that difficult to contact your local F&G enforcement agency to ask what is and isn't legal activity. I am not concerned with the one time offender who just wants to get rid of a single pet but I will and have called appropriate agencies in multiple states to report illegal activity when people are knowingly ignoring laws or are just indifferent to caring.

Randy
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Firehouse Herps