Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What are you doing giving Micheal Jackson restricted species permits when bonafide biologists trying to do conservation work in CA. are put through the ringer, denied permits, put at the bottom of the pile, all of this when they HAVE THE PROPER DOCUMENTATION AND EXPERIENCE TO PURSUE THE WORK THEY ARE ASKING TO BE PERMITTED FOR????
Is MJ funding the department these days???? It seems VERY ODD to me that a defunct popstar can acquire these permits for his private zoo, a "facility" as I was told by your department. He does not exhibit these animals to the public, he is pursuing absolutely NO SCIENTIFIC STUDIES of any kind, he is basically not doing anything educational or worthwhile with these animals. And yet he can get a permit that requires quite alot of documentation and experience?

Whos the crooked stick at CDFG, someone is getting some serious lining in their pockets. There is NO OTHER EXPLANATION AT ALL.

Wouldnt surprise me if the tiger you murdered was MJ's too.
You folks are a piece of work, does the CDFG even hire biologists or scientists anymore?? Are things that bad that you take money from a nitwit like MJ?? You guys should explain this to the general public so we dont think you are operating alittle private permit board on the side. Or are you?????

Lateralis,

you are my hero. i know longer live on the left coast, but i sympathize with your frustration. you're 100 percent correct in your summary of the cal fish and game bunch. most can't tell the difference between a coastal horned lilzard, and a desert horned lizard. yes, but they know better than us. they must protect the people from themselves at all times, or they just wouldn't feel good about their jobs. now i will point out on a different note, as an avid fisherman the dept has made some significant strides to fishing coastal waters and the conservation of certain species, but on the herp side there a little off the deep end. i once saw a (KGB), I MEAN CALIFORNIA fish and game agent from that state harassing a vendor at an irba show in san diego over them selling cb central american banded geckos, claiming they were illegally collected from the local desert and they were going to try and give this person a ticket and take there lizards. i couldn't believe what was happening. your right, maybe if we all bleached our skin and acted like we were from outer space we could get our heloderm permits without having to sign of over our first born rights and get a signed letter from president bush stating what accomplished herpers we all are. sorry for the rant but these government agency, feel good, whack job types really get me to speak my mind.

HARDCORE

Thanks, I am now cooled alittle, former profs describe me as, "brash and outspoken but in a good way!" The CDFG has done some good work, and they have some excellent people, BUT, I question, as is my right, the fact that legitimate, documented, data-sharing, professionals are put through HLEL to do serious work and crackpots with lots of $ can manuever through the system.
Its not that I dont understand, its that the population in this country are LETTING them treat us like collective idiots while we dotter about worried about our own little "neverlands". I am but one in that pop., perhaps more could bring about some positive change.
I babble.....