Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, I spoke to a keeper in Kentucky who spoke to state officials about keeping Federally listed Endangered or Threatened Species. It appears that Kentucky no longer allows the keeping of such species.

D.couperi is now an illegal species in Kentucky.

God bless the USA.

Doug T

Great. One more state to cross off the list.
Do you know which other states don't allow the keeping of D.couperi (besides Florida and Georgia)? I'm going to have to move out of state in a couple years so that my wife to be can go to grad school, so I'm trying to figure out which states we definitely don't want (i.e. anyplace with unreasonable restrictions on the keeping of snakes).

Go to www.indigosnakes.com and check out the status and permits page (linked below).

It is as complete as I know. If anyone has any other info on their state laws restricting indigos, let me know.

Doug T
Status and Permits Page

When did the cost go from $25 to $100? My last permit in February 2005 was $25.

The cost changed in March, I believe. I forget exactly when it happened, but when I applied for mine, I missed the change by two days. I was not pleased, needless to say. I guess the moral of the story is to order in quantity.

np

Is there some sort of "grandfather" clause??
:Mark

I did not see any Grandafather clauses in the site. I'm disgusted enough to not want to look again.

Go to www.indigosnakes.com, Status and Permits page, click on Kentucky and the new laws will pop up and hopefully it's legal to keep them if you had them before.

Doug T

I know it's naive, But what IS the supposed rationale to ban the state keeping of a FEDERALLY endangered species if you have a FEDERAL permit?

I live in N.J. so I am used to what seems like ridiculously restrictive herp laws. EVEN California allows the taking of ONE Zonata.

In N.J. you can pay taxes, be a law abiding/responsible citizen and not ever be allowed to legally collect a native herp. Of course I can buy land,build a strip mall and kill any herp in the way, but I'd better not take anything and pamper it in captivity. At least in N.C. you can pay for a permit like a fishing license and collect a few things.

I'm not new to herps, have all the proper permits for years and have heard it all bfore. But it does sometimes still get old when you read a post like the one above.

Happy herping,

BobS

np

You’re absolutely right Bob.

I am just out of striking range of that fall out news. Is my State Next? National Herp. Society. Hmmm.

Disgusted Dann

Thats just plain sucks. And wont help the actual conservation of the Couperi one bit. And thats the tragedy of it all, it does nothing but insure that a whole polulation of would be Indigo breeders CANT keep that snake in their locale without incurring a fine or imprisonment. Politics at work.

Sickening,

Fred Albury

I has been my experience that state officials of have some leeway. All the conservation arguments make a compelling case, as well the facts that its always the guys who follow the law who get burned. In effect, this prohibition is a tax, and economically, it just makes KY-illegal snakes more profitable for the illegal market. I would like to find out who precisely is making that decision and ask for permission/exception. Anybody know?

Note cows are extinct in the wild and there is no possibility of re-introducing, say, a wild large bovine into the wild. Hardly endangered, however. If we accept the premise that couperi habitat is truly disappearing (i.e. couperi can't adapt at all to changes) then it makes rational sense to allow breeders to maintain the species. KY has a trackrecord of understanding the issues-it established some 1500 elk in the eastern part, and gleefully touts the hunting permits (100) it issues by lottery. Anyway, there ought to be a way to make the point that keeping and breeding couperi is hardley the same as snagging an golden eagle and selling the feathers.

All thought appreciated