Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparky
But people could still breed them domestically, right?  I don't know everything, but at least with balls that's often really more desirable. The guy who sold Duchess to me didn't know anything (or so he said, I'm certain he knew she was ill and just didn't say anything so he could get full price from a reptile novice) but I bet she was wild-caught. |
You could breed them domestically IN-STATE, but you could not ship to buyers out-of-state. You also could not carry your python or boa across state lines if you moved, or temporarily traveled, out-of-state. The reptile industry depends on being able to buy and sell animals all over the country, as do dog, cat, horse or livestock breeders. Each individual state does not have enough demand to support the breeding of most reptiles, but the demand IS there nationwide. There would be no more reptile shows, since many of the vendors sell and breed boas and pythons, and have to travel from state-to-state. These shows generate large revenue for the cities hosting them and also serve to help educate the public about such animals. Sites such as Kingsnake.com, which depend on advertising from breeders who sell their animals all over the country, would disappear. It would be illegal for someone to travel to a neighboring state for a visit and carry a pet Ball Python with them. I know that one of the country's leading Ball Python breeders and experts lives here in South Carolina, and most of his buyers are in other states, since he sells high-dollar snakes, like Platinums and Bumblebees. People like him would be put out of business, completely, even though their animals pose no threat whatsoever to any environment or person. You really would not, eventually, be able to obtain such snakes, even in-state, because the people who now breed them would stop, since there simply would not be enough demand unless they could ship out-of-state. You can rest assured that the Feds won't stop with boas and pythons, either, but will move on to monitor lizards, Bearded Dragons, geckos, and turtles. Currently, boas and pythons, as well as certain lizards, are the "backbone" of herpetoculture, so the move is calculated to break that backbone and remove one entire class of animals-reptiles-from being kept or sold as pets.
pitbulllady