NYS seeks to criminalize reptile ownership

[Aaron_S]

I agree with your overall statement because it's true. We were given our freedom, as it's been called, and we screwed it up. We now have to take our lumps.

Here are the parts I disagree with.

I dont condone large scale reptile breeders or importers for the same reason I dont condone puppy mills; I dont believe they have contributed to the benefit of the animals, but rather singularly to the pocketbook of the keepers, and usually the detriment of the animals.

Partially false. It's also highly hypocritical because without those breeders you wouldn't ever have what you have for a reasonable price. Also, I've said it before and I'll say it again. I would consider the reptile trade farmers and not mills. Breeders take care of their animals, they aren't sitting in waste or malnourished. They simply breed them on a regular basis and don't interact with them on a pet level. It's basic care and that's it. It has done wonders for a lot of species.

Obviously it would be different species, but I would probably get no less enjoyment from them.

I wish venomous and giant keepers would share in this thought.

The lights, heaters, enclosures, etc available today are undoubtedly better than anything we had 20 or 30 years ago. However, when taken over the numbers that the increased trade has killed, you would be hard pressed to say that any of these developments have benefited reptiles as a whole.

Really? I'm sure the monitor keepers would beg to differ how much these developments have helped them understand them from a captive standpoint. Plenty of species of reptiles are in conservation programs because we developed those items so we can stop them from being wiped out in the wild.