# Will Exotics ever become freely available ?



## Weezer (Dec 10, 2009)

_*Will EXOTICS EVER MAKE THEIR INTO OUR COLLECTIONS LEGALLY ? FAT CHANCE.

The dream herp thread got me thinking...so instead of hijacking the thread i thought I would throw my 1 cent into the cauldron..
*_​ 
Given the way our hobby is progressing, it was never going to be long before a little experimentation went down- and native destruction doesnt necessarily have to be out in the middle of the Nullarbor- there are plenty of breeders wilfully throwing down hybrid orgies right now in their caves ("oops I accidently left the enclosure open, but look at how beautiful this RPM Coastal hatchie is...") then gloating about it with pretty pictures. The attempt to condition us into acceptance of interbreeding is already going on daily. 5 years ago, mentioning the word hybrid meant a ritual burning at the stake ! 

....in THIS very room...

Then there are the quarantine issues, the legislation of which would need to be handled at a *federal* level...and the the fact that anyone with sufficient respect in the industry, and therefore the sufficient pull to instigate change, is most likely partaking in large scale legal breeding practices, and cares little to move to change policy for us neophites when by all accounts they can flash their James Bond Licence tomorrow and have an exotic pair in their lap within the month. 

You have to ask yourself, as pessimistic a few as it is; why would anyone in the position to incite debate, or use their perceived credibility from a legislative point of view, make it easy for any of us _mere mortals_- when exclusivity of a species, morph or freakish gene is the aim of the game anyway. Or at least, making lots and lots of money from the perceived rarity is more the aim- but look at albino Darwins as an example of saturation of the market- word on the street is that several batches of darwins are soon to hit the shelves with a sub-thousand pricetag. 

You heard it here first. Uh huh. 

Do you think SXR will be able to move albino yearlings for $4 Large after the exotics hit the fan ? hmmmm.... so will a respected commercial breeder float the idea of importing foreign exotics to their fed buddies ? Of course not- it spells complete business suicide- and how could we blame them ?

So it is left to us collectors and small-time breeders to navigate the issue without any input from those who regulate the scene, or those that have the ability to support such a move, whilst the bigger fish sit back and play the waiting game. 

I would love to see exotics become available, but if they are going to be as easy to pick up as a GTP or Woma, and suddenly render the hard work of many topline breeders futile, then I would rather froth over our native stuff until EVERY base is covered. 

It is not _*just*_ a matter of risk assessment and permit regulation- that type of report writing is as easy as any Masters thesis- a year's research tops, assuming that a wide demographic has input- and probably not much more depth than a top-shelf business plan- but in reality all levels of heirachy fromthe larger commercial breeders to environmentalists to government departments at State and Federal levels, all the way down to lowly scorpion owners would have to have input ; and progress such as this would require a complete overhaul of our _*current*_ system- where MA's are stamped, stuck in a filing cabinet, and barely read.

Would we want to sacrifice the relative ease with which we engage in our hobby- in the present tense- for a couple of pretty vipers in our herp room ? I believe that a move to change things would open up every loophole and backdoor currently being exploited- it would _*have*_ to; in order to ensure that the same factors are not exploited with the influx of exotic species; and a whole lot of behind the scenes politics would ensue- the decision would be made before the report even went to print. A breeder who turns over millions and is living a rockstar lifestyle is not going to help us much, considering they would be the biggest losers- their current _*native*_ collection would decrease in value overnight massively; and they would most likely support the move in public but destroy it from behind the curtain. 

And OF COURSE the government would assess what is_* financially*_ more viable- ; the consensus would be an emphasis on taking tax dollars from the high flyers who need to declare their profit already, in favour of the import taxes which a very small number of us would have to pay for extravegant foreign purchases.

that will always be the bottom line. It is easier right now to have the States here running the show- and they are underfunded and disinterested participants already- so the Feds won't want to touch it with a 10 foot Burmese Python. The work that would be required, the change of policy, the debate of the issue- all so we erceived outcasts- a minor percentage of the general pop, can have a nice snake ? It wouldn;t even qualify as sufficient fuel to run _any_ election campaign even as a minor issue- probably not even at a local or regional level. Not even in Gympie !


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## PimmsPythons (Dec 10, 2009)

it will never happen.the EPA won't allow it. the laws were put in place not that long ago to protect our local wild life from deseases and threats, and there is no way to they would turn the laws back around to go towards a "pet industry".unless you own a zoo there is no chance of owning exotics legaly.any tax they would earn the government would be a millionth of a percent of what gets paid in taxes and wouldn't even be an issue to them.
cheers
simon


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## Weezer (Dec 10, 2009)

well said Simon- if only I had the ability to summarise.


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## pythons73 (Dec 10, 2009)

Legally No,illegally they are ready available if you no the right people...


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## solar 17 (Dec 10, 2009)

*Exotics ?????*

*Iam not so sure about exotics never being allowed.......if you compare them to exotic birds, from my own personal experience with the QLD. EPA. in the early 90's l had and have still got Dusky Lories [exotic lories] ...well the EPA found out l had them [they weren't hidden] they were going to confiscate them and put them down....citing Newcastle Desease, B&F AND several other exotic deseases, l received all the paperwork [which l still have] for court....l engaged a high profile legal person who contacted them and spoke at length ......... then nothoing.......14 years later still nothing ....now l hear/ see they are looking at putting them on exotic registration paperwork....mmmmmmm what a turn around ....while l sit on the fence with jags or jag lookalikes or rp's or what ever handle you want to put on them l personally believe the lines have been blurred indefinately with the recent sale of these rp's, jags, morphs and within 2-3 years keepers will be divided basically into 3 groups exotic keepers, native keepers and like me fence sitters......cheers solar 17 [Baden]............ps and right to this moment l cant believe how many exotic species of birds are popping up in this coutry right up in the dollars to........ and start thinking most of the way to six figures......*


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## Jay84 (Dec 10, 2009)

Solar....... There are many species of exotic birds in Australia and they are all legal?


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## solar 17 (Dec 10, 2009)

*exotic birds !!!!*

*jay84 what you say is correct ...there are many legal exotics in australia....but l am under the impression there have been no legal imports since 1995 with NEBRIS issueing a final list but by gee wizz there are species here now that l am sure in my forty years of keeping birds weren't here before....cheers solar 17 [Baden]*


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## Weezer (Dec 11, 2009)

pythons73 said:


> Legally No,illegally they are ready available if you no the right people...



Exactly Mark thats the scary part mate- the quicker the powers that be realise that either way they will slowly infiltrate the market, the better off we will be with some decent legislation drawn up and a whole new Xmas wishlist sitting on our desktops.


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## Renagade (Dec 11, 2009)

i cant believe the amount of exotics and off paper reps i have been offered, even if only on the grounds reptile food i buy locally... i dont believe it's getting harder to sneak and smuggle.


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## Kurto (Dec 11, 2009)

Exotics have been readily available in the US for quite some time. Now look at the impending ban on all snakes over there. Why would you want to mess with what we have going here with the notion o f bring any legally obtained exotics into the country? It would open the flood gates for activists to lobby against our small herping world. So as much as I want a Eyelash viper, it's just not worth it...


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## CodeRed (Dec 11, 2009)

Exotics will never be allowed.

If you took a poll about this from the herp community you would find quiet a bit of opposition. These are people that like snakes !!! So just imagine how little chance you would have if it was left up to the general population (mainly snake haters) and our politicians to decide.


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## ad (Dec 11, 2009)

How long til 'someone' brings in chameleons disguised as RP BoydsForestDragons Morph


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## Weezer (Dec 11, 2009)

ooooh, I'm sending a hot EPA chick around to your joint Ads. Might have to confisgate a baby for further research  Another post like that and I am opening Photoshop ....artist's impression, anyone ?


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## ozziepythons (Dec 11, 2009)

No chance. None. The wildlife regulation laws are iron clad for a reason. If a keeper wants exotics they can get in touch with someone on the black market and do it illegally. Or work in a zoo to feed a desire to indulge in the husbandry of exotics. Australia has some of the world's most sought after species of wildlife, reptiles at the top of the list, so if they are not good enough for a keepers collection, they can go away and live elsewhere.


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## moosenoose (Dec 11, 2009)

Have a REALLY good long look at this thread: http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/...nning-snakes-in-the-usa-next-australia-125202 - and be thankful they aren't allowed in this country! My views on exotics have changed quite considerably after seeing what has happened in the States! Sad but true. The intellect and overall responsiblity shown by a select few would jeopardize our hobby beyond repair! Be thankful we have what we do!


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## PremierPythons (Dec 11, 2009)

Weezer said:


> Will EXOTICS EVER MAKE THEIR INTO OUR COLLECTIONS LEGALLY ?



No

There's a detailed response for you Weezer


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## Weezer (Dec 11, 2009)

hahha dont make me prank your phone Andy


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## Sturdy (Dec 11, 2009)

Weezer said:


> _*Will EXOTICS EVER MAKE THEIR INTO OUR COLLECTIONS LEGALLY ?
> *_​



You never know it could very well happen..


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## zulu (Dec 11, 2009)

*re will*



ad said:


> How long til 'someone' brings in chameleons disguised as RP BoydsForestDragons Morph



Yeh substitution happens,import some young childreni or stimsons from WA and they are pygmies,must go on ide say,fancy that.


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