The effect of poaching of reptiles in WA is not significant in terms of numbers taken. Road-kills account for heaps more and most populations are resilient enough that this has no lasting effects. However, destruction of vulnerable habitat, most particularly that which takes tens or hundreds or more years to recover, such exfoliated slabs on a rock outcrop, can have a devastating effect on local populations. The destruction of whatever percentage of the habitat means at least an equivalent reduction in population size. The actual reduction is, in fact, a lot worse. When a habitat is fragmented, the places to take safe refuge are fragmented. Hence, the ability to safely forage for and locate food, the capacity to locate a mate, the safe dispersal of young, and the like are severely impacted. This result in a very much greater reduction in the local population and may even see the remaining animals of that population crash completely.
I have seen a number of photos of destroyed rock outcrops in WA’s wheatbelt that were attributed to poachers. Those with basically all moveable rocks flipped over, many of which were broken, were clearly the results of unethical collectors. Others, with rocks thrown and smashed into smaller pieces (requiring considerable effort on behalf of the perpetrator) or larger slabs that had been hit with something like a sledge hammer to fracture them, are more likely the result of pure vandalism. Neither is acceptable. But when you know what lives there and what it needs to survive, and you still destroy it make a quick buck, that to me is a much more heinous crime than someone mindlessly taking out misdirected emotions or frustrations on what they consider to be ‘lifeless objects’.
? I really am just kidding HA... I was led into that by BF... I couldn't resist. Probably didn't have enough red wine in the weekend. Luckily I've developed a very thick skin after years of dealing with the dregs of the reptile world...
