I thought the authorities would trust us. :lol:
I got your point. They also clipped scales - why not use the clippings for DNA extraction?
Another concern, let say a clutch of BHSs turns up and there is some suspicion about their origins. Are they going to bleed new-born juveniles?
This whole exercise seems like a typical government project; lets do this and then see what we're going to do next. There are Broad-heads in Qld.
What's the name of the project? "Broad-heads controlled by Narrow-heards".
Monte, this whole idea of controlling the trade and even have some handle on relatedness is an impossible dream, because the technology is not there yet or is too expensive. PIT tags (mircochips) and far too big to be used on juvenile snakes, they can't be used at all on most geckos. Unless the PIT tag is implanted into the body cavity (which is a surgical procedure), it is easily removed and just as easily implanted subcutaneously into another snake. For argument sake, if a Tagged snakes dies, the owner catches replacement in the wild and inserts the old tag - no one ill know. That's where DNA comes into play but who is going to pay for all that, and most importantly, is it worth it? The authorities are flat out processing permits and, how they going to manage a DNA / PIT tag database and track transactions?
It's called empire building. Convince the community (and the political hand that feeds you) that there is a problem, even if there isn't, and it increases your chances of getting more staff and more money, to fix a problem that didn't exist in the first place, and can't really be fixed anyway until the habitat is protected... But it looks good for a bureaucrat to jump on a 'problem' and be seen to be doing something, even if there is no real possibility of any 'follow through' in future years.
No doubt there are a few BHSs moved around illegally, but the BHS is a small, slow growing and specialised elapid, and probably has very limited appeal in the larger reptile market, so the term 'black market' is probably a bit simplistic. Similarly, the 'black market' in Diamond Pythons would be limited for other reasons - there are so many attractive captive bred animals available at low cost that taking from the wild is rendered almost unnecessary if you're a licensed keeper. Those who are not in the licensing system will not alter their behaviour because the chances of them getting caught is remote.
The more things are put into law, the more people find ways around those laws. The only way any conservation effort will succeed is by cooperation with the interested community. This is not cooperative behaviour, it's threatening behaviour and the chance of it succeeding in its objectives in the long term is nil.
Jamie
I guess this is a bit off topic really Jack, for this thread (which I find very interesting...) but I'm sure members have seen my numerous negative comments about the various state bureaucracies over the years. My opinions are built on decades of experience with these departments (I used to work for one), and I am convinced that there MUST be a better way for them to behave, and to encourage cooperative responses from the keeping community with better outcomes for all, including the animal communities and habitats they wish to protect. Decades of this behaviour continue to produce miserable outcomes for the animals and the habitats, but they just don't get it. The exercise of power is far more important in the long run, and good outcomes don't produce good headlines.
At this point in time, they don't remotely care about the resentment they cause because they believe they have the force of the law behind them. Yours is a good case in point: why even try to insist that you have a procedure like this done within 3 days of an inspection? In regards to the inspection, you are perfectly within your rights, if they turn up unannounced for an 'inspection', to arrange with them a time which suits YOU - they have no automatic right of access to your home.
Outrageous, but so typical of the way reptile keepers, in particular, are treated... but only in Australia...
J
