Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Appendix D
Legal Considerations Regarding Private
Ownership of Venomous Snakes
(Including Hazard Level 1 “Colubrids”):
An Opinionated Essay
Beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, there was a notable explosion of interest in the
private collection of living reptiles and amphibians. Since about 2001, approxi-
mately 2 million live reptiles are imported per annum in the United States alone. Of
these,
25% are typically popular harmless species such as green iguanas (
Iguana
iguana
), Central and South American boa constrictors (
Boa
spp.), and others (e.g.,
in 2001, around 2 million reptiles were imported of which about 500,000 were
I. iguana
).
1
This volume of importation, as well as exchange of captive-bred
specimens, translates into hundreds of millions, possibly billions, of dollars (most
published figures are inexact estimates). There are similarly large markets through-
out Europe, Canada, and Japan. Due to the unprecedented, and relatively sudden,
expansion of private ownership of reptiles and amphibians, an increasing number of
species have become commercially available. Unfortunately, a proportion of amateur
collectors often collect species of which they have little or no experience handling
or maintaining. This lack of experience, and in some cases, overt carelessness/fool-
hardiness (free-handling, “self-immunization” with venoms, etc.), intersected with
availability of dangerously venomous species occasionally results in serious morbid-
ity or tragedy. An increasing number of “expos” or breeders' vendor shows, as well
as Internet exchanges, provide open availability of many species to a broad expanse
of interested prospective buyers. This relatively open access has some important pos-
itive aspects, as appropriately trained and/or informed hobbyists can obtain healthy
captive-bred nonvenomous specimens to enhance their interest. Well-informed col-
lection of captive-bred specimens also encourages further study as well as obvi-
ates collection pressures on wild populations. Many professional biologists (e.g.,
herpetologists, toxinologists, and other life scientists, including all of the authors)
partly initiated and propagated their interests by maintaining a collection of living
specimens. The responsible and reasonable trade in reptiles and amphibians also pro-
vides valuable specimens for research (including venom and Duvernoy's secretion
research).
