Let me say it is heartening to have a lively discussion about this topic. I agree with SteveNT in that a lot of whitefellas have been disingenuous when dealing with Aboriginal landowners, and no doubt will continue to be. However I am under contract to ensure the deal we have is adhered to. More than that, they are my partners in this so my moral compass would not let me do anything detrimental to this project. I am eternally grateful to so many people that after 9 years this project is no longer a dream (although I still feel like I am dreaming) it is reality. First and foremost are Gordo and Greg/s and my Aboriginal partners. Their support is without parallel and they are aware of the impact and energy this project gives to the Landowners, Parks and Wildlife NT, the general public even going right through to the buzz in the herp community. In fact even the Oenpelli school kids are excited by this animal and this project I am lead to believe. This is a special snake there can be no doubt about it and I agree with much of what has been written and can only say that while Wokka is correct in that it could be displayed at CC, especially the sub adult until it matured, I hold this project in the highest regard so will not display them. They are, as someone said, a stress animal and anyone who has dealt with reptiles for a long time will have seen it in captives. These are wild caught animals and as such will be subject to minimal disturbance. I will go into a great deal more detail about a few things when I get a chance but again want to thank you all for the support on this forum. Initially I had hoped to pre-sell some animals to fund this project. That did not happen and that offer was removed some time ago for all those who pledged to pre-purchase. I will now try to breed them then see where it all goes. Regards Gavin
PS - am saving and checking poo for the snakes to see what they have been doing.