There are good reasons why most states have a graduated licencing system, although some of the species on those lists don't really make sense (but that's because they're drawn up by bureaucrats...). Many of the more "sensitive" species rely on a developed ability to "read" the needs of those animals in a captive environment, and without sound background knowledge a lot of these creatures will be doomed, or may become dangerous (your suggestion that a novice keeper should be able to get a large monitor, while tongue-in-cheek, is not well thought out). Time & time again on this site, there are keepers who demonstrate that they don't have clue about even the most basic husbandry practices for reptiles, and that can include members who have been keeping for relatively long periods of time, but have somehow managed to bumble through. It's often more a testimony to the toughness of the animals than the skill of the keeper that has kept them alive - viz the recent thread which involved a potentially large snake (easy to care for and usually bulletproof) which had been fed only a hopper rat every three weeks or so. Given the amount of info freely available these days, there is absolutely no excuse for such abject ignorance. But it happens...
Jamie
