A letter from the Victorian DSE

[herptrader]

In yesterday's mail I got a letter from the department. Usually I know what is going to be in any letter from the department. Eg: Licence renewal, permit etc. I was more than a little curious to open it.

It turned out to be a brochure reminding herpers about the elegalities and dangers of keeping exotics.

Did anybody else receive one of these?

(I mean the closest thing we have to an exotic is the couple of gold fish we have in the turtle ponds to eat mosquito larva... )

It is a moderately interesting read...

In Victoria, boa constrictors and corn snakes are the most commonly kept and traded exotic reptiles. Some are traded illegally through pet stores but most are sold by individuals.

The only exotic amphibian that can be legally kept in Victoria is the Axolotl, or Mexican Walking Fish. No permit is required.

 

[Ozzie Python]

Obviously didn't get one as i'm in qld, but i think that is good of them to be getting some awareness out there. I currently have offers for exotics in my email inbox because i was silly enough to put my email up on a wanted post. (wanted a childrens not exotics).

 

[Dan123]

yeh i got one. i was like are they hinting something??

 

[dansfish4tea]

somone sounds quilty

 

[Ozzie Python]

it would be interesting to see how many exotics they find each year. Anyone got any rough ideas? Everyone says there are thousands out there.

 

[ytamarin]

Yep I got one of those. Thought it was funny that they send them out to people who have a licence, I guess it means we are interested in reptiles which might make us more likely to be interested in illegally keeping exotic reptiles, but it sort of felt like a warning to those of us who are doing the right thing.
Anyway it was interesting to read.

 

[aurea23]

I saw the title and thought Beauty..... we can be in line with other states and keep more different types of reptiles.. alas disappointing.... its just more propaganda.......

 

[DiamondAsh]

Yeah I got one, very colorful. I have to wonder how much it cost them to print it and if the money could be better spent investigating illegal reptiles.

 

[Hsut77]

Yeah I got one, very colorful. I have to wonder how much it cost them to print it and if the money could be better spent investigating illegal reptiles.

I got one as well and had the same thought DiamondAsh.

 

[Ramsayi]

Yeah I got one, very colorful. I have to wonder how much it cost them to print it and if the money could be better spent investigating illegal reptiles.

Maybe thats exactly what they are currently doing.Reminding everyone about legalities etc before cracking down on exotics?

 

[Bigbird]

Yeah, I got one. Felt like a warning to me too.

 

[Leigh]

sounds like the kind of dodgy, hidden-meaning, accusatory letter Centrelink would send out.

EDIT: am i aloud to say this, or will this get deleted? are they watching us?

 

[Nbates]

Time to hide your boas people

 

[Snow1369]

I got one Wasn't a bad read... I just assumed they'd have sent it to everyone that has a license in vic.

 

[Retic]

I can't see it could accomplish much, if you keep exotics a little pamphlet is hardly going to make you decide to get rid of them and they can hardly crack down on them as they are already illegal.

 

[herptrader]

Part of the logic in sending them to herpers could be to make it unambiguously clear that exotics are illegal to give them a better chance of prosecution following a raid. So often prosecutions seem to come across as a light tap on the knuckles.

The number of exotics advertised on Pet Link and in the papers indicates to me that many people are not aware of how illegal they are.

On the other hand if the post out was to raise awareness then this discussion alone indicates that they have been successful.


I would expect that a very large number of these brochures may have been printed, sufficient for them to be included with every new licence that gets issued for many years.

 

[LJ77]

I got mine too , Im glad i didn't get the red ear slider turtle that I saw on Petlink. :lol::lol:

 

[lauraschram]

we got one two.... looks like my Christmas wish list! Very pretty pictures.

 

[FAY]

I know that it is hard to believe...but there are people out there who really don't know that exotics are illegal.
Not every person who has a licence belongs to a site like this.

 

[Ozzie Python]

I know that it is hard to believe...but there are people out there who really don't know that exotics are illegal.
Not every person who has a licence belongs to a site like this.

Totally agree, i have spoken to a guy and he had just got his licence and was complaining to me that he has spent hours in the bush and he couldn't find a snake to take home, he had no concept of what he can or can't do. There really should be more to getting your rep. licence than just filling in a form and paying $50