i don't know what sort of monitors you saw but most aussie monitors, womas, most morelia, are cheaper os, and bhp's wouldn't be worth freighting. i thought it was only customs and NPWS that believed the rubbish prices paid os.
another point to note is that os breeders who do have expensive critters don't want the floodgates open for imported stuff. there was never the market for aussie cockatoos and galahs as stated, wc birds would have sold for $10ea, not the $6K ea often quoted. captive bred galahs currently sell for about $US500, how could you breed them in australia and sell them for a profit? how could you sell wc for more than a few dollars each? those americans who were breeding sulphur-crested would
have lobbied harder than australian customs to prevent their own business suffering.
