Punishment for corn possession

[Aslan]

No idea bout the legal side but morally you did the right thing IMO, a snake shouldnt die just because it doesnt belong in australia. What makes me sick is people smuggling exotics for a quick buck.

Theres a reason why quarantine exists and its a very good one.

Haymista - I have split your paragraph into two parts and hilighted a line for your attention - the second part of your post answers the first part for you...

If the animal hasn't been quarantined, what do you propose is it done to it? As you say, the reason for quarantine requirements is a very good one...

I think people are being a bit harsh.

James - Err, are you new here...? I think, considering the controversy of a topic such as this, the posts have been remarkably tempered...

I think we all appreciate that one corn snake is hardly going to raise a stir, however, the law has knowingly been broken - end of story. The punishment will not be extreme, most likely a monetary penalty - a few hundred dollars most likely.

I also agree with the confiscation of collections as a penalty in these instances. Whilst I don't wish for people's cared for pets to be stripped from them merely as a means to further punish them I think this would be a FAR greater deterrent than any nonsense token fine. Whilst Corns hold no appeal for me, many exotics do, the risk of losing my collection for the sake of one snake or lizard just makes no sense...

 

[junglepython2]

No idea bout the legal side but morally you did the right thing IMO, a snake shouldnt die just because it doesnt belong in australia.

I suppose you feel the same way about cane toads and all the other pests out there?:

 

[Mr.James]

Cane toads, rabbits, corn snakes, red eard sliders and other pests should be killed, they don't belong here!
BUT I do understand where your coming from mate and it does really suck to have to lose a close pet. If humans where perfect (which they never be) and could just keep corns in captivity and never let them out ANYWHERE ELSE I don't see a problem with exotics that are already here in this country. But there is a problem and its because people always want what they cant have and once they have it, eventually it because less exciting & finds its way into wildlife system where it doesnt belong, and or illegal sellers/importers find that people are buying them so they'll keep running the risks of quarantine and the lives of these reptiles to make a quick buck!

Thats just my opinion..

 

[bk201]

blah blah blah is what your excuses sound like...
you can ramble on all day about how you were unaware but since you had carpets you were well aware of the laws and are now only a unknowing victim because you were caught?
seriously grow up and take some responsibility.

IMO a exotic snake thats not native and illegally in australia should die...think of all the diseases etc which have been caused by exotics that can affect our native reptiles and peoples collections...who wants thousands of natives to die just because some idiot wants a corn snake or something else...

if he gets a slap on the wrist what will deter him? he didnt know it was a corn? how did his mentally ill neighbour know then? bragging much>??



and npws would rather preserve the life of all of the reptiles in australia rather than your little corn snake...r.i.p cornie

 

[Anonamou5]

I know what your saying, but you endangered the lives of our wildlife? I know all lives are valueble, but one life weighed up with entire species. . .

You wont go to jail, but the corn will be killed.

The fact was I kept this snake from being released in to the wild where surely it would have made more of a negative impact on the environment than in a glass box in my house! The release of domesticated/ captive bred native species is just as bad as non-natives.

I also agree with the confiscation of collections as a penalty in these instances. Whilst I don't wish for people's cared for pets to be stripped from them merely as a means to further punish them ...........

If making a deterent out of my case means the wanten killing of my other snakes then they are all in the wrong job. They purpose to care about our environment - which put another way - should mean caring about the perpetuity of life. Not murderous acts on healthy animals. The snakes are healthy and disease free. If "danger of being diseased" is the lame reason for destroying them, then I'm happy to pay for blood tests to prove otherwise and if they want to take them away anyway then let them go to a wildlife park or the like. There is really no need at all to kill things for matter of convenience or legaslative narrow mindedness.

The point in matter is not that I didn't go looking for an exotic for my "collection" (I hate that phrase - they are pets). The point is that all animals have the right to life, not just humans. As in this case, If you saw someone trying to behead a dog with a hinged garbage bin lid and the dog was a ferral foreigner would you in all concience do nothing? I cared for the injured animal and once I knew that it was "illegal" the solutions to my predicament became very blurry indeed. The problem is that there is way too much conflicting information and standards, and if the majority of "way outs" involve the killing of the animal then they are not really humane solutions?? at all. We don't kill refugees just because they're foreign or may have a disease.

 

[junglepython2]

The point is that all animals have the right to life, not just humans.

Great sob story but what about all those poor poor rats and mice that had to die to keep your corn alive? Why didn't they have the right to life?

 

[bk201]

lol you still dont get it...its illegal it endangers our natives and our collection you can say how much you love life etc but its just trying to rationalise your illegal actions...the problems is how did you know it wasnt diseased? was it ever tested before? and if you didnt get caught would it have been tested? i think not ...your 1 snake might be healthy but who says the other thousands of corns are? someone keeps a corn around there legal natives...sells a native to another keeper...and BAM the buyers collection is diseased....hows that fair to other keepers and to there collections and native wildlife??

no we dont kill refugees we put them into q-u-a-r-a-n-t-i-n-e to protect our country something which exotics never go through

 

[Retic]

:lol: I love these threads. You will no doubt get what you deserve, a slap on the wrist.
As far as I am aware there is NO evidence to show that any diseases have been introduced by illegally imported exotics or what is more likely in this case a snake that is probably 5th generation Australian.
Why is it as soon as an exotic is mentioned the soapbox comes out and we are told how the snake is going to wipe out all our natives and is more than likely carrying numerous diseases.
This isn't pro or anti exotics just commonsense, think before you post

 

[bk201]

how do you know where it was bred or where it came from? you can guarantee that no exotic will affect our native wildlife>?
sounds just like cane toads will only eat the sugar cane beetles:lol::lol:

 

[ogg666]

You knew you were doing the wrong thing from the start and acted without totally appreciating the repercussions of your actions,I'm guessing you were thinking the whole "It'll never happen to me" getting caught that is, in my opinion you will probably get off lighter than what you should....Why anyone would risk losing there native animals for an exotic is beyond me.

 

[Noongato]

If the first post in this thread was "I have a corn snake and im keeping it and there aint nothing yous can do about it" everyone on here would have picked a fight.
Even ive used this technique, to get the 'enemy' to be a little more leanient, dob yourself in with your side of the story making you sound like a victim....
You knew the risks, so why should people have sympathy for you?
Just because its a snake, its going to make the people on here understand that you loved it etc. But if it was a cane toad or something no one likes, no one would support you.

 

[cris]

Great sob story but what about all those poor poor rats and mice that had to die to keep your corn alive? Why didn't they have the right to life?

:lol: dont make them think to hard.

 

[Jonno from ERD]

:lol: I love these threads. You will no doubt get what you deserve, a slap on the wrist.
As far as I am aware there is NO evidence to show that any diseases have been introduced by illegally imported exotics or what is more likely in this case a snake that is probably 5th generation Australian.
Why is it as soon as an exotic is mentioned the soapbox comes out and we are told how the snake is going to wipe out all our natives and is more than likely carrying numerous diseases.
This isn't pro or anti exotics just commonsense, think before you post

Come on Boa, ...there's no need to let facts get in the way of a good old lynching!

 

[Jumala]

what an interesting topic .......

Exotic is exotic - legislation is written for a reason.

Get a fine, lose your licence. Deal with it. I'm sure someone could have disposed of the animal for you even if you couldn't have done it yourself.

 

[cracksinthepitch]

Someone stated that they were more concerned about the importing of them rather than the people who care for them. Nice sentiment but unfortunately they only exist and get bred or imported because there is obviuosly a market for them. If no one bought them no one would breed or smuggle them. Simplistic veiw for a perfect world but why not?

 

[notechistiger]

The snake almost will certainly be euthanised, however.

If the first post in this thread was "I have a corn snake and im keeping it and there aint nothing yous can do about it" everyone on here would have picked a fight.
Even ive used this technique, to get the 'enemy' to be a little more leanient, dob yourself in with your side of the story making you sound like a victim....
You knew the risks, so why should people have sympathy for you?
Just because its a snake, its going to make the people on here understand that you loved it etc. But if it was a cane toad or something no one likes, no one would support you.

I certainly agree with this.

 

[getarealdog]

Exotics

:lol: I love these threads. You will no doubt get what you deserve, a slap on the wrist.
As far as I am aware there is NO evidence to show that any diseases have been introduced by illegally imported exotics or what is more likely in this case a snake that is probably 5th generation Australian.
Why is it as soon as an exotic is mentioned the soapbox comes out and we are told how the snake is going to wipe out all our natives and is more than likely carrying numerous diseases.
This isn't pro or anti exotics just commonsense, think before you post

HERE HERE, Gee we have legal exotic parrots here always hear of irresponsible birders letting their exotic birds go free & the damage they do to the native wildlife Those of us who are fair dinkum about our chargers whether native,exotic, legal or otherwise do what we have to do to keep our animals correctly. there will always be people in all walks of life who will do the wrong thing. As for exotics wiping out our natives I think the LEGALLY imported Cane Toad will take care of them. Remember in all walks of life it's only illegal if you get caught:lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

[Hemiaspis]

Boa, I completely agree with you. People are citing protecting the environment as a cause (which is completely correct), but punishing people for having exotics does little as a deterrant. The current system detects only a percentage of these animals, the rest are secreted deep in the homes of suburbia, which no controls, no caging standards and no health check!! IMO this is far more dangerous to the Australian environment.

If a system was put in place to monitor and impose standards on exotics, the situation could be much safer. At least there would be an idea of what's out there, in what numbers, who's in possesion of these animals and what are conditions they are being kept in.

The wildlife agencies insist on sticking to a system that has clearly failed (if it was working, there would be no exotics here). Prohibition forces the whole matter underground and the cost of that could be an exotic establishing or introducing disease to the natural environment before anyone even knows it.

People need to think beyond the current system for a solution to this problem. Some of these exotic species have been here since the early 1970's at least. Banning the keeping of them, IMO, was an solution that expired about 30 years ago.

All the Best.

 

[bk201]

wonder how many people in this thread have exotics right now...


i think its odd how so many people are supporting the idea of exotics i think people just want there own collection legalised so they can do some bragging without being busted:evil::lol:

 

[kupper]

there is plenty of people on this forum that will remain unamed that have exotics and not just your average jo corn snakes , whether they would admit to owning them especially here is another question

after being done for my corns that i had well and truely befor having anything native or a wildlife licence for that matter , i actually feel relived in a way also very much pissed that an animal that i have cared for for so long was taken and at this time being made into a belt not to mention that a memebr on this forum had the balls to dobb me in after i have helped them countless times

end of the day they are illegal and if you choose to keep them you are goign against federal law doing so ,

and for all those OPMV mungers on this forum , i would ahve been more worried about a native snake giving my corns something than the corns giving something to an aussie snake