G'day Mr Edwards
I understand and respect your idealogy, I think it is outdated and wrong, but I respect it so I will just counter debate your points to try to get you to see the Aussie point of view.
I would love to get up close to American native animals but alas, I too can't afford to go to the USA.......Thats life. Animals in zoos are completely different to animals in private collections. Zoos around the world work as a collective in scientific study and captive breeding programs to aid in the re-release of animals back into their native environments. Private collections are interested in a captive breeding program for profit and to boast that "I have one of these". You must take the first step to understanding that zoos and private collections have completely different aims and objectives. I will take your Beardie point. Yes, millions of them are bred around the world but none of them have made their way back here to re stock the wild populations (they wouldn't survive anyway, sunbursts and scaleless etc wouldn't fit in) I'd warrant a guess that the USA and Europe don't have a proper natural colouration Central Beardie left. Also, there are, I think 7 types of Beardies in Australia, not just the Vitticeps, how does the worldwide pet industry help them? They are ignored because they are not as pretty or sellable.
You have obviously researched the antivenoms which is good but are YOU prepared to keep a fresh, in date supply ON SITE. Your hospitals WON'T keep it. You may be the only source for 1000 miles. As far as keeping them in Europe and USA in private collections, well it's purely for profit and the amusement of the collector not science or conservation. What you need to understand is that Black Snakes are common BECAUSE we DON'T export them around the world.
Your last paragraph....Conservation STARTS with the natural habitat, not captive breeding which is a LAST resort before extinction. First we try to preserve the natural habitat so the native species can proliferate undisturbed. If their numbers drop we try to protect the habitat from feral pests. If their numbers continue to drop we then start to captive breed them. As far as the Temporalis is concerned, that dot on the map indicating its range is probably a couple of hundred miles in diameter, they will find many more than 5 as they widen the search. I am soooooo happy to see that a zoo is studying and captive breeding them rather than a private collector.
And lastly Private breeders of any animals have a tendancy to want to change the original animal, larger, smaller, colours, patterns etc to make it more original and sellable. Cats and Dogs are prime examples, noone actually knows what the original cats and dogs looked like before domestication. They have been morphed, crossed and interbred so much that the original breed is probably extinct. The Budgerigar, common around the world, has been changed so much that they are almost separate species. The pet industry is never interested in keeping things original, it has to try to make them better. There is no conservation in the pet industry...just profits.
At this moment in time I can walk into my backyard and look up and see Cockatoos and Corellas flying past, Rosellas, Rainbow and Scaly Breasted Lorikeets in the trees, at night there are Tawny Frogmouths and Grey Headed flying foxes flying around, on the ground I could find Blue Tongues, Beardies, Water Dragons, Blacks and Brown Snakes, Diamond Pythons and in the creeks tortoises, all this in the suburbs of Sydney. I can do this BECAUSE we don't export them. What will I see if we do??