The fact of th matter is, this argument will never end. Thats why I'm over it
The same thing is happening with native animals to mate, but people just don't care as much...
Kane
Hey, if ur allowed to hav a quick last word and run, then so am i!
Ppl do actually care about the natives, hence the breeding programs mate.
I find that in this argument plenty of ppl hav been feeling safe to throw blanket arguments out there - unresearched and guessing pretty much, just huge generalisations.
The simple argument is this:
There is no ecological gain to legalising exotics - in fact there are plenty of risks associated - so don't do it!! Why on earth wld u even think about jeopardising our fragile ecology!!
And please Kane, stop saying that exotics are already here, because everyone realises that they are - just not in the devastating numbers that wld be present if they were legalised. Here are a few things to think about:
1) At the moment, only incredibly desperate (and arguably immoral) people are keeping exotics as pets. The legalisation of exotics wld open this to the common keeper, making them think that it's ok. At the moment the main deterrant for many is the legality aspect, as many cannot see the ecological aspect, and so the removal of this deterrant will WITHOUT DOUBT cause a huge scale influx of exotics into the country.
2) Other countries have experienced the destruction of exotics introduced - and yes, i realise that there are feral animals in the wild, so please do not say that australia's ecology is already screwed, cos ur nuts if u think so. The fact of the matter is, that Australia's ecology is so much more fragile than that of other countries, meaning our flora and fauna are far more specialised, hence making them far more vulnerable to introduced pests. Just look at the cane toad.
3) Escapees cannot be denied. The fact is that a) some herps will not be contained, and b) some keepers are useless.
4) Flashmetal88 made a REALLY important point. The keeping of venomous exotics here in Australia will directly endanger us PERSONALLY. The situation can be seen in South Africa, where exotic vens are being kept, and plenty of ppl are dying on a regular basis as a result that hospitals simply cannot stock anti-venom for every ven species in the world, and the average aussie will not be able to identify an exotic, whereas will quite possibly be able to identify a native.
If u feel i'm missing something, let me no, i fail to see ANY reason (apart from sheer selfish desire) why exotics shld be legalised.