Reptile dispatched (Not Happy Jan!!!)

[Gregory]

Some of the posts to the newspaper seem to be getting out of hand. There's no need for inciting vengence on anyone. It'll just make us hobbyists out as a pack of animals. Lodge your protests but lodge them sensibly and articulately without resorting to threats or intimidation. A lot of the posts have degenerated into immature rantings.
Publishing their address and phone number is only gonna get the whole story pulled from the website.

 

[Mystery]

I can bet nothing will be done - I did a reptile course in Brisbane and our teacher told us that while it is illegal to kill them - nobody has EVER been charged, to his knowledge. Pathetic!! I wonder what their excuse will be for not charging them? Thats where we should make a stand. It may make these idiots think twice.

 

[cris]

Some of the posts to the newspaper seem to be getting out of hand. There's no need for inciting vengence on anyone. It'll just make us hobbyists out as a pack of animals. Lodge your protests but lodge them sensibly and articulately without resorting to threats or intimidation. A lot of the posts have degenerated into immature rantings.
Publishing their address and phone number is only gonna get the whole story pulled from the website.

Yeah i think alot off those comments make us(reptiles keepers) looking like narrow minded obnoxious ___ ....
I dont think anyone from this forum witnessed the event so its pretty harsh to pass judgement and especially violent threats a way out of line IMO.

I think there is absolutely no chance of prosecution so i think ppl should just get over it.

Elapid 68, my comparision was not ment to compare the motivation or intent just the end effect. ppl who mow their lawns(me included) will kill heaps more herps than the teenagers did. You dont have to mow lawns and the garden skinks "were there first" as ppl like to say.

 

[JungleRob]

Post your comments on the article guys, the public needs to be made aware of what alot of us already know. The media won't do anything about it, nor will the police, it's up to us!

 

[Hickson]

This is getting out of hand.

Reading the posts under the article I came to one conclusion - that any non-herper reading that would think that the herp fraternity are a bunch of fanatical lunatics.

Most members of this site are all for educating the community about reptiles and promoting them as pets, helping new pet owners etc. The postings under the article have done more to hurt the herp industry than anything I've seen in recent years. Promoting attacks against the people involved is the same sort of vigilante thuggery that took place at Cronulla a year ago.

Yes, they killed a Brown Snake. Yes, they were stupid. No, they weren't brave.
Could they have done something else? Yes. But they aren't herpers, they're normal people who, in the heat of the moment, wouldn't have stopped to consider what alternatives they could take.
Especially when they don't know what species of snake it was.

I'm not happy about the situation, but I would rather those people were educated (in an understanding compassionate way) than the methods some people were suggesting.

Consider this: you have a large tree in your backyard and you chop it down to put in a swimming pool. You find out that it's a rare species of Eucalypt, and then "Friends of Flora" start egging your house, and threatening to "chop you up with a chain saw".

Note that I'm not directing this at anyone in particular. Kudos to Cris, Gregory and Consequence for being a bit more sensible and less emotional than the rest.

I'm locking this thread so instead of encouraging each other with radical thoughts, you can ruminate upon what I've said.