New Restrictions Proposed On Box Turtles, Native Herps In Virginia

[Hugsplox]

This is an interesting one because I'm not entirely sure it's a bad thing. It seems like this targets poachers and people collecting these animals in the wild. Now I remember being a kid and finding turtles to bring home, but I get that collection can cause issues for wild populations. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Article
https://www.reptilesmagazine.com/new...s-in-virginia/

Proposal
https://dwr.virginia.gov/wp-content/...C15-360-10.pdf

[Bogertophis]

Honestly, I'm all for this. As our human populations increase, not only is there a loss of habitat for wild species, but also, if everyone takes "just one, or a few", it quickly adds up to harming the survival of the affected species. And captive-bred is THE way to go anyway, it's not as if anyone will be deprived of keeping a turtle.

Impulsively grabbing a reptile or amphibian from the wild also typically means that person isn't actually prepared to keep it properly- they haven't "done their homework"- they don't know how much work or expense may be involved to keep it healthy, or what sort of long-term commitment it will require, so let's be honest, most of the time they're going to lose interest & neglect it.

On the other hand, when you have some "skin in the game" (ie. you have to plan the care & PAY for things) you tend to put more thought into what you're taking on, & will take better care of it. That to me is the most important aspect. Live animals should never be treated as temporary amusements, & allowing that to happen just teaches the wrong thing. I know that some of us got our start this way too, but we could just as easily have done so in a pet store. We should also keep in mind that the world is a changing place from when we were kids- the environment isn't what it used to be- it's not as forgiving- and our wildlife is having a harder time because of various factors (climate change, loss of habitat, pollution, poaching, etc.).

Another problem with "taking just one home" is that some people already have other herps in their household- then if (or when) they lose interest or that one creature fails to adapt, many people may decide to put that animal back in the wild, & IF they do, there's always the chance it will take some exotic pathogens, diseases, or parasites along with them- things that could literally decimate our wild populations.