to think that the purpose of this bill is to protect the welfare of "wild" animals and the "native" lands of the united states is completely crazy.

the animals that are collected in the wild for the pet trade, would either be eaten or collected for some other trade such as skins. like it or not, this is how it is with other cultures.

as far as protecting the native lands in the united states, Give me a break. if you believe this you are drinking kool aid. If this was the case, cats would've been outlawed many years ago. They are the most invasive and destructive animal alive...next to humans.

These government people could care less about protecting native habitat of animals, most especially snakes.

I find it rather odd that in states where it's illegal to collect or own native snakes it's perfectly ok to kill them all day long.

As far as environmental impact on a snakes and other herps, what is the difference between killing a snake and collecting it to keep? The difference is killing is legal.

i believe in the bill of rights it talks about the pursuit of happiness. if one can properly care for a snake and this is their passion, then it is their american right to keep whatever species they like.

I only keep one snake currently, but i am not ready to give up my right to keep 100 if i choose.