So, wait, you would rather see a species eaten into extinction than you would see it taken into captivity and preserved?
I don't get it, I really don't. I don't see captivity as a worse fate than death. I also don't consider animals that are extinct in the wild, but still alive in captivity, to actually be extinct.

Either way, ball pythons are in no danger of extinction in captivity OR the wild.
Common sense--the ball pythons are worth more to the trappers alive than they are dead. Otherwise, the trappers would be eating them, or they would go to the bush meat trade, not the pet trade.

Most of the ball pythons exported are captive-hatched babies. If they ate all the adults, there would be no more babies. They don't find all of the nests, as the wild populations aren't significantly impacted by all of this. The babies aren't worth eating, but they're worth selling overseas. It's sustainable, in a place where very few other things are.