I think things worth worrying about when it comes to breaking a law are:
- the penalties for violating the law, and whether those are worth risking,
- the moral/public good worth of the the law itself,
- whether a violation could be a matter of productive civil disobedience
- the public perception of both those who break the law and the group(s) that might be seen as guilty by association
- the aftereffects of individual or group violations of the law (such as followup/reactionary, 'get-tough-on-x' legislation)
I'd personally consider how those all play out in a given circumstance and then decide how to proceed. In all the plausible reptile related scenarios I imagine, simply following the law while speaking out about it is likely going to be the most reasonable and productive choice.
Edit to add: it seems you didn't even ask about whether to obey or violate the law. Interesting how that was the extent of my thoughts about the issue.![]()