A disturbing trend, really disturbing

[Garter_Gertie]

Here's something else I just thought of. Find out when that law came on the books and *why.*

MN used to have a similar law - a bounty - on rattlesnakes. It's since been removed due to it being so archaic and rattlers are now, in fact, endangered. Not to mention there have been no fatal bites [to farmers, or anyone else for that matter] in the last 120 years or so.

Anyway, possibly that's the reason or something similar Maine still has that law. That should be fairly easy to research and assist in getting the law changed.

[GartersRock]

I myself have raised up several litters, released them as yearling's, and encountered several well after the fact.

However all specimens were fed wild caught food items taken from the same property as they would have been born on had I not interfered.

If done. This to me is very unlikely to be harmful.
Wild caught food (to minimize the disease part), released while still young, same spot. Small local species.

[dashnu]

Have you thougth about contacting a university herp department or the DNR and asking if there are any studies being done that you could help with? As a volunteer working on a study you'd fall under thier auspices and any permit is usually extended to those helping.




I used the word "justify" because for some reason even though you know and admit you're breaking the law you continue to. Somehow you're justifying, rationalizing?, this is okay.

No, I would not prefer you kill them. I'm assuming that also would be illegal since there's no specific mention of it in what you wrote, but only the keeping of skins (and hides?).

Have you found out why the law is the way it is? The state is probabaly trying to protect their natural resources - and good for them. Are all snakes 'endangered' or 'threatened'? Ask about their status. And maybe volunteer to do a species survey around your land, say in a square mile, to see what the status is of whatever species you choose.

If you have good records and pertinent information to give to the state I'd think that would get you farther with them than telling them their laws are "****ed."

Also, I'd think it would show them you're a conservationist and wish to help them...

It's worth a try.

Sorry Gertie, went off the deep end a bit in my last post, these are all good idea and I will take them into consideration.

-cheers

[Garter_Gertie]

Eh. We all go off the deep end when frustrated, irritated, angry. We're all only human. I appreciate your apology. That was very nice of you. Thanks!

I'm with you 100%; just against you breaking the law as there are reasons laws are in place. That doesn't mean that laws shouldn't be changed when they're no longer valid.

That's just me.

But, what if you DID get law(s) changed? What if you HAD the info to back you? What if you DID lobby for new laws? Just think how proud you'd be.

Good luck. Maybe we'll read about you in the papers!

[infernalis]

I guess this would be the best place to tell the story (again) My very first ever "Breeding" occurred when 2 snakes of opposite gender were placed in the same tank by accident.

Several months after these two were placed together, well nature happened and I felt it was a moral obligation to do the right thing.

The litter was delivered well out of season, so we had little choice but to ensure the best possible outcome for the babies.

Releasing them as neonates would have certainly killed them rather quickly, so they were fed and raised until the appropriate time.

The litter was kept in an enclosure isolated from any other animals, fed daily and they all thrived and grew up into fine looking juveniles.

I also felt strongly about getting them back into the wild before any one of them reached maturity as to prevent any sibling copulations.

They were all released on the same 40 acre lot that the mother and father was found, that was almost 2 years ago.

And even though we have spotted and even photographed specimens from that same brood since then, I do often wonder how the rest of them have faired in the wild.

However, I still feel very strongly that it would not be in the animals best interest to go pick up a gravid female and do it again just for the sake of doing it.

If there was an imminent danger present to the mother or the litter, primarily from humans, as a rescuer, It would be compelling to remove the mother from said danger.

But as Bryan has pointed out, if it was wild predation that one was attempting to save the snake from, it would be interfering with the natural course of life.

It still makes me cringe to see a hawk with a snake hanging from it's mouth, but I would never in a million years terminate the hawk just for having a natural meal, nor chop down it's nesting tree just to spare the snake from getting eaten.

[KITKAT]

Would this be as relevant if he returned the snakes to where he got them? They should know the territory and unless they were introduced to disease which is probably unlikely, it doesn't seem so bad in this case.

The laws in Ohio regarding re-release make perfect sense.

1. You must release within thirty days.

2. The herp you are releasing must not have had contact with any other herp during that period of captivity.

I have bent that rule with the release of the babies and their mother, since obviously the babies CAME from the mother and would not have picked up a non-native disease or parasite from her.