Another member posted about someone trying to get "rehoming fees" for a CDT on another thread. This is something I have considered a lot over the years, and I'd love to hear how other keepers feel about it.
CA law says it is illegal to buy, sell, cross state lines, breed, remove from the wild, any CDT, or artificially incubate (or "help") eggs laid in captivity by any CDT. Why? Why are CDTs so different than any other tortoise species? We can snatch tortoises from the wild all over the globe, breed and sell as many as we want and that's fine, but we can't breed the captive native torts that we already have? Why not?
I agree that NONE should be removed from the wild any more given their rare and protected wild status, but I cannot understand what is the harm in reproducing an adult tortoise that is already captive and cannot ever be released. I abhor what went on for so many decades here with ignorant people bringing home souvenirs from their trip across the CA desert, but that damage is already done, and it's already stopped. So why not allow people to breed the heck out of them to satisfy the demand for captives? They are a really great species and I wish everyone across the country could enjoy them, the way we all get to enjoy what ever species we choose to work with.
I realize the laws here will likely never change, but I wish they would. My point of view is that there is no harm in captive breeding an awesome species and selling off the babies to pay for your hobby or make a profit. I see no reason why someone in New Mexico, or Washington, or New York should not be able to buy a captive bred baby CDT, and love it and give it a good home, the same way we do it with any other species.
What say you, tortoise people?
CA law says it is illegal to buy, sell, cross state lines, breed, remove from the wild, any CDT, or artificially incubate (or "help") eggs laid in captivity by any CDT. Why? Why are CDTs so different than any other tortoise species? We can snatch tortoises from the wild all over the globe, breed and sell as many as we want and that's fine, but we can't breed the captive native torts that we already have? Why not?
I agree that NONE should be removed from the wild any more given their rare and protected wild status, but I cannot understand what is the harm in reproducing an adult tortoise that is already captive and cannot ever be released. I abhor what went on for so many decades here with ignorant people bringing home souvenirs from their trip across the CA desert, but that damage is already done, and it's already stopped. So why not allow people to breed the heck out of them to satisfy the demand for captives? They are a really great species and I wish everyone across the country could enjoy them, the way we all get to enjoy what ever species we choose to work with.
I realize the laws here will likely never change, but I wish they would. My point of view is that there is no harm in captive breeding an awesome species and selling off the babies to pay for your hobby or make a profit. I see no reason why someone in New Mexico, or Washington, or New York should not be able to buy a captive bred baby CDT, and love it and give it a good home, the same way we do it with any other species.
What say you, tortoise people?