A recent thread from a new member that was interested in breeding made me think of this question. We all know its illegal to breed DTs and told this new member so. We all know if they somehow accidentally get together and breed that its illegal to interfere with the eggs in any way. We are supposed to leave them in the ground and let nature take its course, right?
Here is my question: What if someone is ignorant of the law, digs up DT eggs from their yard, shows up on your door step unannounced, and hands you some tortoise eggs? Further, two scenarios here: 1. What if the person just has a bunch of rescued tortoises of several species, including DTs, running loose in the back yard and doesn't know who laid the eggs, and 2. What if the person does know the species, and tells you something like, "Here these are DT eggs. I don't know what to do with them.", as they hand you the box of eggs?
In either of these purely hypothetical situations, its clear the original person shouldn't be doing what they are doing, and should not have dug up the eggs after doing all the other wrong things, but what is the person being handed the eggs legally required to do? The receiver of such eggs cannot put them back in the ground and let nature take its course as was legally supposed to happen. Is the receiving person supposed to destroy the eggs? Is it okay to hatch them since the receiver didn't do anything illegal and the illegal deeds are already done by someone else? After the fact, so to speak? What if the species isn't known? Can someone hatching DT eggs that didn't even know they were DT eggs until babies hatched be found guilty of breaking the law? If someone hands a person some mystery eggs and genuinely doesn't know what species laid them, could the person doing the incubating be found guilty of knowingly breaking the law?
All of these guys have specific DT experience, but comments and opinions from anyone are welcome and invited.
@Yvonne G
@maggie3fan
@KarenSoCal
@Kapidolo Farms
@Markw84
Here is my question: What if someone is ignorant of the law, digs up DT eggs from their yard, shows up on your door step unannounced, and hands you some tortoise eggs? Further, two scenarios here: 1. What if the person just has a bunch of rescued tortoises of several species, including DTs, running loose in the back yard and doesn't know who laid the eggs, and 2. What if the person does know the species, and tells you something like, "Here these are DT eggs. I don't know what to do with them.", as they hand you the box of eggs?
In either of these purely hypothetical situations, its clear the original person shouldn't be doing what they are doing, and should not have dug up the eggs after doing all the other wrong things, but what is the person being handed the eggs legally required to do? The receiver of such eggs cannot put them back in the ground and let nature take its course as was legally supposed to happen. Is the receiving person supposed to destroy the eggs? Is it okay to hatch them since the receiver didn't do anything illegal and the illegal deeds are already done by someone else? After the fact, so to speak? What if the species isn't known? Can someone hatching DT eggs that didn't even know they were DT eggs until babies hatched be found guilty of breaking the law? If someone hands a person some mystery eggs and genuinely doesn't know what species laid them, could the person doing the incubating be found guilty of knowingly breaking the law?
All of these guys have specific DT experience, but comments and opinions from anyone are welcome and invited.
@Yvonne G
@maggie3fan
@KarenSoCal
@Kapidolo Farms
@Markw84