Quote:
Originally Posted by NaturalistGuy
Dear Reptile People,
I am tired of getting both private email flames, and FAUNA flames about selling Invasive lizards from Broward that are destined for either bulldozing, death by pest operators, or from State control. While this may seem morally wrong to some, it is what I am doing, and I vet the people that are going to possession of these animals. It is my moral call. It was keeping and studying an iguana, in fact, that started my path to studying and going on to get a degree in wildlife. Nothing in life is perfect. I am not abusing animals, and most of what LORI DERACHO AKA LORI VAZQUEZ wrote to me at my private email- was harrassment. I asked her to STOP and she continued. I had block her via Gmail just to get it to stop. YES I was rude, and YES I lost my temper, but SO BE IT. I felt good doing it. After 90 days fighting cancer, she just picked the wrong time, and wrong argument. Any keeping of ANY animal, was started from the CAPTURE of an animal, be it even a dog or cat, and especially HERPS. We have to all understand that if no laws are broken, then an individual has certain rights. And one of those rights is not to be harassed every day about capturing feral/alien/invasive lizards and providing homes for them instead of seeing them killed. It's NOT perfect. But it is not wrong in the context of the HERP hobby all together. I stand by my replies to people that are going to bother to email my private email. As was her freedom to contact me, it was my freedom to tell her to F off. Unless I am told that the sale of iguanas and giant anoles is prohibited, from legal sources, on FAUNA, I will continue to save these animals. And yes, I am getting paid for my time to do so. I can't work in a job yet, but I can walk out my door rather easily. If anyone has an issue with this, I apologize in advance that this bothers you. BUT ALL YOUR HERPS WERE CAPTURED AT ONE TIME. ALL OF THEM. The moral argument does not HOLD UP.
Sincerely, Kenneth E. Barnett (NaturalistGuy).
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Thank you for your response Kenneth and explaining what this is all about! You posted while I was typing my first reply, which had questions that you answered in your post.
As for what you are doing I see nothing wrong with it and why shouldn't you be compensated for doing so. Sometimes it just drives me nuts when I hear people preaching so and so cares more about the money then the animals, just because someone makes a profit. Not saying that there isn't people like that in this industry because there is but the phrase is used all to much especially when someone is grasping at straws.
Since this was a private email correspondence that you didn't initiate and you asked that she not contact you anymore I hardly see the issue. Sometimes enough is enough especially if you feel like you're being harassed, you might not respond in the most polite fashion. Whether your language choices were called for or not you felt it was necessary. This did not have anything to do with a transaction but someone who was intent on imposing their views on you whether you wanted to hear them or not. I'm not sure who wouldn't get annoyed and loose their cool at a certain point.
I'm not really sure what Lori was so against what you are doing in the first place. It seems pretty clear to me that what you're doing is not only legal it also saves the lives of these invasive species running wild in Broward county. I'm not sure you can poke any holes in what you're doing and if there is something I'm missing I'd like to be enlightened. As it is now I don't see anything wrong with capturing non-native species and selling them. I think its a great what you're doing and until someone can convince me otherwise that's where I stand on the subject! Good Luck Kenneth and congratulations on beating cancer!! I have lost way to many great people to cancer.