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A "legitimate source" as meant on the DEC permit applications doesn't really mean a company, pet shop or other physical business. It means that the person applying for the permit for a specific species must have written proof from the seller as to where that person obtained the animals. In other words if you were buying an Eastern Box turtle from someone in another state the State of New York would require either a copy of the permit in the seller's name from the state they reside in proving that the turtle is legal to own in that state with a permit. Or if it is a species that is not protected in that state, the New York state buyer has to provide written proof that the species they wish to purchase from the seller is not protected in the seller's state and can be legally collected or captive bred and sold or traded.
There are many people on Craigslist and other sites that are advertising the animals the way they do simply because they are unaware of the recent changes in the DEC law in New York State. In very few states is it now illegal to own something as common as a Painted turtle, frog or other common native species. Most people are unaware and simply pick them up in the wild when they see them. In most cases the act is not meant as harm, simply curiousity and the thrill of finding something like that. It's when people are out to mass collect specific, usually rare and high value species to make profits that does the real harm.
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