Info US GLOBAL EXOTICS SPCA RAID

[Ken Foose]

[email protected]

ARLINGTON -- The SPCA of Texas asked Petco stores to cease adoptions Wednesday of 2,000 animals that had been removed from U.S. Global Exotics last year during the nation’s largest exotic-pet seizure.

The SPCA of Texas had given the hamsters, fancy mice, lizards, toads, snakes and other small animals to Wild Rescue Inc. of Texas, an animal welfare agency partnered with the Petco Foundation. The Star-Telegram reported Wednesday that Wild Rescue was making the animals available for adoption at 22 Petco stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The Petco Foundation, which provides supplies and support to animal welfare groups, was set to collect a nominal adoption fee on the animals.

“They were concerned that ...Petco and or the foundation are some how gaining benefit by the partnership,” said Kevin Whalen, a spokesman for Petco. “That’s not true. That’s not our intent. We’re extremely disappointed.”

The SPCA was aware of the nonprofit group’s plan to find homes for the animals through the pet store chain but stopped the effort Wednesday after learning that Petco required ownership of the animals to be surrendered to the stores, which violated the agreement between SPCA and Wild Rescue, Davies said.

“That gave the perception that the animals were going back into the pet trade industry,” she said.

The 2,000 animals were among the 27,000-plus seized by the city of Arlington Dec. 15 because of inhumane conditions found at U.S. Global Exotics, an international pet wholesaler. Earlier this month, the city turned custody of the animals over to the SPCA, which has placed many of them with zoos, animal sanctuaries and welfare groups.

The animals at Petco will be returned this week to the SPCA, which will continue working with Wild Rescue and other nonprofit animal welfare groups for permanent placement, Davies said.

“These animals will find loving homes,” she said.

SUSAN SCHROCK, 817-390-7639

 

[JG1153]

I think there is a very common misconception when it comes to the pet trade as it relates to conservation efforts

The pet trade is agreed by most within the scientific and conservation community as being a major contributor to the decline of wild animal populations. It isn’t the major cause as that is usually attributed to habitat loss but it’s still a major contributor

Those poor people in those 3rd world countries don’t care about conservation because very simply they have better things to worry about such as feeding and clothing their families

Think about it, If I’m one of these poor people and I find one of these rare reptiles that I can sell to feed my family I will likely take it and get the money. If I find ten of these animals I will take them all just the same as if I find 100 of them and when I’ve ran out of these animals in the forest then I will cut it down sell the lumber and use the land for agriculture. So where does the conservation come into play if we’re providing them with an incentive to remove these animals instead of protecting them where they are which is what conservation is about? I don’t stop going to work tomorrow because I got paid today and my basic needs are met right? No I work everyday because everyday I work I have the chance to make the next day a little better for myself and my family so why do we think that’s it any different for people in 3rd word countries. Very simply it’s not, in fact they have an even bigger drive to improve themselves because they see other countries like America and they know they are really far behind and want to catch up

The pet trade doesn’t foster conservation efforts in these people the way ecotourism does It triggers their survival instincts, so it shouldn’t be looked at this way. They just want to feed and clothe their families the way everyone else does and if it means collecting every animal out there and cutting down the forest then that’s what they are going to do and who can really blame them? So the reality of the situation is that it is up to those of us in the developed world to try to contribute to conservation efforts because not only do we have the resources to do it but since our basic needs are being met we have the time to worry about such things as conservation. Ultimately, in order to reap benefits in the pet trade the animals have to be removed from where they are and have them shipped off to be enjoyed unlike eco tourism where the benefits are reaped by leaving the animals where they are and having people come in to enjoy them.

Conservation doesn’t just mean conservation of the species (the actual numbers of animals or the entity itself) but also conservation of the genes (which then translates into physical appearance) within that species ( and specific populations within the species) and also the behaviors (which are affected, mediated and created by genes) within that species.

The act of importing animals by the pet trade in effect acts as a weeding out factor (artificial selection) between those animals that are strong enough to survive the journey and consequently adapt to the further stress of captivity ,and those that don’t, which again automatically changes not only the gene frequencies but behavior of what becomes the captive population. Also the pet trade industry often doesn’t often keep good records of the collection locations of the animals nor are they kept separate from members originating from other locations so the gene pool from one population which might be isolated in the wild often times ends up being artificially and indiscriminately combined with the gene pool of another population of the same species. Ultimately we breed for pretty, we breed for tame or even size and there is nothing wrong with that and we have managed to come up with some great designer animals but in the end that is not conservation.

Take for example Burmese Pythons. How many Albino Burmese, or Albino Green, or Albino Green Labbys, or even hets do you think are out there roaming in the wild. The answer is not very many but when you look at the captive population they’re everywhere. The population of captive Burms is technically from a biological and conservation perspective not the same the wild population and if Burms were to be wiped out of the wild replacing them with our pet trade versions of what a Burm is would be from a biological stand point unacceptable.

If you look at the genetic definition of evolution it is the following: changes in allele (different versions of the same gene, i.e normal, albino, etc.) frequencies over time. So we’ve basically artificially evolved the population of our captive Burms into something different than what the wild population is. This isn’t conservation since the very root meaning of the word means “to keep the same”.

Take another example regarding another very popular animal within our hobby the Reticulated Python. Retics are known for being aggressive animals but over the years many people within our hobby/industry have worked hard to tame these guys down and for good reason. Nobody wants to take a bite from their 20ft Retic. But the reality of it is that Retics have evolved to be aggressive creatures for a reason and if they were to be wiped out from the wild replacing them with tamed down animals from the pet industry wouldn’t be the same as having the original animals around and that’s if those tame animals were to even manage to survive in the wild since like I said there’s reason for them being aggressive to begin with.

I am all for the pet trade industry and this hobby and even for importation of wild caught stock when done in a conscious manner as it is true that new blood lines are needed in order to maintain the current captive population healthy but I don’t think we should delude ourselves into thinking that the pet trade industry equates to conservation because it does not but there are definitely ways in which the pet trade can certainly support conservation such as through awareness of the current issues being faced by wild animal populations or even by donating portions of sales to conservation causes. Just remember this, Conservation is a science, what we do (Herpetoculture) is a hobby and a business so at their very core the three are geared toward very different ends.

P.S. sorry for the long post

 

[kmarsh]

Help me if I read that star post incorrectly but to me it says that Petco who would have normally bought from a importer, would have gotten the animals to "adopt= another word for sell) and not have to pay for the newly aquired merchandise?

 

[Ken Foose]

That seems to be the gist of it. And, it appears someone was going to make money from an "adaption fee". Not sure who that would be, Petco or the rescue place. Either way, someone was going to make a profit.

 

[DAND]

That seems to be the gist of it. And, it appears someone was going to make money from an "adaption fee". Not sure who that would be, Petco or the rescue place. Either way, someone was going to make a profit.

I for one would rather see a rescue benefit versus a company like Petco.

 

[kmarsh]

Wouldn't it be interesting to find out what connection Petco has with Wild Rescue Inc. ? Kinda funny that it was also stated in a article recently posted here that all the animals had been rehomed and then suddenly they show up being "adopted = sold" at Petco. Atleast 2000 of them were. Yet just back in Dec they were so "abused/neglected" and now they are well enough to be sold off to people that may not have a clue what they have been through or what needs they will have. Way to go "rescue". So much inconsistency in this story.

 

[JG1153]

So from U.S. Global to Petco? Not much of an improvement there. Kinda like going from the frying pan and into the fire if you ask me.

 

[kmarsh]

I guess what is bugging me so badly is that the goverment was going to "save" these 'abused/neglected" reptiles from such horrible conditions and here we are with them at pet stores. And where is peta for all their "investigation and undercover work"? It would seem they are in bed with Petco.

 

[spygirl]

For those of you with questions about PetCo and Wild Rescue, I hope this e-mail from the Vice President of the rescue can answer some questions. I alerted her to this thread and she e-mailed me a response. Feel free to e-mail/PM any questions or e-mail her with anything.

Lindsay Hooker to me
show details 11:11 PM (6 minutes ago)
Everyone,

I am completely overwhelmed with the response that this issue is getting both in the general media and in the smaller communities like this board. It is fantastic to see people paying so much attention to animals that were neglected for so long.

Micah alerted me to this thread this morning when the Ft Worth Star Telegram article was posted. I was happy to see what I thought was a pretty good and truthful article. But now there are rumors circulating that need to be dispelled.

"Wouldn't it be interesting to find out what connection Petco has with Wild Rescue Inc. ?"

It's not as interesting as you think, unfortunately! First you need to understand that "PETCO" and "the PETCO Foundation" are two different entities that share a common name. PETCO is the stores we all know and love/hate. The PETCO Foundation is a charity-based organization that helps rescue groups across the country. WildRescue, Inc. is a "charitable partner" of the PETCO Foundation. This just means that we have applied for and received grants from the PETCO Foundation. WildRescue, Inc. is also Rabbit Rescue, a sanctuary, rescue, and adoption agency for abused and abandoned domestic rabbits. The PETCO Foundation has supplied several area PETCO stores with "petters" - large environments - where we house one or two rabbits at a time so the public can see that they are available for adoption. Neither PETCO nor the PETCO Foundation sees any proceeds (aside from any related supplies) from our adoptions. WildRescue's own adoption forms are used, the rabbits cannot be adopted out without our personal approval, and the fee for the adoption goes straight from the new owner to us. PETCO merely serves as a public place for us to show off our beautiful rabbits, and the PETCO Foundation supplies the housing.

""adopted = sold" at Petco."

This is not true. Micah can vouch for this because she works for a PETCO store. If an animal is sold from PETCO to a customer, and suddenly that customer cannot care for the animal and it's past the date to return the animal with a receipt, PETCO will take the animal back into its custody and let customers know that there is X animal available for adoption. Employees will offer for a customer to adopt an animal they're interested in instead of purchasing, and usually the customer says of course they'll adopt. There is no adoption fee for these animals, so there is no profit anywhere. The animals coming from WildRescue were not going in under this auspice; they were going to get the same treatment our rabbits get. Out on the sales floor so people can see them, but WildRescue would get the proceeds. I am sad that this will not work out because the reptiles especially were in some VERY nice environments (considering what PETCO has to work with), as opposed to the tiny bins that US Global was keeping them in.

"Yet just back in Dec they were so "abused/neglected" and now they are well enough to be sold..."

Thousands of animals were lost between the time that US Global was raided and the time rescue groups got to take them. The abuse/neglect was severe, you can be certain of that, and also be certain that there is a very good reason the photographic evidence used in the court case is not being released to the public. It is truly graphic and haunts me. Most of these animals are in very good condition and will be fine. Several had to be separated due to injury or illness in our care, but the healthy FAR outweigh the ill. They have been properly cared for (we even gave subcutaneous fluids to 3 hamsters if you can believe it) and are in much better environments.

"So from U.S. Global to Petco? Not much of an improvement there."

I wouldn't even agree with this back in 2006 when I visited their facility and it was fully staffed. Then the animals were at least stable. US Global was down to three employees, including the owner, when the raid happened. Believe me, US Global to PETCO is like going from drowning in quicksand to the ritziest hotel in Vegas. Nothing like going back to the wild, but now that they have been exposed to captivity and the related diseases, Fish & Wildlife are dictating that they cannot be re-released. There are certainly enough homes for these guys. And until then they will live in the custody of rescue agencies, safe and sound.

Now, with all that said, if there are any questions that remain I will do my best to answer them. You may direct all contact to [email protected] and refer to our website at http://www.rescuedrabbits.org. If you are interested in adopting any reptiles from us, be aware that as a stipulation of the SPCA releasing these animals into our custody, we have to be sure that the adoptive homes they go to are not going to breed or exploit the animals.

Thank you everyone for being so concerned about these animals.

-Lindsay
Vice President, IT/PR
WildRescue, Inc./Rabbit Rescue



Hope that answers some questions!

Micah Prine

 

[StrictlyExotics]

Maybe this is just me and I will apologize UPFRONT if my post offends people but I do have one question...
With all the starving people in this cruel world, why on earth is there even a rabbit rescue? No offense to rabbit rescues across the USA, but only in the "free" Western world would you EVER find a rabbit rescue that receives a nonprofit 501(c)(3) status. Domesticated rabbits are not on any endangered list and if there is truly a need for rabbit rescues, why not sell them as feeders to stop the needless breeding. I mean, I have seen everything, even rat and mouse rescues. Why are we, as a whole, "rescuing" these types of animals?
The sad thing is... the only real rescuing comes from the ones that are bought as pets, not usually feeders.
Again, sorry if this offends.

 

[spygirl]

Why are there reptile rescues? Why are there avian rescues? Why are there any rescues at all? These people just simply have a passion for rabbits. They've been also known to take in other things as well, such as kittens. Their rabbits are also fixed before being adopted out into new homes to prevent needless breeding.

With things like this... This is where understanding needs to come into play... Some of these people think reptile keepers are heartless and cruel for feeding the cute fuzzy critters to our slimly snakes. And vice versa. What we do have in common is a passion for exotic critters. This rescue has stepped up and offered they're homes and money to the displaced animals from US Global. I think that is what needs to be focused on.

 

[StrictlyExotics]

Why are there reptile rescues? Why are there avian rescues? Why are there any rescues at all?

Not to start an argument, but, most of these animals at one point were mainly imported until breeding took place.

[/QUOTE]With things like this... This is where understanding needs to come into play... Some of these people think reptile keepers are heartless and cruel for feeding the cute fuzzy critters to our slimly snakes.[/QUOTE]

I dont think this thought will ever change unless we start feeding snakes some sort of canned rat or rabbit.

[/QUOTE]What we do have in common is a passion for exotic critters. This rescue has stepped up and offered they're homes and money to the displaced animals from US Global. I think that is what needs to be focused on.[/QUOTE]

What I have a problem with is will some nonprofit organization like PETA or a govt organization come to MY house and take MY animals away because I have rodents or cavvy in my freezer?

As for USGE, they were proven negligent and that should be the end of it on that level. But the rescues will generate revenue because of someones mistake, that I do NOT agree with.

 

[spygirl]

Yes, I too fear some ignorant organization coming and taking away my animals because of what I have in the freezer! I have more than just rodents, but several different species of birds. You're preaching to the choir here about fearing for our animals. As well as a snake keeper and exotic mammal keeper, I am also a falconer. Most of this last year has been campaigning against not only the recent bills against reptile keepers, but also against people trying to take away my right to practice falconry.

This rescue is NOT profiting from these animals, I can assure you. I don't want to even think about how much money we've all spent preparing for this. I am NOT going to see a dime back.

If you have a problem with the rescue, then you should e-mail them directly.

 

[kmarsh]

"This is not true. Micah can vouch for this because she works for a PETCO store. If an animal is sold from PETCO to a customer, and suddenly that customer cannot care for the animal and it's past the date to return the animal with a receipt, PETCO will take the animal back into its custody and let customers know that there is X animal available for adoption. Employees will offer for a customer to adopt an animal they're interested in instead of purchasing, and usually the customer says of course they'll adopt. There is no adoption fee for these animals, so there is no profit anywhere. The animals coming from WildRescue were not going in under this auspice; they were going to get the same treatment our rabbits get. Out on the sales floor so people can see them, but WildRescue would get the proceeds."
Sounds like profit to me. Petco sells the pet then takes it back and adopts for free... well they made profit on the animal. They sold it to start with, just because they made a arrangement ( if this is the case, I have never heard of it ) for it to be adopted later, they still sold it to start with. Then you say in Wild Rescue would get the proceeds... Ok I understand "proceeds" to mean money correct?
There is much debate over this and no one will change the others position on it. I value my animals, I have no intentions of going down without a fight when it comes to taking my rights from me in what I have. YOU posted the email from your friend Lindsey on here so Dean has every right to respond. I really hate it when others want to open things up in public forum and then when there are questions, they want it taken to private messages or emails. IF she wants to defend it or what ever let her come here and do so.

 

[StrictlyExotics]

Its not that I mean this "particular" rescue but rescues in general. I worked for a BIG dog and cat rescue in 1995. While I worked there, I was also in a relationship with the manager so I was privie to information that I should NOT have been able to see. She and I would go to the pounds "death row" and choose which dogs or cats to take. We then took those animals straight to the vet to get altered. Alterations were FREE, by the way.
After they were altered, they were quarantined for three days before put on "adoption" row. Usually, the dogs were never there more than two weeks before being adopted out. Needless to say, she and I were very good at picking out what would be adopted out for a nice amount of money.
Our salaries were "very nice" considering that we were working for a nonprofit organization. We had structured bonuses as well as a salary to compensate. Our bonuses were set on the amount of donations that we received plus how quickly we were able to turn animals over. Hence the reason we were "VERY GOOD" at picking out animals to be "saved".
I just dont see much difference in rescues, as a whole, vs. the common animal peddler. They are peddling animals in the same fashion that we are. The only difference is that we are creating what we sell and not getting a tax write-off to do so.
Obviously, from experience, I have a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to rescues. Or, maybe I am just envious that I dont get a tax deduction because I cannot prove that what I am doing is not making me money.

 

[kmarsh]

Following along with the same train of thought that Dean spoke of earlier about the amount of "rescue" operations out there, all with the joyous non profit tax exempt status, for everything from mice to bunnies and everything in between. ITs sad that our nation allows such to exist when you see so little effort in saving human lives. So many homeless now with the economy and people loosing their jobs and having to make do with what ever they can find. THOSE issues should be where all of our extra dollars should be going to. I guess thats why this hit so hard home for me. THere are alot of reptile breeders that do supplement incomes with their pet sales but they get horrible raps such as 'back yard breeders and such" yet pet shops do it and its not frowned upon. The double standards are rediculous. I have talked with many at the reptile shows where this is a income, a supplement in hard times or for what ever reason they choose but its their choice. They shouldn't have to feel that someone is going to take something from them because they dont agree with what they do.

 

[Mad4You2]

[email protected]

ARLINGTON -- The SPCA of Texas asked Petco stores to cease adoptions Wednesday of 2,000 animals that had been removed from U.S. Global Exotics last year during the nation’s largest exotic-pet seizure.

The SPCA of Texas had given the hamsters, fancy mice, lizards, toads, snakes and other small animals to Wild Rescue Inc. of Texas, an animal welfare agency partnered with the Petco Foundation. The Star-Telegram reported Wednesday that Wild Rescue was making the animals available for adoption at 22 Petco stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Anybody know happened to the "non-fancy" mice? You know the regular looking ones that usually sell as feeders? What about the "non-fancy" rats? Just wondering if someone is adopting those out? Do you think they are "altering" them before they adopt them out?

Just thinking about it.....

 

[KelliH]

Anybody know happened to the "non-fancy" mice? You know the regular looking ones that usually sell as feeders? What about the "non-fancy" rats? Just wondering if someone is adopting those out? Do you think they are "altering" them before they adopt them out?

Just thinking about it.....

Excellent question my friend.

 

[spygirl]

This is my last post for the night and then I'm done. I do apologize if I sounded harsh or upset. It is not my intention. Of course everyone has a right to respond and I respect that. It's been a long week and I'm finally getting stuff organized.

First off, I take profit to mean that I am getting back what I've invested. Wild Rescue will not get back what was invested into this "project" and neither will I. I'm not getting a tax deduction. All of the foster parents are volunteers with day jobs. I have 2, in fact. I'm not getting paid to do this whatsoever.

I'm sure Lindsay will attempt to make a response on here if she is able. Again, she also has a day job and volunteers for the rescue. I offered to post for her, due to the fact that I already had an account here.

To my knowledge, Wild Rescue did not take any mammals, other than some hamsters. I'd have to double check the list. Again, to my knowledge, all animals are to be adopted out as pet only.

This will most likely be my last post on the subject. I will be in and out the rest of the week. The only reason Wild Rescue even penned a response to this thread is to set straight that they are not "in bed" with PetCo, etc. Again, if you have any questions please feel free to e-mail them.

 

[royallymorphed]

I think there is a very common misconception when it comes to the pet trade as it relates to conservation efforts

The pet trade is agreed by most within the scientific and conservation community as being a major contributor to the decline of wild animal populations. It isn’t the major cause as that is usually attributed to habitat loss but it’s still a major contributor

Those poor people in those 3rd world countries don’t care about conservation because very simply they have better things to worry about such as feeding and clothing their families

Think about it, If I’m one of these poor people and I find one of these rare reptiles that I can sell to feed my family I will likely take it and get the money. If I find ten of these animals I will take them all just the same as if I find 100 of them and when I’ve ran out of these animals in the forest then I will cut it down sell the lumber and use the land for agriculture. So where does the conservation come into play if we’re providing them with an incentive to remove these animals instead of protecting them where they are which is what conservation is about? I don’t stop going to work tomorrow because I got paid today and my basic needs are met right? No I work everyday because everyday I work I have the chance to make the next day a little better for myself and my family so why do we think that’s it any different for people in 3rd word countries. Very simply it’s not, in fact they have an even bigger drive to improve themselves because they see other countries like America and they know they are really far behind and want to catch up

The pet trade doesn’t foster conservation efforts in these people the way ecotourism does It triggers their survival instincts, so it shouldn’t be looked at this way. They just want to feed and clothe their families the way everyone else does and if it means collecting every animal out there and cutting down the forest then that’s what they are going to do and who can really blame them? So the reality of the situation is that it is up to those of us in the developed world to try to contribute to conservation efforts because not only do we have the resources to do it but since our basic needs are being met we have the time to worry about such things as conservation. Ultimately, in order to reap benefits in the pet trade the animals have to be removed from where they are and have them shipped off to be enjoyed unlike eco tourism where the benefits are reaped by leaving the animals where they are and having people come in to enjoy them.

Conservation doesn’t just mean conservation of the species (the actual numbers of animals or the entity itself) but also conservation of the genes (which then translates into physical appearance) within that species ( and specific populations within the species) and also the behaviors (which are affected, mediated and created by genes) within that species.

The act of importing animals by the pet trade in effect acts as a weeding out factor (artificial selection) between those animals that are strong enough to survive the journey and consequently adapt to the further stress of captivity ,and those that don’t, which again automatically changes not only the gene frequencies but behavior of what becomes the captive population. Also the pet trade industry often doesn’t often keep good records of the collection locations of the animals nor are they kept separate from members originating from other locations so the gene pool from one population which might be isolated in the wild often times ends up being artificially and indiscriminately combined with the gene pool of another population of the same species. Ultimately we breed for pretty, we breed for tame or even size and there is nothing wrong with that and we have managed to come up with some great designer animals but in the end that is not conservation.

Take for example Burmese Pythons. How many Albino Burmese, or Albino Green, or Albino Green Labbys, or even hets do you think are out there roaming in the wild. The answer is not very many but when you look at the captive population they’re everywhere. The population of captive Burms is technically from a biological and conservation perspective not the same the wild population and if Burms were to be wiped out of the wild replacing them with our pet trade versions of what a Burm is would be from a biological stand point unacceptable.

If you look at the genetic definition of evolution it is the following: changes in allele (different versions of the same gene, i.e normal, albino, etc.) frequencies over time. So we’ve basically artificially evolved the population of our captive Burms into something different than what the wild population is. This isn’t conservation since the very root meaning of the word means “to keep the same”.

Take another example regarding another very popular animal within our hobby the Reticulated Python. Retics are known for being aggressive animals but over the years many people within our hobby/industry have worked hard to tame these guys down and for good reason. Nobody wants to take a bite from their 20ft Retic. But the reality of it is that Retics have evolved to be aggressive creatures for a reason and if they were to be wiped out from the wild replacing them with tamed down animals from the pet industry wouldn’t be the same as having the original animals around and that’s if those tame animals were to even manage to survive in the wild since like I said there’s reason for them being aggressive to begin with.

I am all for the pet trade industry and this hobby and even for importation of wild caught stock when done in a conscious manner as it is true that new blood lines are needed in order to maintain the current captive population healthy but I don’t think we should delude ourselves into thinking that the pet trade industry equates to conservation because it does not but there are definitely ways in which the pet trade can certainly support conservation such as through awareness of the current issues being faced by wild animal populations or even by donating portions of sales to conservation causes. Just remember this, Conservation is a science, what we do (Herpetoculture) is a hobby and a business so at their very core the three are geared toward very different ends.

P.S. sorry for the long post

I don't know about many species of reptile, i mainly like ball pythons. I believe they are on the endangered list, but have a quota or something along those lines, that tells the exporters how many ball pythons they are allowed to remove from the wild, every year. Or is this wrong? This sort of thing, does help with conservation, and it also helps keep animals alive, that may end up as boots or meat to feed on themselves. It may have also stopped habitat destruction, god knows... Some animals are just killed out of spiritual rituals of some kind as well.... or even as a 'sport'. If the pet trade can prevent loss of life, as a whole, then i like it, but....

....I'm not for treating animals badly, i'm a hobbiest myself, and i spend big money on cheap animals, if they need vet help. I do think, that with the minority of animals global exotics had, that were ill, that they could afford a vet bill, even if it was to put the animal to sleep and stop unnecessary suffering. Even if it meant missing a weeks feeding for all those 700 ball pythons they had... i feed my lot sporadically, and a week missed is perfectly acceptable for them - some people only feed them every fortnight for a start. I think the importers on this thread, should provide some vet care for them if they need it.

The $1 animal that can sell for $10... and the vet bill of $50...

According to a post made earlier, approximately 600 were dead, and 26000 were living. So lets take the 600 that were dead, that required vet help. $30,000 to treat them at $50 a pop. That leaves 26,000 snakes at $10 each = $260,000.

How frequently were these animals being moved out? I read something along the lines of them only staying there a day, before being shipped somewhere else (earlier in the thread). So there really isn't much need for feeding some of them anyway, and if most of them are being moved quickly, these are huge profit margins that they should easily be affording... and vet help in my opinion should be taken into account, because that is a lot of animals. A budget of some sort, dedicated for sick and injured animals.

i wouldn't buy loads of animals, if i couldn't afford to pay their vet bills, it's as simple as that... i wouldn't get into this as a business, if the business plan was to ignore vet bills.