John, while this thread is not about wild horses - you did bring up the comparison! In any event, here is an Op-ed from today's Anthropocene that asks the question: "Wild horse numbers are out of control. The remedy hinges on whether they are wildlife, pets or livestock."
And also a partial answer: "The lack of sound science isn’t what’s keeping land management agencies from effectively dealing with the horse conundrum. It’s the politics."
It seems to me, reptile keepers ask the same question and at least in part, have the same "answer". The hobby's continued presence and success will greatly depend on how reptile keepers answer this question to "authorities". And like with wild horses, reptile keepers have to battle the anti-cage groups, the general public fearful of snakes, and a lot of sensational and fake news. Real challenges. It also doesn't help the hobby to continuously have illegal activities occur.
https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org...s-or-livestock