Im just curious if more venomous snakes die from Voiders or from importation? How many snakes that are available as captive bred specimens are still being imported by the hundreds or thousands? Many which die from starvation or just deplorable conditions from being stored then shipped... It seems like that would be a way bigger concern saving thousands of animals that die yearly from being imported, which would increase the value of every animal, and probably make hackers think twice.
Now to be quite frank, this sounds like little more than rhetoric you gathered from PETA. No I am not saying you are a PETA member, just that this sounds like their typical line.
The reptile business in general has become much more geared toward the well being of the animals. Specifically regarding shipping: Shipments of imported reptiles, over the past several years if not the past decade, have become much more amenable to the well being of the animals. Reptiles have been realized to be a finite resource, therefore many countries have enacted laws and regulations about collecting, farming, breeding, ranching, exporting, importing and shipping. As the countries involved have learned, so too have the great majority of exporters and importers. I know of a few people over the past couple to few years who have imported shipments of ball pythons from Africa. These shipments each contained thousands of snakes, all arrived alive and apparently in good health.
How many of you anit-voiders deal with import animals? What is an acceptable loss in your eyes of animals taken from their homes to be sold so that people can have cheaper animals? 1%.... 10%..... 20%......? How many of you have had surgeries performed on your pets, for your own ease of mind or looks of the animal (cropped ears)? For having such strong feelings on voiders I hope that the answer to these questions are none, because other than the aspect of performing proper surgery, that would be very hypocritical.
I cannot speak for others on this last issue, but I will speak for myself. I deal with imported animals sometimes. But as I said, I think your point to be little more than rhetoric when it applies to the vast majority of imported reptiles. To think that some will not die in shipment or to say that this is the same as killing any during the venomoid surgical process is, I think, off the mark, just as is using a choice of "none" in your argument. The whole idea behind shipping is not to cause the animals harm in any way, shape or form. The well being of the animals makes for the well being of the business with a limited resource such as herps. The whole idea behind creating a venomoid is to cause physical harm to an animal so it will be incapable or less capable of harming a human. The well being of the animal does not make this operation appealing, but rather the harming of the animal is what makes it so appealing. Creating a venomoid really is not comparable to importation of snakes in that regard as it would rather be to pulling all the teeth of a dog so it can no longer bite people.
As for having surgeries performed on my pets, I have had all but one of my past and present dogs and cats either neutered or spayed - actually I got most of them that way already. You may find that hypocritical; however, I find your belief that I would be hypocritical rather preposterous in light of my earlier explanation as to why I do so. In order to be a hypocrite I would have to espouse one thing and do another or the issue of venomoids, or with regard to another issue that was basically the same issue. Thus spaying/neutering would have to be the same type of issue - which they are not as far as I see them - in order to say I am being hypocritical. See my earlier in this post, and see my previous post, for my explanation as to why they are not the same type of thing. So I believe I am practicing what I preach, certainly in this regard.
Of course you can argue I should control my dogs instead of having them neutered or spayed. I would counter that I do control them, but yet have found it necessary to have had them spayed. Sure I can attempt to keep my dog away from others, but I only own female dogs. My dogs, in the past, have been attacked by horny male dogs seeking females in heat. If you ever have the experience you will know why people get their dogs spayed and neutered. You say people should control their dogs; and I do control mine. It is the dogs of other people and or strays that I cannot control, nor would I attempt to do so physically if a stray Rotweiller or Pit Bull tried to mate my mutt while I was out walking my dog. Well, I would try to keep them apart, but I would tell my children or wife not to even try. If it got to slice and dice, even I am not hoping to lose a finger or a hand to a dog like that just to keep them it screwing mine. I am not that crazy or suicidal.
The result could be harmful to my dog, and could also result in an unwanted pregnancy because of which I would have to decide as to whether or not to have the pregnancy aborted. I would rather not have to make that decision. I also would not want to take the chance that one of my female dogs would be injured by a male seeking out my bitch while he was in heat. My uncle once had a pair of purebred St. Bernhards. He had to get his female several abortion shots because local neighborhood dogs were able to impregnate her by digging under or climbing/jumping over his fence. His fence was built to code and was about 6 feet tall, yet one neighborhood dog of a much smaller size than the St.B’s could easily jump the fence and go for the female. He controlled his dogs, others did not control theirs. He finally had the female spayed as he was not intent on any breeding projects between the pair. The result was of benefit to my uncle, to society and to the dogs especially to the female St. Berhnard who was no longer pestered by every stray male that could get by the fence..
As for my cats, I sometimes have allowed my cats access to the outside. Cats are not as well adjusted to be walked on a leash as are dogs, nor are they an absolute house pet. By having them spayed or neutered I assure that my male cats have not bred all the females in their area, and I assure my females will not be come impregnated by any stray that is out there. All of the cats I have ever kept were either taken in off of the street or obtained at adoption agencies. In other words they were rescues of a sort (although I do not in any way consider myself an animal rescuer or crusader). It was a practical matter to have these cats spayed or neutered to prevent their multiplying the problem of over population. Plenty of cites and areas in which I have lived or visited often capture and kill such strays.
As to cropping, I would not have an animal's ears or tail cropped for looks, only for medically necessary reasons.
Just as a matter of fact, some of my adopted animals were adopted from animal adoption agencies. They are required to be spayed or neutered by the adoption center.
Oh well, I have gone on way too long, but that is my reasoning in a rather large coconut shell.
Best regards,
Glenn B
