I'm a little confused.

I often see people making threads about Fly River Turtles / Pignose Turtles. These turtles are threadened, and illegal to export from their native country, so instead of trying to aquire one, shouldnt we as hobbyist try and put a stop to it?
I keep fish because i respect nature, and want to create an enviroment for these facinating creatures, but as said i respect nature first, and i wouldnt knowingly buy a reptile or fish that was threadened and illegaly exported.
If their wasnt a market for them, people wouldnt be catching them and exporting them. Im not calling any names or angry at anyone, just confused. If people didnt buy them, they wouldnt be as threadened. From my understanding their mainly threadened because of the reptile trade.

[QUOTE=predatorkeeper87;7087284]Aren't they only protected in like Indonesia?

Believe me...if you can buy/own them in the US...they are far from illegal...[/QUOTE]

Its not the illegal part, they are only protected in their native range, but its buying and animal that has been smuggled out illegally, and is very threadened. Your endorsing the smugglers. Again if there wasnt any market for them, they wouldnt be caught and smuggled.

In USA their only legal if they where there before ban in 1994 i think.
But its just in general, not only USA.

predatorkeeper87 said:

And again,aren't they only protected in Indonesia? Are they not also found in Australia as well?

I wouldn't even want to imagine the decimating amounts of cichlids or other fish species smuggled out of their native ranges. No one but the hardcore conservationalists are going to bat an eye at that since they aren't deemed protected. Face it...with any hobby comes the presence of those looking to capitalize...morally or imorally, legally or illegally.

You might as well quit the fish keeping hobby if you are that against the smuggling and black market aspects...and while I certainly don't endorse the act,they are present everywhere, and I'm certainly not giving up my hobby because of it.

Click to expand...

I dont get it.
Helping create a market for such an endangered turtle, by buying one would go against my morals big time, no matter if its legal or not.
I think fish are facinating creatures, Many species are being captive bred, and im not against wild caught either, i am how ever against critically endangered ones.