• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Glades Herp Farm owners found guilty

HeavenHell

HeavenHell

Okeetee Freak
Looks like the 'Swamp Bothers' may spend some time in a cage.

A federal jury today found Robroy MacInnes, 54, of Inverness, Fla., and Robert Keszey, 47, of Bushnell, Fla., guilty of conspiracy to traffic in state and federally protected reptiles. MacInnes also was convicted of trafficking in protected timber rattlesnakes in violation of the Lacey Act.

Between 2007 and 2008, the defendants, who own the reptile wholesaler Glades Herp Farm Inc., collected protected snakes from the wild in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, purchased protected eastern timber rattlesnakes that had been illegally collected from the wild in violation of New York law, and transported federally threatened eastern indigo snakes from Florida to Pennsylvania. MacInnes also violated the Lacey Act by purchasing illegal eastern timber rattlesnakes and having the snakes transported from Pennsylvania to Florida. The evidence at trial showed that the protected species were destined for sale at reptile shows in Europe, where a single timber rattlesnake can sell for up to $800. Snakes that were not sold in Europe were sold through the defendants’ business in the United States.

“These defendants broke numerous wildlife laws seeking to profit from an illegal trade in threatened species,” said Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The Justice Department is committed to enforcing wildlife laws like the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act that protect our environment and these threatened species from a destructive and dangerous black market trade.”

The eastern timber rattlesnake is a species of venomous pit viper native to the eastern United States, and is listed as threatened in New York. It is also illegal to possess an eastern timber rattlesnake without a permit in Pennsylvania. The eastern indigo snake, the longest native North American snake species, is listed as threatened by both Florida and federal law.

The Lacey Act, one of the oldest statutes in the United States, prohibits interstate trafficking in wildlife known to be illegally obtained. The maximum penalty for conspiring to commit offenses and for violations of the Lacey Act is up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each violation.
Click to expand...

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/November/13-crm-1225.html
 
Not surprising.. I have a fairly certain belief that a reptile distrubiting business from my state has done the same. A bunch of NERD's if you ask me (<--name drop).
 
That's to bad. I don't know if I'm just nieve or something but I don't know why people try to break laws to make a buck, or a hundred bucks, or a few hundred bucks... Then if you get caught what are you gonna do with that money? Nothing. Nothing but bars.
 
It's a shame that people who claim to love snakes could expolit them so carelessly. Wildlife should take priority over captive breeding programs and personal gain. These folks should be brought to the chopping block with full agreement, because it is they who calls the dogs on the rest of us.

If an abundance of a particular species allows for there to be captive breeding (as is with Corn Snakes), then we can do so responsibly and enjoyably. Trafficking endangered species is moreso a crime against the laws of nature, which is an irreversible injustice.
 
Serves 'em right. Why do people think laws don't apply to them? I bought a very nice Baird's ratsnake from them about 9 years ago, and he had mites. Good thing for quarantine, but I never bought from them again.

Seems like poor husbandry is the least of their problems now. Crap like this makes us all look like a bunch of losers to non-snake people. We don't need any more black eyes on this hobby!

Kathy
 
mattsnake said:
Is that right
Click to expand...
All I will say.. I've seen signs in their own building offering rewards for dens (and ALL are protected and monitored here in my state). And naturalists from that area, as I heard (from a reliable source) tracked one of their tracking devices straight to a Timber Rattle Snake that had just been 'collected' by employees in this establishment.

If one puts two and two together, they should come up with the same four that I did. Not dephamating characters, but the actions are unacceptable from these people, and I'm not sad one bit that these people are being brought to minor justice.
 
I think it's a bit ironic. Reptiles made them famous and now infamous. I must admit I cringe everytime I see their WC or Captive Born ads on kingsnakes.com. Quit being lazy and leave the wild snakes in the wild.
 
To imply NERD may be involved with the illegal possession, transportation, propogation etc. on a public forum based on your belief that it is so is pretty slanderous. Whether or not it's true saying something like that based just on feelings...JMHO uncalled for man, it's alright to dislike them for what you perceive them to be, but to imply they're breaking law is just hearsay, rumor, gossip bs. I don't know them, and I don't approve of folks breaking the laws either, but nothing ever good comes from spreading rumors without truth or proof.
 
Slander would be me seeking to destroy a reputation. And I could care less to try to create a perception about a business, although, I'm not even mentioning any specific names (and I truly don't mean to sound arrogant saying that). It was at the least a fact that I have seen signs offering rewards for den locations at a particular establishment by a similar name. To my understanding, this would make it public knowledge, and not a slanderous opinion.

I think it's important, however, for information to be substantiated without a shadow of a doubt. But if by word of mouth I heard of a breeder on here with questionable business tactics, I would certainly take into account what I might possibly be supporting.

Again, I'll leave it here. Someone can delete my posts if it threatens anyone's livelihood in any way. But this thread should be a clear sign that this sort of stuff happens, and I'm not ashamed in any sense to say that I believe it's despicable.

For all I know, it could have been a couple of rogue, naive teenagers, who happened to work at a certain establishment.. wouldn't matter either way, I don't plan on carrying this on. I know people have friends, and this is a very protective community.. which can be a good and bad thing sometimes, as is with any group.
 
Hmm. I heard that Glades had gone out of business recently. I guess now I know why.

A really good book about reptile smuggling is The Lizard King. It's excellent. I've also heard Stolen World about Tom Crutchfield is good- but I like him, consider him a sort of friend, and he said the author of the book betrayed his trust after they welcomed her into their family. I am not sure how I feel about that person profiting from the book, no matter how well-written it is.
 
This is from the "nerds" website.

Timber Rattlesnakes
We have two distinct pages for Timbers here, one is for "healthy" looking snakes and the other for "diseased" ones that we have been "watching" since 2003 when I first noticed sick snakes. Initially I noticed snakes with sores and ones that did not look right, much of it I summed up to "hibernation" sores and the wear and tear of Nature. After few years I decided that these sores were NOT just hibernation sores, they looked more like Fungal lesions. These "sores" do not just go away, many snakes will carry them and look worse as time passes and eventually die. Since then, myself and a few others have been observing these wonderful snakes in the wild and have watched countless snakes suffer this "disease" and "vanish". Timbers in the North East are DYING, not just from habitat destruction, human encroachment, outright killing and roads. Many Timbers are now suffering a terrible disease that is killing them where they live. Populations are collapsing quietly, this disease also seems to attack other native snakes. I post these pictures as reference and to educate others that "their" populations may also show signs of the disease! We love nature and we love Timbers, they DESERVE a place in the Natural World, if you see this problem please spread the word!

Healthy Timbers

Sick Timbers

I never noticed those signs and am not here to defend those "nerds" but maybe this posted on their site gives insight to why.
PS; anybody that's been around in reptiles for a few decades knows those NERDS :eek: especially BP breeders :)
To tie this into the OP I'm sure they wouldn't want to be associated with the original subject of this post.
 
Insightful.. I won't say that it's untrue that this was the reasoning for what I had seen and heard. I don't recall that information being printed on any of the displays/flyers that I saw, and the snakes within the enclosures looked like healthy specimens, so the impression never seemed to be (to me) that it was in the name of conservation to locate these dens.

At the least, if not illegal, when you offer a reward to find rattle snake dens, even if it's for finding dens to simply 'watch', you will subsequently invite more people into the habitats of these animals who are trying to capture them, and you will therefor expose them to their ultimate threat.. humans.

I don't mean to hound this topic, kill the messenger, or hijack the thread, and I should have done a search on such an article myself beforehand, so I appreciate you posting that. I hope it's an honest effort on their part to protect these animals. But I'm a little skeptical, or better yet not in agreement that endangered species should be looked after by independent parties who happen to sell reptiles as a profession. Scientists, naturalists and conservationists who study these regions are probably better helped in their efforts by having these animals left completely alone.
 
Warning: Be careful that this doesn't become a Board of Inquiry style thread about ANY party, please, as it will go away if that happens.
 
vetusvates said:
Can't seem to follow your links, daddio.
Click to expand...

My post was copy and paste so no actual links.

Thanks Dave for posting working links.

I was just trying to give a little "food for thought" as to why New England Reptile Distributors might be doing what Michael823
 
daddio207 said:
My post was copy and paste so no actual links.

Thanks Dave for posting working links.

I was just trying to give a little "food for thought" as to why New England Reptile Distributors might be doing what Michael823
Click to expand...

Darn it !
hit the enter key by accident LOL

I was just trying to give a little "food for thought" as to why New England Reptile Distributors might be doing what Michael823 claimed in his post but trying to avoid this thread turning into a "BOI" on NERD's


As for Glades Herps. If you don't like certain laws then lobby to change them. Don't break them. If you do then expect to pay the price.
I avoid buying WC due to exploitation but also understand the necessity of it at times. Do it responsibly and legally !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top