3 ms·

Not that I'd ever be in the market for illegal wildlife, I find the whole trade abhorrent, but $220 for a pregnant queen of an exotic ant species that would spa

Not that I'd ever be in the market for illegal wildlife, I find the whole trade abhorrent, but $220 for a pregnant queen of an exotic ant species that would spawn an entire colony and live for years doesn't seem at all expensive.

Neywiny 6mo ago
You're about to be the next Walter White. "I could never. Oh wait they sell for how much? And I just put them in what, dirt or something? Hmmmm...."
m463 6mo ago
I read an article about a problem with poachers grabbing these weird plants in africa. Can't find the article but it was about lithops poachers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithops#Conservation_status https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithops#Conservation_status But they were so cute, looking like weird butt-cheeks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lithops_salicola.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lithops_salicola.jpg So I picked some up at a local flower shop when I saw them. they seemed to be selling them legally. I think we wouldn't do anything with exotic flora and fauna unless smuggling had happened at some time in the past, then it got grandfathered in. on the other hand, dandilions, eucalyptus, mongooses (mongees?)
- weitendorf 6mo ago
  > they seemed to be selling them legally I think realistically businesses in other parts of the world have no incentive to fully enforce ethical provenance across the entire supply chain for these kinds of products, and in most cases, fully lack the capability either. You'd have to run some kind of ATF-kinda thing in a third world country where official rule of law is already dicey or absent.
- wongarsu 6mo ago
  Also tomatoes and potatoes in Europe, guinea pigs outside South America, pigs in the Americas, etc. We love moving plants and animals around if they're useful or pretty. Conservation efforts that try to stop this for certain species are a relatively recent thing
HWR_14 6mo ago
It probably wouldn't be expensive to legally source them either. Kenya has permits you can apply for to collect them. Of course, the destination countries may have an issue with importing them.

Neywiny 6mo ago

You're about to be the next Walter White. "I could never. Oh wait they sell for how much? And I just put them in what, dirt or something? Hmmmm...."

m463 6mo ago

I read an article about a problem with poachers grabbing these weird plants in africa. Can't find the article but it was about lithops poachers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithops#Conservation_status https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithops#Conservation_status But they were so cute, looking like weird butt-cheeks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lithops_salicola.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lithops_salicola.jpg So I picked some up at a local flower shop when I saw them. they seemed to be selling them legally. I think we wouldn't do anything with exotic flora and fauna unless smuggling had happened at some time in the past, then it got grandfathered in. on the other hand, dandilions, eucalyptus, mongooses (mongees?)

weitendorf 6mo ago
> they seemed to be selling them legally I think realistically businesses in other parts of the world have no incentive to fully enforce ethical provenance across the entire supply chain for these kinds of products, and in most cases, fully lack the capability either. You'd have to run some kind of ATF-kinda thing in a third world country where official rule of law is already dicey or absent.
wongarsu 6mo ago
Also tomatoes and potatoes in Europe, guinea pigs outside South America, pigs in the Americas, etc. We love moving plants and animals around if they're useful or pretty. Conservation efforts that try to stop this for certain species are a relatively recent thing

HWR_14 6mo ago

It probably wouldn't be expensive to legally source them either. Kenya has permits you can apply for to collect them. Of course, the destination countries may have an issue with importing them.