Quote Originally Posted by Musicpanda View Post
They capture and sell wild ones? Isn't that illegal where you live? In Sweden all frogs and amphibians are protected by law, In my ignorance I thought all civilised country's had the same policy. Poor frogs. Shouldn't Hyde's Pacman be very used to eat other frogs then? That would have made me worried.
It's complicated to explain as laws change from state to state and even some cities have certain ordinances about keeping certain animals. Most states do not allow the commercial sale of species native to that state. In one state, something may be legal to keep, while just over the border into the next state it's illegal. An example, the black ratsnale, Patherophis obsoleta obsoleta are legal to possess in New Hampshire. Here in Massachusetts they are illegal to possess without a permit, unless they are a captive bred morph, such as a white-sided or an albino. Black ratsnakes are native here, but not in NH. So there you don't need permits, regardless of morph or origin. Since the state protects snake we can't have a "black" black ratsnake without permits, because you really can't tell a CB one from a WC one.

Laws against keeping certain animal come down to three reasons. One, public safety. If the animal escapes, does it pose a risk to public? Two, enviromental protection. If the animal escapes can it establish itself and wreak havoc on the ecosystem? Three, protection of the species in question. Does the commerical sale or keeping of, threaten wild populations of the species in question?

In Massachusetts I cannot keep venomous snakes, because of reason one. Because of reason two, I cannot keep channel catfish because the state believes if released they could establish themselves. The eastern spadefoot toad, Scaphiopus holbrooki holbrooki is a declining species here in Massachusetts, so I cannot keep it, even if I got them out of state. Reason three.

So does that explain it?