Regarding the changes on the 1st November with the A10

[burnt toast]

IAlso I recently got some A10's back from defra & while I was on the phone querying something I asked about the deadline for A10 prices going up in price & they said unless you see it on their website then its just hearsay?

[Kirkie]

The full recompence thing has been hearsay for a while. Some elements are desperate to get Med Tortoises lobbied off the CITES register.

[Shelled Lady]

Well, I just can't wait for that! It's about time DEFRA saw the nonsense of these documents and we got rid of these farcical papers that mean nothing

[Kirkie]

Jeez, where do I start with that?

CITES species are on there for a reason. Commercial use of them is restricted due to a perceived impact on populations. Some people figure that the captive breeding sucess of Med Tortoises means their CITES status should be downgraded or removed. If you do this, wild populations become fair game.

This is the IUCN redlist threats entry for Hermanns tortoise.


"The main threats are: loss of habitat due to agricultural expansion and intensification; agro-chemicals and other pollution impacts; urbanisation and tourist infrastructure development; wildfires; collection for pet trade; genetic pollution; road mortality; and potentially disease impacts from released pet tortoises (Stubbs 1989b; Willemsen 1995). In Serbia the shell is used in traditional medicine."


Have any of these threats declined recently? Add commercial collection back in and they're finished. (you may also note that repopulation using captive animals is considered a threat to wild populations).

For all the moaning about paperwork and costs, remember you ae in the privilidged position of keeping a fairly *rare animal species in captivity. If you intend to gain financially from that; bite the bullet and pay up.

[NATURALIS]

Originally Posted by Shelled Lady

Are you putting them in yourself?

yes and qualified to do so

[Chris Newman]

Originally Posted by Shelled Lady

Well, I just can't wait for that! It's about time DEFRA saw the nonsense of these documents and we got rid of these farcical papers that mean nothing

I could not agree with you more Article 10 Certificates are a complete and utter waste of time, they serve no conservation benefit what so ever. For nearly twelve months I have been pressuring Defra/Animal Health to put into writing what purpose they serve and how they benefit conservation – to date they have not been able to do so? As a job creation scheme and prosecution charter they have significant merit, as a conservation tool they have none.