Still, for many species - especially of reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates - there is a reliance on some other sources. Foremost among those are breeders and dealers. If I want a certain species of lizard for a reptile house and I can't find one within AZA, I might go to a breeder who works with that species and purchase some. Of course, before doing that, I would want to do some homework first. I'd ask around with other zoos to see if they've worked with that individual or company. Not only would I want to make sure that the animals they've obtained from them were healthy and well-cared for, I'd want to make sure that the breeder was operating in an ethical, legal manner.
Lest we forget, the awesome book Stolen World by Jennie Smith provides a reminder of what can happen when you don't follow this rule.
This is important. I don't want to support an individual who is participating in illegal or immoral practices. I also don't want to connect my institution to any possible scandal.
This article's title makes the man in question sound like some sort of comic book supervillain. In truth, he is a very knowledgeable individual who has supplied sharks and other marine life to a variety of collectors, some of them public aquariums (though apparently those transactions were legal). Sometimes people who are the most knowledgeable and have the most skills can fool themselves into thinking that the law doesn't apply to them, it's for those folks who don't know what they are doing. That can be a dangerous trap to fall into, and this gentleman seems to have paid the consequences.
Sometimes it does not pay to take your work home with you...
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