The real problem with 'Monsters of God'
Summary
The reptile community feared another Tiger King. But do Monsters of God’s dramatic stories of past wildlife smuggling reflect today’s responsible reptile keepers and trade? Tony Wigley takes a closer look.
Drawing on comments from USARK Florida’s Daniel Parker, Tony examines how poorly designed wildlife policies have restricted legal trade, undermined captive breeding and hindered conservation.
Illegal trade and animal cruelty must be condemned. But are current laws solving the problem or making it worse?
About the contributors
Tony Wigley has worked with reptiles and exotic pets for nearly 40 years. He co-founded Responsible Reptile Keeping, serves on the boards of REPTA and The Pet Charity, and sits on Pets Canada’s Advocacy Committee.
Daniel Parker is Director of Media for USARK Florida, which advocates for responsible reptile keeping, conservation and trade.
Topics
Monsters of God, Eric Goode, reptile trade, wildlife smuggling, captive breeding, conservation, CITES and the Endangered Species Act.
Evidence
Pet bans backfire
Read the full study in Conservation Letters to see how reactive pet bans catastrophically backfire, shifting consumer demand to endanger vulnerable, unregulated substitutes.
Pet bans and restrictions cause illegal trade
Read the peer-reviewed data in Biological Conservation proving how blanket trade restrictions fail, merely driving the lucrative exotic pet trade into unmonitored, clandestine networks.
Positive lists devastate conservation
Expert analysis reveals that sweeping bans on the exotic pet trade and the implementation of restrictive ‘positive lists’ are counterproductive, devastating conservation efforts by stripping private keepers of their vital role in preserving endangered genetic stock.
Find out more about reptile keeping bans here.
Transcript
Everyone in the reptile community braced for another Tiger King. But what we got was actually a bit of an anticlimax.
Monsters of God came from the team behind Tiger King and Chimp Crazy, so it’s fair to say that many of us in the reptile world were dreading it.
I waited until we’d watched all five episodes before commenting. And while there’s plenty to talk about, the most interesting response actually came from our colleague Daniel Parker at USARK Florida. He spotted something that most people seemed to have missed.
He said, "Monsters of God" is a well-produced and entertaining show by filmmaker Eric Goode about the history of international reptile smuggling. Goode assembled a colourful cast of pariahs to tell a story of lust for some of the world's most beautiful and interesting animals, as well as criminal behaviour and sometimes stunning acts of animal cruelty.
The black market trade in animals is deplorable. It is the enemy of legitimate keepers, breeders, and sellers of reptiles. The actions of smugglers and criminals must be condemned. However, the failures of public policy and enforcement that drive much of this activity should also be understood.
With the passage of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973, United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) created an arbitrary list of species to "protect," including animals not native to the US. In doing so, they painted a target on the backs of those species by making them "forbidden fruit." The filmmaker of "Monsters of God," is a walking example illustrating the point in his show, he admits to being “part of the problem.” Goode himself hoards some of the rarest and most desirable reptile species in the world such as Ploughshare tortoises and Indian Roof turtles.
The show shines a light on how the Government's own regulatory actions actually spurred criminal activity and increased threats to "Endangered Species."
The ESA as well as the Convention for the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) policies have made it nearly impossible for breeders and legitimate businesses to fill the inevitable demand for listed species, leaving that void to be filled by illicit trade. This is a natural cause and effect.
When the Government engages in prohibition by banning legal and regulated trade, organised crime blossoms, benefitting people who are willing to break the law. Some are caught, but many are not, and the trade in illegal animals continues despite the best efforts of law enforcement. Officials frequently allow illegal shipments to pass to enable them to build a larger case, rather than stopping shipments to protect the individual animals. When wildlife agencies publicise smuggling cases with press releases revealing shockingly high numbers of smuggled animals, those numbers have often been built up over a number of years to make for more newsworthy events.
Despite the history of regulatory and enforcement failures, wildlife agency strategies have remained relatively unchanged and remarkably lacking in innovation. There seems to be a steadfast belief amongst wildlife officials that stopping the trade in animals is justified by some kind of moral superiority, rather than demonstrated conservation success. As documented in this show, US Fish and Wildlife Services’ past actions have led to the deaths of many animals. Often, the goal was to make busts rather than to actually save the animals.
In the case of reptiles, the ESA has been largely unsuccessful in preventing further population decreases, as many of these declines are driven by habitat degradation, fragmentation, and outright destruction. But there is a desire within wildlife agencies to crack down on all animal keeping, including captive breeding and legal commerce. This is despite the fact that captive breeding provides an ethical alternative to wild-caught animals and this will supply an already existing demand.
In the rare case where captive breeding of a listed species was allowed such as with the American alligator, the wild population actually did make a strong comeback. In the case of other native listed species like the Eastern indigo snake, wild populations have continued to dwindle to near catastrophic lows, due almost entirely to habitat destruction and fragmentation. The result of “protection” has been that Eastern indigo snakes are so rare and so infrequently bred in captivity that wildlife agency officials have complained that there’s insufficient genetic stock to draw from for reintroduction efforts.
In cases of foreign species listed on our US Endangered Species list, native range countries often provide little or no habitat protection. The recently listed Egyptian tortoise is one such case. This species is close to extinction in the wild and zoos have made very little effort to breed them. Private breeders in the US, who have had remarkable success breeding the Egyptian tortoises, are the biggest hope for its continued existence on planet Earth. Despite this, US Fish and Wildlife Services recently listed the species under ESA and has not provided reasonable accommodations to allow continued breeding and commerce within the USA.
In some cases, wildlife agency policies have actually led to increased smuggling and black-market trade. Some of these listed species are not even rare in the wild and their protection may be based on small geographic ranges or simply their beauty and desirability.
The modern reptile trade has developed into a mature and professional industry. Much of the trade is supplied by captive breeders and farmers and it’s a multi-million-dollar economy within the US alone that supports families and small businesses. As part of legitimate trade, animals are labelled, housed, kept and transported in humane methods that safeguard their well-being.
Poaching and smuggling still happens, but it is not a major driver of the modern industry. However, black market activity will continue as long as poorly thought-out policies continue to promote high values for listed species driven by restricted supply. Officials and bureaucrats in regulatory agencies continue to push failed prohibition strategies, despite their proven track record of failure.
While "Monsters of God" is an entertaining story told by eccentric characters who often participated in revolting acts, it is kind of a cartoon rendering of an era gone by that should not be taken as a portrayal of the modern reptile hobby and trade. Many of the people interviewed for this show are known as colourful or even despicable characters who aren't necessarily the most reliable sources for information. And the cast of the show was paid to tell entertaining stories. They are certainly not reflective of the majority of modern reptile keepers, who love their animals and continue to innovate and professionalise the industry. But one thing is for sure, the desire for reptiles will continue to be driven by human beings' natural fascination with these beautiful and unusual creatures.”
Now we agree with everything Daniel said not only about the Monsters of God series, but also the underlying regulatory issues that fuel the scandals behind those stories. Sensible regulations that embrace the passion and expertise of private animal keepers could not only eliminate nearly all poaching, smuggling and illegal wildlife trade, but it could also continue to benefit conservation and animal welfare at the same time.
Of course we should all stand against illegal trade that damages conservation and welfare, but if people keep crossing the line, then perhaps it’s time to acknowledge that the line might be in the wrong place.
I’m Tony Wigley, and this is Responsible Reptile Keeping.
