Andrew Vik
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Andrew G.:

I agree that these laws seem ridiculous at first thought. How can possessing one
feather off a bird constitute harm to that bird? But look at things from the game
officer's perspective. If he finds Paryphanta shells in someone's possession, how
does he know if that person found them alive or dead? He can't just take their
word as the truth, or no violators would ever be charged. Zero tolerance is the
best policy in their profession.

Andrew V.

Andrew Grebneff wrote:

>
> This sort of kneejerk bureaucracy really bugs me. If the thing's dead, it
> only does good to collect it.
>
> We have a similar problem here in New Zealand, where it's illegal to
> collect dead Paryphanta and Powelliphanta shells. Now, some of these are on
> the verge of extinction, and not many specimens of these particular species
> are in ANY collections. Making collection illegal ensures that once they
> are extinct, and I cannot really believe that a species restricted to an
> acre of scrub will not soon become so, there will be almost no record of
> their existence. The shells dry, warp and split into mangled ruin shortly
> after death. Surely endangered species' dead shells SHOULD be collected,
> rather than left for nature to destroy.
>
> Andrew G