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Hello MrILoveTheAnts & Drake,

I have found your last post a little sad. All business's selling livestock, parrots, ants, fish, Reptiles have stock that dies or does not perform as the animal should... Thats life get over IT!

Yes it's a business, that's right a business. If you are not a vegetarian and go and have a beef burger, yes your eating a dead animal, the cattle raised and sold is a business its for meat.

When you pay and visit a Zoo guess what its a Business, that's right it's there to make a profit, or did you think its there just for the family day out....or for you to see those rare animals.

When Universities teach zoology the students pay money, but the university is a business. They are not interested in your Post University after life.... there interest is getting bums on seats, getting an income to pay there staff and provide a sustainable University.

Antstore, I do not know who owns Antstore in Germany, they are a very reputable business, they have really good knowledge of what they are doing, they are licenced. They are legal. You should be carefull about saying willy nill things about any company.

You don't live in Europe and I take it you don't buy ants, that's your choice.

If the species is endangered then no one should be selling that species, its banned... thats life and those wanting to sell banned species will have to get over It! Because they are not allowed to and cant.

There is no promise that any livestock will perform , breed or survive... thats life.

Ebay, it time you moved on and found something else to occupy your mind with, it's a democracy you cant go round telling everyone what to do. Its no wonder Ebay have taken no notice of your complaints. To just to let you know selling Ants in Europe on Ebay is Legal, the community members of the EU government have decided that it is ok to sell Ants on Ebay. It has been dealt with and is now an old issue, its no wonder Ebay have not replied to you.

What ever the laws are like in the US you have grown up with them, but this is Europe we have grown up with our laws too.

You may have your opinions about Antstore, or anyone offering Ants for Sale. I have never purchased anything from Antstore, but I know German science people, zoologists and etymologist who have purchased from them and met the owners. They have all good things to say about them. So whose right you or them?

I can answer your questions but they may not be the answers you would like to read and are wanting.

After Man left Africa and was on the move into the coastal areas of the Middle East and onto India, also man travel north across Turkey and into southern countries below Russia. He started to change the natural environments to suit his/her needs. This also meant keeping livestock and transporting livestock to places where they never existed. Some of these new animals had an impact on there new environments.

Along with these animals travelled parasites and diseases too along with man / herself.

Later man travelled across more distant countries and even across the Pacific Ocean. Taking allsorts of invasive species to distant groups of Island, Some of these groups of Islands are in groups of 1000 Islands. Not only did reptiles / animals go to islands where they never had existed before, these had a direct impact on species that were already in existence, meaning some native species were attacked and or there food chain was being eaten, leading to Extinction. But also came invasive species, Ants /bugs/ birds

This journey took mankind hundreds of thousands of Years.

So your panic statements in contemporary phase of 'What Ifs'? & 'This could happen Now'!

It's a crisis....

The whole planet lives in a state of Natural Flux, why your country the USA is on the Verge of having the biggest earth quake in Modern times. Also in The Canary Islands of Africa there is a third of one of the Islands about to fall and drop into the Atlantic Ocean. This can happen at any time.

When it drops and splits the worlds biggest wave will be created, it will wipe out New York and cause chaos across the eastern sea board of the US.

I think readers on the forum will understand my broad minded approach to answering your question.

The Fact is there are no guarantees on these evasive species entering your country, but that does not mean people should not collect Ant species. In South America so many Species of birds, Parrots are under such threat of extinction, trappers still illegally trap birds and smuggle.

Does that mean that law abiding peoples should not keep parrots as pets?

You could run for president and ask the people to vote for you and but please tell them your views first.

Back then 25 plus year ago I wanted to buy A macaw Parrot, I read a book that shocked me into thinking people should not keep parrots or so many other species of animal. The out look was gloomy. So I never got that parrot, but it never helped anyone not even the parrot.

However then 10 years ago I devoted my life to conservation. I tipped all my knowledge and information into a big hat, shock it up and tipped it out. The world looked so different.

I keep some Ant colonies, no parrot.

But I have met so many conservation people saving Parrots and involved in captive breeding programmes, they have evolved to the thinking that people can keep parrots too. Because they have all been so creative and found ways to save species, created business's to save species, educated so many people living in all parts of the world to look after their environments where rare species live.

Realised that Parrot species are under threat and that in many ways the smuggling had very little effect on the species decline. Yes they lowered the species, but something else was the main cause of their decline. This is true for so many species too. If bird species disappear this century from South America, was it animal smuggling (very small these days) or deforestation (huge)?

If Ant species start to die out and become extinct what would be the major cause? where can specific Ant species go? Where can the leaf cutters go, the canopy species go, the frogs go?

So if the top of your list for discussion is the invasive species coming into the USA or any other country.

I have to say on top of my List is saving Ant species from becoming extinct, because that is already happening. All those trees being cut down, huge land clearance and so many insects being wiped out. Land being burnt.

If your Yes means people should not keep parrots, then I have to tell you the Truth, nearly all the people that work to save parrot species once kept Parrots as pets. They are the only real keen people who spend their hard money on Conservation, go and live for nothing teaching other people to look after there native species of birds. Sleep rough under the stars; go out counting birds, their chicks. Collect abandoned chicks, feeding them, keeping them wild. Building facilities and getting local tribe peoples, communities and local governments involved.

Well?

Who else do you think would do this vital work? The so few science people involved could not do it, there's so few of them. Plus you have to know so much about Husbandry, where would people have got their knowledge from.

Some of the very old and best people saving the tigers were the hunters that used to shoot them 50 plus years back and they have past on their knowledge and skills and educated so many people to Save the tiger. More tigers were in fact killed by local villagers then any of the hunters. Just think how people treated your USA native wolves over 2 century's. Tigers and wolves were seen as dangerous pests.

I am sure you will continue your protectionist values, perhaps you have spent thousands of your valued hours working to save species too. Non paid of course. Reading peoples intellectual arguments, written papers may be very interesting. But real changes and effects only take place buy hard man/woman hours grafting to implement change, in modern times that mean raising finance too.

In my experience all talk does nothing at all, apart from creating ones self importance amongst ones peers.

Some very younger people will study Ants and learn so much and take us even further in our understanding and thus may be vital in our future to save these species too. Its far easier to work for a bug extermination firm, who s sales pitch is about invasive species. I have known people to have shares in such franchise firms who also hipe up the sales pitch about invasive species too and make such a drama out of the subject.

Well I have notice that there seems to be over 1000 viewers on this topic, but very few posts !