Public hearings held on unrestricted reptile collecting

Thursday, Dec. 10, 1998 | 10:29 a.m.

State regulators on Thursday continued to weigh the issue in the second public hearing in as many days.

About 55 people showed up for the hearing in Reno Wednesday, and at least that many were expected in Las Vegas Thursday evening, said Nevada Division of Wildlife spokesman Dave Rice.

Current regulations allow commercial collectors to gather as many lizards and snakes as they want.

A three-member subcommittee appointed by the Board of Wildlife Commissioners will report its findings to the full commission, which is expected to consider the state regulations at its February meeting in Las Vegas.

"The people who spoke appear to be in favor of some type of limits on the number of individual species," Nevada Division of Wildlife spokesman Dave Rice said of the meeting in Reno.

Wildlife biologists have warned that unrestricted commercial reptile collecting could be driving some species toward extinction.

Licensed collectors gathered 130,127 lizards and snakes in Nevada from 1993 to 1997 for sale to pet wholesalers, according to state statistics.

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