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So much for the theory that cp's that are cheap and widely available will keep people from poaching them.....

Poachers snare rare Venus' flytraps

Removal of carnivorous plants increases threat to delicate species

By Brock Vergakis

The Sun News


One of the world's most unique and rare plants is disappearing from Brunswick County, N.C.

This time, it's not rapid growth and development threatening the Venus' flytrap.

It's thieves.

Poachers, to be exact.

Hundreds of Venus' flytraps were taken from the nature preserve in the Green Swamp this past week, said Dan Bell, project director for the Nature Conservancy.

The only place in the world the carnivorous plant grows naturally is in coastal bogs in the Carolinas within about 100 miles of Wilmington, N.C.

The plant once grew along the entire coast of North and South Carolina, but development destroyed much of its habitat and today it can be found in its natural habitat only in secluded spots such as Green Swamp or Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve in Horry County.

The plants can be grown from existing tissue culture in greenhouses and are widely available nationwide, sold for usually no more than a few dollars.

Whoever took the plants probably is trying to sell them to a nursery for no more than 15 cents a piece, said Marj Boyer, a N.C. Department of Agriculture botanist.

"If you go to an area that has a lot of Venus' flytraps and you have the right tools, you can have a few hundred plants," Boyer said.

That's exactly what happened last week.

And last year.

And the year before.

"It's a long-standing problem," she said.

The Venus' flytrap is one of two plants that continuously is poached in North Carolina. The other is ginseng, which grows in the mountainous regions of the state and can be sold for about $1 per root. Poaching of ginseng probably will start in August, she said.

However, it's already prime Venus' flytrap poaching season.

"This is the time of year we see most of the problems. That's
because the rest of the year flytraps are small and nondescript and are not easy to pick out," Bell said.

Those who poach can face large fines - up to $500 for a first
offense and $1,000 for a second offense.

But poachers are rarely caught.

"Part of the frustration is you literally have to catch them in the act. Short of that, there's really nothing I can do to punish or do to catch a poacher," Bell said.

Those who grow the plants are allowed to sell them. But there's no documentation needed to prove the plants aren't stolen.

The Nature Conservancy can't have someone watching the 15,000-acre Green Swamp all the time either, Bell said. And neither does he want to.

"It's frustrating for us to try and offer this property for the
public benefit. But when you have people come in and do things like this makes us wonder: Why do we have it open to public? We want to have opportunities for visitors to come in and see and appreciate how nice they are," he said.

He fears if poaching of the Venus' flytrap continues, future
generations won't be able to see one of the most fascinating plants in the world grow in its natural habitat anymore.

"These are an incredibly unique natural feature of this area.
There's rapidly diminishing habitat and you can find them in
abundance in a handful of places," he said. "If we continue to have people go in there and go poaching, it will knock populations down and won't be viable."
 
darn... they should put bear traps which trap and digest its human prey
 
Man, that is really crappy...
confused.gif
It's completelty pointless- I know that there is poaching which is a gray area as it can benefit the gene pool of what's in cultivation, and other things likes unauthorized collection in an area that'a bout to be destroyed- but VFTs??? Come on! You can get a VFT from freaking Safeway and Home Depot! I understand when people get a bit tired of the same old T/C stuff, but will people who grow enough to care really be willing to shame themselves by buying poached plants?? My guess is that they just get sold like any other VFT, ie without advertising that it's not TC bred, so the whole thing is completely rediculous!

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Those who poach can face large fines - up to $500 for a first
offense and $1,000 for a second offense.

OK, granted 1000 bucks for any of us is a considerable sum- but compare it to some other fines out there. How about music?? Jeez, it takes an artist a long time to make a song but how long did it take nature to make these VFT stands?! I'm not one for overzealous punishment like the MPAA, but I definitely would support a jail sentence for poaching operations. The first step would be to advertise the change though because otherswise you end up with some 14 y/o who didn't know any better facing the increased reprecussions.

But I suppose thee's no sense in saying all this to you guys, you already know it... Still, can't help but rant at something like this.
 
I already have this topic in the conservation forum.

To clearify the fines for poaching. The first offense is the first plant. If you have ten plants that's ten offenses. That's a fine of $9,500. There is jail time for this crime. It's up to 6 months in jail for each plant. But with overcrowding they will get probation.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]But with overcrowding they will get probation.
To hunt a species to extinction is not logical. They should make some room in those jails to set an example.
mad.gif
 
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