Tyrone,
This is part of the reason why I always say that its very important for anyone considering this species be well aware of the situation surrounding them. It is complicated, full of polar opinions with validity on both sides, and a lot of moral, as well as legal, considerations.
The issue with C. parsonii and many of these other Malagasy species is that even though they come in with CITES documents, and are thus legal animals, the origin of those animals is often drawn into question because of the rarity of documented captive breedings and the time since they were banned. Specifically, there is doubt as to whether they are actually CBB from parents imported before the 1995 ban or if they are actually wild collected hatchlings, captive hatched from eggs collected in the wild, captive hatched eggs from WC gravid females or CBB from parents imported after the 1995 ban. The latter four scenarios violate CITES but unless they can be proven, the animals are legal since they were issued CITES that were stamped and approved upon entry into the US.
The anger that is so often voiced by many members is not that the animals themselves were imported, sold or purchased illegally, but that the circumstances by which they were issued their legal CITES documents tends to be questionable at best. None of the individuals who purchased or adopted these animals have done anything illegal. Not even the importer has done anything illegal. The issue is what may have been fraudulently done to represent these animals as from completely legal, pre-1995 bloodlines, in order to obtain their CITES documents in the first place.
Kent & Ryan, I too would be happy to pass on any advice with C. parsonii you'd like.
Chris
