Melissa Kaplan's
Herp Care Collection
Last updated January 1, 2014

Flukers Farms + ReptilianClassifieds.com = Animal Exports to Asian Food Markets?

Looking for clarification...

Melissa Kaplan, 10/31/2002

Recently, many herpers were spammed by a new web service, reptilianclassifieds.com. Some of us don't like spammers, especially when it appears that they compile their mailing lists by spidering message boards. In looking into this particular company, some disturbing coincidences were found:

Des Wong has done the lion share of finding the above information. If anyone has more information on the connection between FFI (and all it's DBAs) and China Food/ReptilianClassifieds.com, please let us know.

And then there's the question: would you, as a herp keeper looking to sell or trade any of your reptiles, consider doing so on a classifieds service owned by a company called China Foods whose phone number is also that of a Chinese restaurant?

As many people know, I am well aware and have no problem with the diversity of what people around the world eat. I do mind if what they are eating is an endangered or threatened species, especially when the animal is killed solely to be consumed, in whole or in part, for aphrodisiac or "medical" reasons. If someone wants or needs to eat lizard or snake or whatever, that's fine, too, so long as the animal is killed humanely and as much of the animal and its remains are used (rather than, say, slaughtering a shark for its fin, a bear for its gall bladder, or a tegu because its skin makes such a nice watch band). It is not fine to sell or otherwise spuriously obtain food/medicinal animals, letting pet owners think their pets are going to a new home or to be rehomed. Again, I don't know if this is why ReptilianClassifieds exists, but that Chinese restaurant connection bothers quite a few of us.

There is an ethical problem with an individual or corporate entity obtaining the animals or facilitating the acquisition of pet animals under false pretenses. If anyone can help shed some light on these connections, please let me know.

There is also a discussion about ReptilianClassifieds.com on FaunaClassifieds.com

See also Fluker Farms takes a Web site gamble with "Reptile Republic"

11-28-2002 Update:
After this situation was discussed on some herp forums in mid November 2002, on November 26 Reptilian Classifieds changed their domain registration contacts from China Foods to E-Dataport. To date, their placeholder, ReptilianClassified.com, remains registered to China Foods/Howard Chan.

Additional source information:
El Salvador Exporter Catalog: Flora y Fauna Tropico de El Salvador; Animales Vivos
ElSalvadorTrade.com