Quote Originally Posted by Saluqi View Post
AFC wants to eliminate all forms of regulation so that the system in the US is exactly like that of the UK. With no regulation on who can own a raptor, the take of wild raptors will be lost. This is not a surprising mentality for the AFC given the past and present leadership of the AFC, i.e., they make their livings off of breeding raptors. Same issue with hybrids, remove restrictions on hybrids that contain a fraction of native raptor, and suddenly the market for who can buy such hybrids increases beyond licensed falconers. I find the AFC's stance on these issues ironic given that they used to call themselves the WRTC, or Wild Raptor Take Conservancy.
First, this is clear hyperbole.

However, lets take your statement on face value. This is not a bianary equation. Falconry existed for thousands of years without regulation on its practitioners AND with wild take, and there is little reason it cant do so again in the US in that fashion. The MBTA protections on raptors would either have to be repealed (no one in AFC would go that far) or there would need to be some regulation allowing take, similar to duck hunting.

There are in fact several countries right now with no regulation on falconry or falconers AND wild take (just about anywhere in the mid east for example, as well as Pakistan).

Lastly, if this were to come down to a choice between having wild take or getting the USFWS jack boots off my neck, well, I'd burn my trapping gear in a new York minute. And in my falconry career I have had 2 out of my 15 hawks that were not taken from the wild. I think you may well be surprised at how many others would agree with me on that.