The $1600 cost you quote from Redwood Aquatics is a one off cost for testing one species of fish for a disease. They and other importers have had greater costs, fish destroyed and complete shipments threatened with being destroyed because of diseases found. I chaired the meeting between Maf and the importers which resulted in the establishment of the present regime for the importation of tropical fish and I was the last person to import goldfish into the South Island before thir importation was stopped. I know a little about the reqirements and costs of Quarantine.
Returning to the snakes in question:
Where they native to Australia or an Asian Country, and if so which country would they be sent back to?
Would that country accept them?
Where they a hybrid and not native to any country?
What diseases could they carry and therefore would need to be tested for?
What is the incubation time for these disease and therefore the minimum Quarantine period?
It is very difficult to tell if reptiles are carrying a simple disease like salmonella so it is realy hard to be sure they are disease free and it is therefore often better to destroy them than take the risk.
It is a waste of a couple of very nice reptiles but it could be a waste of a whole lot more if they introduced a virilent disease to the native population.
Accountants-1, caring reptile lovers-0