That could also be seen as a point against the captive keeping of any species though - if a person isn't willing to put in the time and effort to research them, it often doesn't matter if they are WC or CB...

Whilst it's true that many animals (snakes in particular) can take time to adjust to FT feeding in captivity, most will, with perseverance, make the switch. If not, there are ways around it, e.g. braining / rubbing with another food source.

Struggling to get an animal eating isn't a problem exclusive to WC's - even CB Royal pythons for instance are sometimes picky feeders.

WC animals are more of a burden - I completely accept that - but by "controlled conditions" in the debate title, I would assume that would be referring to only letting people with appropriate experience / knowledge take on difficult WC animals, not just put them on sale in a shop for anyone to take on...?

That makes complete sense, if people are allowed to take what they want. Part of the "controlled conditions" in the debate title would presumably be to limit the amount of animals that can be taken from a certain area.

In a natural ecosystem, not all animals can find enough food / shelter etc (hence "survival of the fittest"), which means that there are almost always more animals of a particular species born than the actual carrying capacity of the ecosystem. Controlled removal of a few animals shouldn't have too much of an impact - provided only a few are taken, and "harvesting" locations are frequently changed - there will be slightly reduced competition, allowing other members of the species to survive in the are which otherwise may not have been able to.

Obviously, this relies on a sufficient "recovery time" for the ecosystem, and it also relies on sustainable catching of animals. Under these "controlled conditions", it can be safe (for the ecosystem) and sustainable.

This is why strict quarantine procedures should be in place in every reptile keeper’s collection. The new addition should be kept in a separate room, away from all other reptiles, whether Wild Caught or Captive Bred. It should be fed last, handled (only when necessary) last, and nothing that touches this reptile should touch any other reptile. Hands should be thoroughly washed, and clothes changed. This should be common procedure in any reptile keeper’s collection, so should not be an issue with Wild Caught additions. All of the problems mentioned, whilst possibly more prevalent amongst WC animals, are possible from CB animals – they are not WC-specific. As wild animals have a much "tougher" time than CB animals, with natural selection being far more intense, many will carry genes for pathogen / parasite resistance. These genes would be desirable in CB animals, to make them stronger and more resistant.