The guy from the Phoenix Herpetological Society told you wrong --- Western Diamondbacks are not "protected" except for being regarded as a game species, subject to certain regulations covering legal methods of harvesting them, etc., and requiring a hunting license for harvest. There are two species of AZ rattlers that are "protected" by absolute prohibitions on collecting or killing them, but WD is not. The Herpetological Society members are akin to the shark apologists Texas Star mentioned in the previous thread --- many members are fringe element "conservationists" with a protectionist bent and "warm and fuzzy" outlooks on even the most dangerous of reptiles. They put on a dog and pony show (well, snake and alligator show) that I witnessed recently --- the extent to which some of them had anthropomorphized various pea-brained, cold blooded creatures was pathetic and disturbing. They had a monitor lizard that PHS members were carrying around cradled in their arms as if it were a kitten or puppy. (It must have been well fed, as it did not seize the opportunity to bite off any human body parts...) Several female members insisted to me, with straight faces, that the lizard was more "affectionate" toward female humans than male humans ...