Hi Azhael, I'm a bit surprised by your reaction as you do not know the circumstances behind my intentions. The area where I am hoping to take the newts is going to be completely redeveloped by the new high speed rail link between Badajoz and Evora (Madrid-Lisbon), which incidentally is being carried out by Spanish contractors, even into Portuguese territory. All amphibian life will be gone within the year at this location. Any animals taken will have an infinitely better chance of survival, and eventually their offspring will be released into the wild, probably into new habitat created in the Sintra Cascais Parque Natural. Some years ago I rescued a number of adult ribbed newts from a deep well close ot Lagos, which today is a housing estate. They were released in a similar well in an protected area which will not see development. In the United Kingdom, we often carry out newt rescues of this kind. I obtained the first licence in Scotland (under very strict controls) to carry out a similar scheme with crested newts (Triturus Cristasis). So, rather than criticise the act, perhaps you could help me figure out what species I have. There is pollution from a local marble quarry, and I am concerned that the ribbed newts have already been wiped out, and that the more robust salamanders are all that are left. Anyone knowing the area will testify to the alarming rate of development, and the urgency to identify and rescue the specias there.