I agree with you on this point 100%, just arguing that it is a slippery slope and not entirely black and white to determine which animals are considered domesticated vs wild animals in captivity. Which ones are thriving vs surviving? I think everyone here agrees that ball pythons are thriving in captivity, but are Anacondas? Tegus seem to be doing great, but what about the guy in my hometown who h as three alligators in his basement in the mountains of Northern PA (not kidding here)?
This is arguably the worst argument I have ever heard, plopping domesticated ball pythons back in the wild is not a band-aid for demolishing natural populations. While undoubtedly the ball pythons that have been in captivity for generations are very similar to the ones found in the wild, generations of selective breeding and husbandry have undoubtedly contributed to genetic drift from wild populations. They may have less resistance to parasites, starvation and no fear of natural predators. Snakes that have been fed F/T or even live pet store mice/rats may not know how to hunt for themselves, and individuals that show unique coloring or patterns are at a higher rate of death by predator.