guarantee that PETA or HSUS has contributed funds to the Everglades Restoration and in doing so they get to speak in congressional hearings related to Burmese pythons. Why do they get to? Are they python experts? No but they pay for the oppertunity to speak. They put commercials all over the ty and internet so people have no choice but to see their message, or at least they one the want portrayed.


More then anything, I think the whole pet trade, mammals, fish, birds has to start banning together and showing up for each other. It will take a strong showing from all the little guys (theres no such thing as a big reptile business by corporate standards) ,

Groups such as Peta and the HSUS have private people like Nancy Alexander over in West Palm that by themselves drop millions in the donation box. There's no one like that in the reptile biz. As a whole the exotic pet trade can bring a good bit to the table, I think enough to fight back against anything, but if segregated ......................the research and science stuff ultimately wont amount to much, you have to try and debunk the other guys claims but this usually leads to a ping pong match of yes they can, no they cant and like I said before this isn't math where you can prove the other guys numbers don't add up, so..........................

PETA the HSUS, all the mainstream conservation groups are all BIG business's, well connected highly structured and well budgeted, they have done all the things the exotic animal trade has not in terms of business success and structured growth. Another thing they do is when a situation (burms in the glades as an example) pops up, they put the in fighting aside and back each other up.

Ive said it before, the reptile trade has not seen anything in terms of what these groups could do if they decide to go all out.

When it comes to PIJAC and Usark ,

PIJAC has been around 40 years and should be the ones to bring the big players of the pet trade out, but why should Nestlé Purina bring their enormous resources and clout to the table on behalf of the reptile trade? What would be in it for them? Why would Petco or Petsmart fight tooth and nail for the reptile trade? The reason these corporations are where their at is because,

They hire retail professionals with strong track records of success in various fields. The people sitting on the boards of these huge players in the pet trade....are the ones who call the corporate shots and their going to back the horse that has the best shot at helping the company. They don't hire animal lovers for their board of directors, they couldn't care less about "pets," its about moving product, where is the money being made? Go into any big chain and look at how much space is devoted to what, that will tell the story of how that business butters it bread.That is where the companys vested interest is and where their main concerns are going to be. The big chains have track record of going along with the activist, not to mention money making contracts. The companys dont like the AR groups and their definitely not scared of them but at the end of the day they work with them because its smart buisness. So I don't expect these pet heavy weights to do anything more then hedge their bets if things get scary. I`ll say it again the whole exotic pet trade needs to start showing up for each other, the exotic pet trade needs to start doing smart buisness.

ERNIE EISON
WESTWOOD ACRES REPTILE FARM INC.

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