Remember,



Someone's right to responsibly own, purchase, and keep a big cat is just as important as our right to responsibly own, purchase, and keep a venomous snake.



Great White Sharks, Grizzly Bears, Tigers, Eastern Diamondbacks... they can all cause the same damage and one won't make you more or less dead than the other.



Don't forget that not every burmese python ends up a rescue, and not every big cat ends up mauling its owners neighbor. There are those out there who responsibly keep big cats and we shouldn't imply that keeping big cats is bad. Keeping them irresponsibly IS bad. Stereotyping anyone who keeps/buys/sells big cats as irresponsible is just as bad as any other stereotype... would it not be?



The public isn't going to look at keeping venomous snakes any differently than they are going to look at keeping big cats. Look at the proposed laws being passed? does it say keeping hots is ok and big cats isn't? no, it is an across the board ban. period.



What we as keepers need to do is show the public that there are responsible keepers (of any exotic) who benefit the community by having the knowledge, experience, and training. If anything will postpone, if not prevent, the death of this hobby it is showing the public that there is value in keeping them.



Which article would you rather have in the paper about you? one like this or one like ran in the paper after the Spartanburg show? The headline on that one was about a "Show with a bite" and the over-zealous reporter went on to parrot one persons boasting of having "been in a death-struggle with his cobra" while trying to remove an eyecap... sad... sad just plain sad



I say give people the right to sell the big cats, sell the burmese pythons, sell the iguanas, sell the venomous snakes and pass a law making KEEPING THE ANIMALS IRRESPONSIBLY A FELONY., This would at least punish the people who do the wrongful acts and would preserve the rights of the responsible keepers.



Again, I stand by my opinion, someone's right to responsibly keep/sell/buy a big cat is just as important as my right to responsibly keep/sell/buy a venomous snake.

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