Don't know if you have been paying attention but animal rights groups are working with state and local lawmakers all over our country to limit or ban ownership of "exotic" animals. They are working at a frightening pace. Here is a long overdue update on our situation in North Carolina.

Some of you may recall previous discussions about Senate Bill #1032. SB 1032 was a piece of legislation introduced to the North Carolina Senate in March 2005. The bill was introduced by a Senator whose district experienced a child death as a result of a tiger mauling. Animals rights groups identified him as a potential ally and provided the language for the bill. The bill banned ownership of many species of animals including constrictors that attain sizes of 6' and above. I won't go into all the details here but the most positive development was that a group of herp keepers from around the state began to organize on-line. In May 2005, we held our first meeting and in the early hours of the following morning, a plan was hatched to create a non-profit organization that would seek to protect our ownership rights, build a strong network of like minded people, as well as play a strong role in outreach and education. I'm happy to announce that after a year of efforts, the North Carolina Association of Reptile Keepers (NCARK) is alive and well. We have our leadership in place, a lawyer, a lobbyist, and many professional advisors from around the world. We have invested a lot of time and money. We are expecting to receive our non-profit status by this fall. We recently set up a booth at the reptile show in Raleigh and began accepting members and collecting petition signatures.

We seemed to have turn the tide for the time being in NC, however, we plan to continue forward with our mission. We plan to build a strong presence that will ensure that reptiles can thrive in NC. We know that many other states are under attack by similar efforts. We hope that our efforts can serve as template for action in these other areas. We would really appreciate support from the greater herp community so that we can do this right and make a statement about the strength of our community. Please use the link below to learn more.




North Carolina Association of Reptile Keepers

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