CHICAGO SUN-TIMES (Illinois) 12 August 2003 Unfairly singled out (editorial)

Unfairly singled out

Rabies is a threat, yet people still can keep dogs. Salmonella is a concern, but consuming chicken is allowed.

Chalk it up to safety in numbers, a protection not afforded, by definition, the owners of exotic pets. Thus Ald. Ed Burke (14th) and Ald. Shirley Coleman (16th) felt perfectly comfortable proposing an ordinance that would ban a wide range of reptiles--iguanas, boa constrictors, even garter snakes--as well as monkeys, tarantulas, ducks and other animals. The idea is to prevent monkeypox, which sickened dozens in the Midwest. But the measure is too extreme. First, it includes species that don't even carry the pox. Second, it is an unenforceable overreaction that tramples on both the rights of exotic pet owners--who can cherish their animals as much as cat owners do--and interferes with the educational activities of organizations like the Chicago Herpetological Society. The city would do better to improve safety standards for imported pets at the pet store level, and not wage war against garter snakes and spiders and the people who love them.

Sun-Times editorial

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