Posted by:
agbull100
at Sun Aug 19 17:36:20 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by agbull100 ]
Niles, Waters, and Savs, oh my! Sorry. I could not resist.
FR quote: “So why do people attempt to keep a Nile, Water, or Sav in a bedroom or apartment?”
In my experience, the reason people try to keep these animals in a bedroom or an apartment is because people use these animals to supply some personal need. I have seen you identify this in posts from the past. It is usually not about the animals, it is about satisfying a human need. I would rather not try to debate whether or not this is a legitimate use for these animals. For the purposes of this discussion, I think we can observe that this is what happens, that there are probably a variety of needs, and that it is not about the animals. The usual result is a dead animal.
To illustrate, I once attended “show and tell” night at a herp club meeting. Two guys in their mid twenties showed up with their animals. One guy had a huge Burmese python around his neck and they other guy had an obese Water Monitor on a leash. People were allowing their small children to approach these animals and pet them on the head as if these animals were puppies. This was a train wreck waiting to happen. It was obvious to me this was not about the animals. Most of the information these guys were giving was just plain wrong. It was all about these guy’s egos. It was obvious by the look on their faces that they really needed to be in the spotlight, and this circus was supplying that need. To say it in reverse, this would never happen if their passion was about the animals. If it was about the animals, they would be properly caged and the kids would be looking through glass to see them. Bottom line is these things happen. Forums like this do help to educate, but most will not listen. People want those big lizards to satisfy themselves, and they do not care about the facts.
FR quote: “yes, this subject borders on decision making and other hidden human needs. Its so stupid to attempt to do, that is causing laws to be extablished to prevent this stupidity.
While I hate being controlled by government. I do u know. Do people really need to have laws to prevent them from doing something so dumb.”
It is true that when there is an incident with a big lizard, or a big snake, or a venomous snake, the press goes wild. Blood and guts is what sells newspapers. However, I do not believe these incidents are the direct cause of the wave of legislation happening across the country. The fact is these incidents are rare, i.e., statistically insignificant. It is also true that TPTB (the powers that be) use these incidents to their benefit. I am talking about the animal rights crowd and organizations like PETA and HSUS. These people do not want anyone to have or to use any animal for any reason, including food. They have a ton of money, and I believe they are behind this wave of legislation, especially at the state level. Their efforts are like the water in your plumbing system. The water has a way of finding the weakest point in the system, and springing a leak. Unfortunately, some of the weakest links among animal people are monkey people, cat people, and reptile people. (Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!) We are small in numbers, generally disorganized, not unified in cause or opinions, and have little or no money. Add to this that fact that many of the various bird and turtle (wildlife) departments are opposed to private ownership of most live wild animals, and contain persons who have a personal agenda against animal people, and use their positions to promote their agenda. Bird and Turtle is into government controlling people. They would rather play cops and robbers than allow for reasonable solutions, like captive breeding. Besides, this gives their cowboys an adrenaline rush to bust somebody and makes for great press releases.
Then you have zoo and academia that are beholding to bird and turtle cops for their special permits and exemptions that join in to oppose private ownership. The future of large monitor ownership, and many other reptiles by the private sector looks bleak to me. There are herp groups that have organized and testified before bird and turtle commissions and state legislatures, and some have made progress. For the most part, they, along with the facts, are ignored. Then the politicians count votes and money, and animal people do not rate very much, if at all. If you have not already done so, check out the Herp Law and CITIES Forum to see what is happening in Texas. There are a lot of good people making dramatic efforts to reverse a recent law that prohibits road collecting and right of way collecting. It will be very interesting to see how this one plays out.
FR quote: But your right, its often a case of defending poor choices. Simply put, there are folks capable of supporting large monitors, lots in reality, and those not capable due to current conditions(no space) and they cannot figure that simple problem out.
FR, your discussion about PH (poor husbandry) and BH (basic husbandry) is, in my opinion, right on. It is also a great teaching and communication tool. My take on a similar observation comes from a statement made by Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry in Magnum Force, 1973: “A man’s got to know his limitations!” By this I mean a person needs to ask themselves, what type of reptile keeper am I? Am I a keeper at all? Reptile keepers run the scale from incompetent and uncaring to extraordinary. Which am I? Do I love the work, the cleaning and feeding and fixing, or would I rather dig a ditch? Do I do well with 10, 20, or 100 animals, and then one more becomes to many? Do I know how many is enough? Some people have the passion, but they are not keepers. Is it about the animals, or is it about my needs? I believe knowing yourself, knowing who you are, and knowing your limitations is important to your success, especially long term.
FR quote: Surely ackies and other odatria can be kept very successfully in a bedroom(been there and done that) Ackies are a good species, storrs even better if space is a limitation, Gilleni is even better, Stripetails even better. Kings even better then that. Brevis even better.
I agree, and I am again tempted, but I just read something about a man’s got to know his limitations. I will add to that. If a man does not know his limitations, his wife does!
Thank yu for the chance to rant.
AG Bull
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RE: A complicated species = - agbull100, Sun Aug 19 17:36:20 2007