Here were my thoughts. I have already submitted my comments.

Banning ALL pythons and boas is a radical and ridiculous notion. I understand that CERTAIN species in CERTAIN areas have become a nuisance and may need to be regulated, such as Burmese Python in the Florida Everglades. However, even banning Burmese Pythons in EVERY state makes no sense. Most states would not be able to support a colony of wild Burmese Pythons because the climate in most states is not conducive to their survival.

Besides the Burmese Pythons and Reticulated Pythons, I have not heard of one account of another member of the Python or Boa family that could be considered injurious. Red-eared Slider Turtles have an impact on on wildlife that is probably 1,000 times greater as people release them in such great numbers in our lakes and rivers. They eventually breed and form successful colonies that feed on the local wildlife and including eggs layed from migratory birds and still yet the US Fish and Wildlife service seeks to ban Pythons and Boas rather than the red-eared slider? This rational makes no sense.

This is an issue that needs to be addressed one species at a time in one location at a time. Isn't this the entire reason we have local agencies such as the Department of Fish and Game? They should be the ones on a local level to decide what species need to be restricted because of a local problem. I live in Arizona and I am not aware of any wild colonies of Burmese Pythons in the middle of the desert. Why should an animal that is causing problems 1,500 miles away in Florida be banned from an area that is not experiencing any problems?

By the same token, Alligators are allowed as pets in Florida. In Arizona we pull Alligators out of our man-made lakes and rivers every day. Because of this, our LOCAL agency has chosen to ban Alligators as pets because they can survive and reproduce in our Arizona climate and have become a nuisance.

Once again, to ban an ENTIRE species because of a LOCAL problem with ONE SUB-SPECIES is not right. It would be the equivalent of banning dogs because Pit Bulls were considered "injurious".

From an economic stand point, the impact would be HUGE!!! I personally maintain a breeding colony and is worth nearly $100,000 and I am only a small breeder. Many breeders around the country maintain colonies worth nearly $5 million. For every snake produced in captivity it has to be sold, shipped and cared for over the next 20 - 30 years. The amount of money spent on that animal over the course of it's life is astronomical. I also understand that the rodent breeding industry needed to feed these Pythons and Boas in a multi-billion dollar industry. If this country is ignorant enough to put a wide-spread ban on several entire species, it will without a doubt have an enormous economic impact that can not be fully appreciated until such a ban is imposed.

I implore you to PLEASE think before you act!



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Ryan Sherman
Scottsdale, Arizona
www.ThePaintedPython.com

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