Well... here's another interesting fact. The South Florida Water Management District’s request was made in 2006. In 2007, Florida passed laws (which went into effect Jan. 1, 2008) that put animals on their "Reptiles of Concern" list. So their requests could be considered out of date and and inappropriate. If Florida wanted stronger laws... they could have passed stronger laws. If Florida doesn’t feel the need to pass laws banning importation, Why should the US Fish and Wildlife impose it on the the rest of the country, which doen’t have a problem?

Here's Florida's Reptiles of Concern (ROCs) Law...
"Reptiles of Concern (ROCs) are nonnative reptile species that have the potential to become established in Florida and can threaten native wildlife, cause economic damage or pose a threat to human safety. Rules for Reptiles of Concern (ROCs) go into effect on January 1, 2008. ROCs require a $100 annual permit for personal possession, and any ROC that is 2 inches or greater in diameter must be permanently identified by a microchip (also called a PIT tag). Microchips can be implanted by local veterinarians who work with nonnative species. Any person who possesses an ROC that is 2 inches or greater in diameter before January 1, 2008 will have until July 1, 2008 to get their animal microchipped. Any ROC greater than 2 inches in diameter purchased after January 1, 2008 will need to be microchipped immediately. The following are the Reptiles of Concern:

Burmese python (Python molurus)
African rock python (Python sebae)
Amethystine python (Morelia amethystinus)
Reticulated python (Python reticulatus)
Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus)"

Just some thoughts
-----
Larry Walker

WebSite

[ Show Entire Thread ]