Cheers mate!

I´m in Norway where this is every day life for us.

Reptiles have been "on the brink of being legalised" since 1994 and now really, at least 10 but maybe even more reptile and amphibian species will be allowed to keep as companion animals.

The norwegian herpetological association is a big fan of the positive list that will permit that certain species of hreptiles are legalised. The food safety authority, a mammoth government body in Norway, is in charge of developing our animal welfare legislation.

What does reptile keeping have to do with a "food safety authority" you may ask, but the answer is simple. Reptiles are potential carriers of salmonella I say! Birds can carry pathogens too!

So.. the food safety authority has been pressured by the rebel reptile community for some time, at least since it was formed, and even before that to some small degree..

But nothing has happened so far.. *knocks on wood*

The positive list still hasn´t been produced in it´s final form although our government(senate?) descided in 2002 that a positive list should be formed.

So at least since 2002 reptiles in norway have been very on the brink of being legalised..

If our positive list gets finished, maybe 5% of the diversity of reptiles and amphibians kept in norway will be legalised, but opponents argue that 80% of all the animals kept would be legalised, since most people keep the same species.

There is a very split view regarding the positive list in the reptile community.

Most people are pro positive list, since it will mean legalising some species sometime soon.

Some reptile owners are not convinced but it is very unpopular to speak out because that is considered as "ruining it for the others who maybe do have a species which will be legalised".



Some respected supporters of the positive list and fellow reptile keepers noted that it will be alot easier to keep other illlegal reptile species, when some species are legalised, so it is really a step in the right direction for us.



In comparing a positive list and a total ban against reptiles I regard the total ban as the lesser of the two evils.

In my oppinion it is alot easier to form a strong argument against a total ban than, to argue agaainst an almost-ban which has some small piece of validity to it.



In Norway we have a golden rule for people who are going up in the mountain (and there are alot of mountains in norway), it is never to late to turn.

So, in the end, if all goes wrong there may be great value in influencing the bill the other way around, to strengthen the scope and bring more good people into the fight against the tyranixal même of animal philosophy.



regards

obeligz

[ Show Entire Thread ]