As a member of the media (I'm a newspaper editor) and a reptile owner and breeder, I have to say that the problem is not with the media nor the politicians (though most need to be educated on the realities of responsible herp ownership).



Someone said it before me: The problem is PR and the bad PR (animals being dumped in the Everglades, people being hurt or killed by dangerous pets, or people keeping too many animals) is what resonates with people because it is scary.



You have to admit that keeping reptiles of any kind or number is a bit different. The cry of herp owners to be treated like anyone else is naive. Guess what? You keep snakes or lizards or frogs and turtles that most people think are scary or gross critters. I kind of feel that way about large spiders. The point is, if you want people to treat you and your hobby with respect and that hobby is a little off the path of what most people consider normal, the onus is on you and me and every other reptile keeper to show that we are responsible, our pets are not dangerous and we have no intention nor risk of damaging the environment.



To say that this is not fair is like a firefighter thinking flames have it in for him. It's the path we've chosen and if we don't want to lose our rights to keep animals we love we need to be proactive about educating the public and the politicians and the media about responsible ownership.



There are bad apples out there and they do an incredible amount of damage to our hobby, and for some, businesses. When bad things happen, the media has a responsibility to inform the public about news. But it's a two-way street. When people open businesses or make scientific discoveries in the herp world, the media reports on those too. And when herp keepers bring their pets to schools for kids to see and to give talks on responsible pet ownership, the media is there too to take pictures or write short stories.



We have opportunities every day to educate strangers about our hobby.



Rob Haneisen

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