Hi Ravan,

Thanks for engaging in this discussion. You bring a lot of intelligent questions to the table. Like anyone in the reptile community, the last thing I want is bigger government interfering in our lives. Supporting a new state regulation on our hobby was a hard decision to make, and not one I took lightly. Let me try to address some of your thoughts.



First, I realized if we didn't start to regulate ourselves it was only a matter of time before other groups (PETA, HSUS, etc) would try to. In fact legislators told me some groups are pressuring them for a wider ban, so I stepped in and urged them to consider something more reasonable. If we refused to take a seat at the table, and waited for other groups to work with legislators, you can imagine where it would go. By being proactive, however, we have a chance to suggest reasonable regulations with middle ground.



The reason I support a ban on the sale and purchase (not possession) of A. mississippiensis is because we are building in a loop hole for serious keepers, while making impulse sales more difficult. Crocodilians are already illegal in NJ, MD, DE, NY, and other states. But people still have them and there will always be a need for good keepers to take in "rescues" from those situations, which stays legal. Likewise there will still be opportunities to get them out of state. Serious keepers will never have a problem finding an animal that is farmed in our own country, considering that many serious croc keepers buy imported, rare species.



I know this question will not be popular, but please think it over. Does our right to own alligators really need to include the right to purchase them at pet stores and shows as easily as we can purchase corn snakes and leopard geckos? The "sale and purchase" ban is meant to crack down on impulse sales, while protecting the rights of serious keepers. And in the long run, the rights of serious keepers will be more protected with less impulse gators making the news.
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Jesse Rothacker

Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary

www.forgottenfriend.org

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