HI mate,



The below might be quite useful. Feel free to disseminate it widely. Also, I would be quite happy to put on official letterhead a statement about the fact that wild caught poison dart frogs steadily lose their toxins and that captive bred lack them entirely.



Cheers

Bryan





ASSOCIATION OF REPTILIAN AND AMPHIBIAN VETERINARIANS RESPONSE TO HSUS

PROPOSAL FOR BAN ON REPTILE PETS.



November 10, 2001



To the editor,



We are writing in response to the recent publication by the Humane

Society of the United States (HSUS), "Reptiles as Pets: An

Examination of the Trade in Live Reptiles in the United States." 

While we applaud HSUS for highlighting many of the problems

associated with the trade in live reptiles, we cannot agree with

their conclusion that the reptile trade must be ended, and that the

sale of reptiles as pets should be banned. Maintaining captive

reptiles can be a rewarding, educational experience, and in some

cases may have significant conservation value. Problems associated

with the reptile pet trade have been noted by conservation

biologists, herpetologists, and veterinarians for decades. These

problems include, but are not limited to, zoonotic diseases such as

Salmonellosis, damage to wild populations of rare species due to over-

collection, introduction of non-native species or exotic diseases,

and animal welfare issues regarding transportation of reptiles and

survival of reptiles in captivity. These are serious concerns;

however, such problems can be overcome by effective education,

legislation, and research.

Caring for a captive reptile, like caring for any animal, can

provide an understanding of the organism that can be achieved in no

other way. It may pique ones curiosity, leading to further, more

advanced study. Most professional herpetologists, reptile

veterinarians, reptile curators, etc. report that maintaining

reptiles as pets was an influential part of their childhood and may

have guided their career choice. As habitat loss and urbanization

continue, maintaining captive reptiles may provide ones only exposure

to these organisms. Individuals that maintain captive reptiles are

likely to be more concerned with local, regional, and global reptile

conservation issues than individuals that have never seen or touched

a live reptile. In her recent book "Why the Wild Things Are: Animals

in the Lives of Children", psychologist Gail Melson investigates the

potential benefit that animals may provide in childhood development.

While the field is largely unexplored, Melson suggests that pets may

play a role in the development of nurturing skills, compassion,

affection, and "may function as a meaning system through which

children make sense of both themselves and their surrounding

environments." We believe that these theories are true, and that

owning a corn snake as a child can be as developmentally important as

owning a dog. Obviously, good judgement on the part of a responsible

adult is needed, and one must ensure that children caring for

reptiles are mature enough to provide proper care and hygiene for the

animal, while maintaining their own safety from zoonotic disease.

Owning a reptile requires a commitment of time and money as

with any pet. It also requires that an appropriate animal be chosen

for a given circumstance, and that ethical concerns be addressed. It

is no more reasonable to think that a large aggressive reptile will

be a good pet than to think that a large aggressive dog will be a

good pet. It is no more reasonable to expect an ill, dehydrated,

imported reptile to adapt to captivity than to expect a parasitized,

parvovirus-infected puppy from a poor source to thrive in its new

home. There are a number of species of reptiles now available in the

pet trade that are born in captivity, remain relatively small, have

known husbandry requirements, and can be obtained in healthy

condition from reputable sources. Examples of species in this

category are bearded dragons, leopard geckos, corn snakes, milk

snakes, ball pythons, and Mediterranean tortoises.   

Salmonella is a well-known zoonotic disease associated with

keeping captive reptiles. Human fatalities do occur from reptile-

associated Salmonellosis. However, we are well aware of the risk of

zoonotic disease associated with owning dogs, cats, birds, horses,

etc, as well as the threat of fatal trauma induced by some dogs or

horses. An estimated three to four million dog bites occur each year

in the US, half of which involve children. Salmonella is just one of

dozens of zoonotic diseases we may get from our pets. Should we avoid

owning all animals to prevent zoonoses? The risk of Salmonellosis can

be reduced by following guidelines established by the Centers for

Disease Control (CDC) and the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian

Veterinarians (ARAV), which are available from the ARAV.

Decreasing the massive importation and exportation of

reptiles may be desirable, particularly for species whose post-

importation survival is known to be poor. As an example, we know that

hingeback tortoises (Kinixys spp.), that were imported by the

thousands from Africa in the past decade, do very poorly in

captivity, as do many, many other species. Ending the trade in such

species would likely be met with little resistance, and is becoming

more practical as more captive-born animals of other species become

available However, we are not in favor of complete shut-down of the

international reptile trade. There are many very motivated,

dedicated private reptile keepers that have made tremendous

contributions to herpetological taxonomy, husbandry techniques, and

conservation based on the availability of imported animals. As an

example, the endangered radiated tortoise (Geochelone radiata) from

Madagascar was first bred in the US by a private individual in the

1970s. The progeny of this individuals group formed the basis of much

of the captive-breeding program for this species later adopted by

zoos throughout the country. More recently, the worlds known

population of the endangered McCords box turtle (Cuora mccordi) has

been nearly doubled by the breeding groups of private individuals. 

Completely eliminating the availability of imported specimens may

prevent the development of captive assurance colonies of species that

are being driven to extinction in their native habitats. While

collection for the pet trade has undoubtedly damaged some species

populations, habitat destruction and consumption in the international

food trade remain the most significant threats to most reptile

species.

Concerns regarding the welfare of animals in transit and in

captivity are valid. Improper shipping techniques and improper

husbandry can result in mortality. However, I believe that the best

approach to this is not to stop the trade in reptiles, but to work to

constantly improve shipping regulations, inspections, penalties for

violations, and dissemination of proper husbandry information. We

have developed techniques to allow the humane movement of other

species, and such techniques can be developed for reptiles. This may

involve decreasing the numbers of animals moved in a given shipment,

and may mean that prices of animals will increase; but such changes

may be inevitable if the demand for healthy, ethically shipped

animals increases. Husbandry techniques have improved greatly in the

past decade and many excellent texts exist for most of the commonly

kept reptiles. Owners that do not provide adequate husbandry simply

have not done their research. This should not motivate a ban on

reptile pets any more than the dog owner who calls their veterinarian

on the day their [bleep] whelps and asks "what do I do?" should

motivate a ban on dog ownership. 

Finally, regarding the issue of the introduction of exotic

disease by imported reptiles, we are quite concerned. It is clear

that the potential for exotic disease entering the US with reptiles

exists. The case of African tortoises imported to Florida, found to

be infected with ticks carrying the causative agent of Heartwater

disease, brought this risk to the attention of many interested

parties. However, this is another situation where research, rather

than banishment, is needed. Since the original incident, and

stimulated by the incident, an effective and safe acaracide has been

identified for use in tortoises. By thinking about the problems,

identifying risks, and increasing the vigilance of monitoring, it is

possible to discover and address previously unrecognized diseases. If

certain diseases are found that cannot be controlled, then an

importation ban on the involved reptile species may be warranted.

In conclusion, we believe that reptiles should be available

as pets. It is desirable to greatly reduce the large-scale sale and

importation of reptiles in favor of supporting the more selective

sale of domestically bred reptiles of relatively easy to maintain

species. The path to this end will involve participation of many

groups, but at the forefront should be individual state governments.

State governments have control over allowing collection of native

animals, as well as which species may be sold in pet stores. In the

past, many states have taken the approach of banning a few

undesirable species, while allowing the sale of all other species.

Perhaps states should consider instead allowing the sale of only

certain species that have been captive bred and have known husbandry

requirements. Provisions for more serious keepers to obtain permits

to maintain restricted species could be issued based on guidelines

established by each state. We encourage the veterinary and

herpetological communities to voice their dissent to the conclusions

of the HSUS Live Reptile Trade report.



Sincerely,



Charles J. Innis, VMD

President, Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians



Teresa Bradley. DVM

Belton, MO



Mark Mitchell, DVM, PhD

Louisiana State University



Elliot Jacobson, DVM, PhD, DACZM

University of Florida



Dale DeNardo, DVM, PhD

University of Arizona



Kevin Wright, DVM

Phoenix, AZ



William Griswold, DVM

Tempe, AZ
-----
Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry

Deputy Director

Australian Venom Research Unit

University of Melbourne



www.venomdoc.com

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