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THE LEADER (Surrey, British Columbia) 09 August 03 Bylaw a pet peeve for some (Boaz Joseph)
A row over reptiles is heating up as city council prepares to ban the sale of exotic animals.
Pet store owners are angered over the planned legislation, while the owner of the a local reptile refuge lauds the legislation as overdue.
Surrey introduced the bylaw in June in hopes of reducing the number of exotic animals being traded in this city.
A corporate report delivered to council states that the advantage of the bylaw is it bans "the sale of wild animals which can be inherently dangerous to people."
The bylaw would prohibit the sale of all reptiles, hyenas, elephants, raptors, alligators and crocodiles, to name a few. Anyone in breach of the bylaw would be subject to a fine of up to $5,000, plus the cost of prosecution.
Gary Batt from Surrey's Petland says the bylaw goes way too far.
"Some reptiles should be banned, they're not appropriate as pets," Batt said Wednesday, adding caimans and some snakes, get too large to handle. "Years ago, we imposed our own restricted list, such as iguanas. They get too big."
He says smaller animals, such as the bearded dragon, are "fabulous pets, and people love them."
Nick Christensen owner of Fish World Pets and Supplies in Newton says the proposed bylaw is onerous, sweeping and unnecessary.
"I just look at it as accountability," he said. "I think that through proper education, (abuse) could be avoided. You just don't have 12 snakes in a 20-gallon tank."
About 15 to 20 per cent of his non-aquatic inventory falls within Surrey's description of an exotic animal.
Customer education, he says, is key.
"We can't just say 'no', we need to be intelligent and say 'this is a bearded dragon,' we need to intelligent on how big it gets, what it eats."
Local pet store owners have asked the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, (PIJAC Canada), a national organization representing pet sellers, to pressure Surrey to drop the planned bylaw.
PIJAC executive director Louis McCann said in an interview from Ottawa that Surrey's approach is "ridiculous."
He points out that some reptiles, including snakes, have been bred domestically since the time of the pharaohs.
However, others insist reptiles of any size do not make appropriate pets.
Christine Schramm, co-owner the Rainforest Reptile Refuge Society, said Wednesday reptiles belong in the wild. Most homes don't provide the appropriate temperature required to keep the animals healthy, she said.
The refuge, a repository for abused, seized and abandoned pets, has operated in Surrey for the last 11 years.
Schramm said this week the facility at 1395 176 St. is no longer accepting abandoned animals.
"We can no longer take in animals due to the steady increase of unwanted, abused, sick, injured and abandoned animals."
Schramm has 400 animals in the 2,400-square-foot building. She's hoping someone will donate a larger piece of property.
Schramm fully supports Surrey's bylaw, adding it's her dream to shut the doors of the refuge. That would mean exotic pets were no longer being abused and abandoned, she says.
Coun. Dianne Watts, who spearheaded the bylaw, says Schramm's experience is evidence the legislation is necessary.
"They're cute when they're small - when they get large, they're not domesticated pets," Watts said. "When we have them continually abandoned, we need to pay attention to it."
Watts expects some heated debate when Surrey holds a public hearing next month.
The public hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. at city hall.
Anyone wanting to provide a written submission prior to the meeting can send it attention the City Clerk, City Hall, 14245 56 Ave., Surrey, B.C. V3X 3A2. Or fax it to 604-591-8732, or e-mail: ckiverago@city.surrey.bc.ca
More information and the by-law can be viewed at City Hall, or by calling 604-591-4123 for further information. The notice, corporate report and by-law will also be posted on the City of Surrey website at www.city.surrey.bc.ca
Bylaw a pet peeve for some

Does the bylaw make the ownership illegal, or just the sale? If only the sale was illegal, determined, concerned hobbyists could still breed selected herps.

Katrina

Lovely. And no one seems to remember the MUCH larger numbers of abused and mistreated dogs and cats. They never get banned. I honestly think that nothing should really be banned (unless threatened or endangered) but the owners should be A LOT more responsible about their pets. That just angers me that they always select out the exotic pets because they're 'not being cared for properly' and just skip over all other animals.
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