Reptile & Amphibian Forums

when will we know if the ban will take effect? thanks.

Well, first they would have to actually propse a ban. Since that isn't happening, and is extremely unlikely to happen at any point in the near future, I'd relax just a bit....

No bills need to be introduced or laws past. USDA can impose an emergency embargo on the importation, sale and or trade of any species deemed potentially injurious at anytime. Right now very influential activist groups are pushing hard for just that.

Certainly this might not happen but while the reptile guys are relaxing the anti ownership groups are working. In the past the reptile industry has played Russian roulette and came out ok, but now I think there's four bullets in the gun.

Ernie Eison
Westwoodreptiles.com

Just curious, but do you have any info on the groups that are still pushing for a ban to be placed in effect?

That's a complicated question. The big ones are the Sierra Club and Peta but they work thru a number of other groups and individuals and in different ways. Often times for obvious reasons people deny any association. This is how the leaders of groups such as Peta stay out of jail. They run the same type of setup that major organized crime syndicates use . It's amazing just how large and diverse these organizations have become.

To this point activist groups have barely made an effort against reptile keepers, we're to insignificant. That looks to be changing. This deal with the Burmese pythons in the everglades has made snakes a legitimate headline grabber and there's some real money involved in the "Clean UP" . Two things that could lead to a lot of trouble.

In the mean time anti ownership laws are popping up everywhere. How well some of these laws will be enforced remains to be seen but it's disconcerting enough to know they exist. On a bigger scale I don't think anybody has a crystal ball that can say where all of this is eventually headed. I can't see reptile keeping being shut down entirely but it's certainly in the realm of possibility that many of the cool things we take for granted will be taken away, shows, Internet sales, legal shipping could all disappear. We can assume none of this is going to happen but in realty the possibility certainly exist.

Ernie Eison
Westwoodreptiles.com

The Non-Native Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act