Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I copied and pasted the information below from another forum here...but it applies to everyone.

Please read this carefully if this ban goes through it means you can not sell, buy or import any non-native species of snake.

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Executive Reptiles
Amanda Kingsbury & David Kendrick
www.executivereptiles.com

First, there is plenty of strong evidence in peer-reviewed scientific journals regarding the intense negative impacts of ROC (Reptiles of Concern) and other, unregulated animals.

Second, the pet industry has a tremendous impact on native populations. There are many animals who's only threat is pet import/export. There are many animals who are CITES and Red Listed solely because of the pet trade. You'd be disgusted to learn how many animals are imported, and not captive bred, regardless of what the dealer at the expo may say.

A good example is Emperor Scorpions. Hundreds of thousands were imported and they are now in danger of extinction directly because of it. You don't see many of them at expos anymore, do you? They're too expensive and take too much time to raise in captivity, so adults are taken from the wild (I could go on and on with other examples).

Lots of people are spending lots of money (much of it from taxes) to fix problems caused by pet owners. They're not out to get you. They just understand that a functioning ecosystem is a bit more important for human survival than the freedom to own any exotic endangered species you wish.

Now, that being said, there are very small handful of good guys in the pet industry. Private breeders who care about their animals, use scientific knowledge to establish the highest standards, and sell directly to the consumer (public). These people need to be praised and the vast majority of irresponsible dealers (many of which don't even know they're being irresponsible) need to be reprimanded. I would gladly pay a properly enforced permit for my PIT (passive integrated transponder) tagged snake.

We all just need to take a step back from our immediate desires. Regulating the exotic pet trade will make the good guys richer while keeping the bad guys our of our expos. Also keep in mind that these aren't mindless politicians making these decisions, but herpetologists with PhD's who spend years studying these animals. Exotic animal trade is a very serious problem in the US, and we, the pet owners, need to step up to the plate and make our hobby/industry something we can be proud of.

About me: I'm a Masters student working on a degree in Biology. I'm currently authoring two peer-reviewed publications; one on freshwater turtle populations and the other on water snakes in Florida. I also have 5 years experience working in the pet industry. I have the rare perspective of seeing both sides of the argument.

I agree that many pets (not just reptiles) can have devastating effects on our ecosystem. However, I do not think a ban is the answer. Up until now irresponsible pet owners have not had to experience any repercussions for their actions. What price do you pay if you starve your animal or release it into the wild..a $100 ticket in extreme cases, but most of the time nothing happens. We are now paying the price for letting this kind of thing slide for so long. Also, think of all the tax money that will be going to fund the agencies that will ensure reptiles are not sold or traded. There is just no way the government could come up with a way to fund a program like this at this point in time. After all, the events leading up to this ban are in part due underfunded and understaffed agencies.
BTW..I think that humans are directly effecting the environment/indigenous species far more than our released pets ever will. This ban is just a way to place blame so someone can be held responsible. Our development of available habitat will kill out the FL panther far before any snakes have a chance to put a dent in the food source. Our tax money would be put to better use in other areas...

I don't think a ban is the answer either. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently defined ROC (reptiles of concern) and requires owners to have their animals PIT tagged and pay an annual permit. We should focus on paying for preventative measures like this instead of fining people (although fining is important too). Tax money is already in place for a lot of that: Customs, FWS, etc.

As far as human effecting the environment more than exotic pets:
1) Two wrongs don't make a right
2) There are certainly cases where released animals or the capture of wild animals is the leading destructive force on their population.
3) Pets are owned by humans, and are arguably the same problem. For example, the number of migratory birds killed by feral and pet cats is astonishing.

I don't think the Florida Panther is in danger because of the pet trade, but I think many other animals are.

I can think of many cases of non-native organisms originating from gardens or tanks that now devastate native populations (there are many more cases, these are just ones I thought of off the top of my head):

Australian Pine Trees
Brazilian Pepper Trees
Red-Eared Sliders (Turtles)
Oscars (Cichlids)

I can think of many other introduced species, including some on the above list, that have either cost millions to correct or have never been corrected and in turn forever destroyed an ecosystem.

It is also important to understand that ecosystems work in a web, where each organism has many important roles vital to the success of that ecosystem. New problems, like Boids in the everglades, have shown damage in recent studies, but more importantly, have the potential to create so many other environmental problems that we won't be able to be aware of until it is too late to correct them.

Should we just have no regulations until the animal has permanently damaged an area and we therefore understand it's potential, or should we prevent future catastrophes before they happen?

Again, banning ownership of exotics is not the answer, but regulating them and enforcing regulations is. Dealers, unfortunately for them, should bear the bulk of this regulation.

-- Caresheets should be required to accompany a newly purchased animal (as in the case in states like CA).

-- PIT tagging of not only cats and dogs (as is done in almost every animal shelter in the nation) but also large Biods, Varanids, and other environmentally damaging animals (especially some other mammals) should be legally required by the dealer and payed for by the owner. You should not be able to buy certain animals until they are first tagged and that tag is registered with officials.

-- Registration of select herps should be required, including annual charges to pay for the service.

-- Detailed record-keeping by breeders and dealers should be legally required, enforced, and submitted to officials.

-- A Fish and Wildlife Service enforcement officer should attend every animal expo, and should pay regular visits to pet stores.

These things are entirely cost effective when compared to the costs already paid to correct the damages done by released animals. They are not impossible, and they will not bankrupt the breeder, the dealer, or the government.

It will encourage responsible ownership by prepared and informed owners and bring dealers/breeders to new standards.

I agree with all of these things. I definitely agree that the pet trade should be regulated..for the sake of the animals. I cannot tell you how many times I've talked to someone who got a baby boa or maybe a small but high maintenance species only to find out that they could not take care of it properly, or could not keep it at its adult size. Some of these people have let their animals die because they did not know enough about the animal to realize it was in trouble. The problem with this, much like enforcing the ban, is funding the effort. I feel that those in support of the ban are figuring that it will be more cost effective than more appropriate solutions. But I do not think that this is the case.

Passing laws will not create the understanding of a "functioning ecosystem."

True, sometimes over collecting is what causes wild populations to go extinct, but not usually.

Habitat destruction and loss is what the biggest problem is.

Man seems to enjoy cutting and destroying things. Even in the name of science, things are destroyed so we can "learn" LOL!

Now as far as these exotics getting loose and creating havoc, why aren't cats a big concern? cats have wreaked a lot more havoc on wild populations of small animals more so than any burmese pythons in the everglades.

Let's be realistic. This motivation for this bill isn't a concern for the health and well being of our ecosystems. If that were the case, man would not be "managing" them. When they are managed they are altered.

But back to the motivation, it boils down to fear and misunderstanding. Look at the sensationalism that the boids get. Discovery channel, animal planet and even the history channel all have put out propaganda that is spun with sensationalism.

Want another example, how about that burmese pythons are going to take over the united states due to global warming LOL!!!!

I am curious to see this list of the many animals who are threatened by the pet trade, any way you could provide it to me/the general public?
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The New Redpython.net

The funny thing is, I know what show you're talking about - with the Burms moving further north..blah, blah, blah. The scary thing about this issue is the rising temps, not the snakes. I'm fairly sure that if it were to become warm enough for Burms to inhabit a majority of the US, snakes would be the least of our concerns, but they don't tell it like that.