Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Last night on Craig Ferguson,

Teri Hatcher was on his show. She mentioned that in the Florida Everglades there are around 30,000 pythons loose and breeding. She said they have been there for about 20 years. I might have not gotten her comments exactly right, but that is the gist of it.

Can you say "fear factor"?

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Proud supporter of USARK and Kingsnake.com
“We stand together or we fall apart”

Kyle
www.royalvariations.com

"be safe, be happy and dont let anyone make you afraid"
David Coverdale

Issues like the Burmese Python in the everglades is where USARK and the people behind the letter campaign should go on offense and take these issues away from the special interest groups and the wacko's like Teri Hatcher who blame the evil people who dare to breath out CO2, drive an SUV, own a living creature with scales, and cause all the worlds problems.

Who better to do something like helping to capture & control a nonnative specie like Burmese pythons in a swap, than people from the snake community? This along with an awareness campaign, something as simple as handouts that pet stores would give to people when they purchase a Burmese, that would tell people about how destructive Burms are when they are set free in places like Florida, would go along way in taking issues like this away from the wackos like Teri Hatcher and the special interest groups. This would put the reptile community on the high ground, both in public perception and when it comes to a debate about these issues. It would make the reptile community the people that are doing something to solve these problems, and the wacko's & special interest groups would be relegated into becoming exactly what they - unimportant.

Just a thought or two..

So you're saying that not a single irresponsible reptile owner (usually the ones who live in trailers and have a bunch of missing teeth) is responsible for letting their yearling burms out behind the trailer 'cause it got too big and they plum can't afford to feed them? Guess it's all Teri Hatcher's fault they're there then, right? This is the exact reason that a bill like HR 669 was ever thought up in the first place. Irresponsible reptile owners.
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www.strictlyballs.ca

read the article i post right above this. its i think 8 pages or so and discusses a few views on how these animals got the foothold they have in fla; hurricane andrew, zoos, private breeders, etc. you may disagree with various things that the article states, but it will inform you what others in this fight think and why... and thats always a good thing. these sources may be where folks like hatcher are getting their statistics.

Im saying you monitor your own. You dont let the media portray all pet owners as being irresponsible. All that most people see is that a pet owner let a snake out in the everglades, let their chimp bite some ladies face off, let thier 20' Burm maul the neighbor, on and on.

Responsible pet owners need to control the issue. You do this by getting out in front of it and you control the adgenda. This way you set the terms of the discussion instead of being on defense.

HR669 will be back in another incarnation. Next time they may tie it on some other important bill, or maybe they will wait until after someones 20' Burm attacks a child, then while public sentiment is totally against the pet trade, the bill will go through...

You make my point I think.

Wake up