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TALLAHASSEE - Lawmakers may force the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to ban sales of Burmese pythons and other dangerous reptiles if the agency fails to act on its own.

Officials at the state wildlife agency are now weighing the prospect of banning the sale and trafficking of exotic pets on the state's list of Reptiles of Concern. The list includes four species of python as well as the green anaconda and Nile monitor.

But the proposed ban remains only in the discussion phase and would not take effect until 2010 at the earliest.

That's not good enough for state Sen. Eleanor Sobel, who plans to file legislation this week that would prevent the sale and importation of such animals for private ownership.

"We're turning off the spigot," said Sobel, D-Hollywood. "Sometimes it takes the Fish and Wildlife Commission a little too long to jump on an issue. They may have information we don't have; on the other hand, sometimes an issue is so outrageous that you can't just sit back and say, let's weigh the positives and negatives. Sometimes you have to act. "

Concerns about dangerous reptiles spiked in June after a captive Burmese python in Sumter County escaped its terrarium and killed a sleeping toddler. Gov. Charlie Crist called for a statewide Burmese python hunt, which has resulted so far in the capture of at least six of the snakes.

With tens of thousands of pythons loose in the Everglades and surrounding areas, the hunt is "too little, too late," said Jennifer Hobgood, Florida director of the Humane Society of the United States. "It's really incongruous to send people to hunt these snakes without stopping the influx of them into the state."

Monday, Hobgood wrote to Fish and Wildlife Commission Chairman Rodney L. Barreto urging a ban on all "reptiles of concern" in Florida. Banning one species is not enough, she wrote, because the trade in exotic animals simply shifts to another species.

She noted a decline in Burmese python importation that has coincided with increased trade in anacondas. "These snakes can be deadly, and the discovery of an anaconda in Florida's Big Cypress Swamp in 2004 highlighted concerns about their invasive potential."

Wildlife commission spokeswoman Pat Behnke said the prospect of a ban is "complicated." Among the concerns: how to treat legal pet owners who have gone through the state's permitting process. Florida currently requires a $100 annual permit to own a reptile of concern.

Even if the state grandfathers in existing pet owners, banning animals could cause pet shop owners, breeders and importers to kill or dump large numbers of them into the wild, warned Marshall Meyers, CEO and general counsel of the Washington, D.C.-based Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council.

Meyers said a ban would undermine the permitting system the state has established for responsible pet ownership. But Hobgood noted that the Sumter County python owner lacked the proper permit. The case illustrates, she said, that the current system is "inadequate."

Rather than ban animals outright, the state could boost the penalties for illegal ownership, Meyers suggested. "If the penalty is severe enough, it's amazing how people will come into compliance."
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/aug/10/florida-lawmakers-could-force-ban-burmese-pythons/c_2/#comments

The Animal Rights Extremists of H$U$ are wanting to again force their agenda of banning all reptiles...
http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/hsus_calls_for_state_and_federal_action_on_large_constrictors_081009.html

"With tens of thousands of pythons loose in the Everglades and surrounding areas, the hunt is "too little, too late," said Jennifer Hobgood, Florida director of the Humane Society of the United States. "It's really incongruous to send people to hunt these snakes without stopping the influx of them into the state."

What ever happened to Due Process...? What ever happened to Innocent Until Proven Guilty?

I thought we were a Nation of Laws. Come to find out we're a Nation By Agenda.

A complete crock. Somebody call the American Civil Liberties Union!!! I'm not kidding.

Tell Jennifer Goodknob to go scrwe!

jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

I honestly believe the American Public is not aware of where their money actually goes...where their legacy funds are going, when they turn them over to The Humane Society of the United States. They probably think they are helping homeless dogs and cats with their contributions. I think that is but a very small portion of the mission this bloated institution has developed. Developed to perpetuate and to ensure a good living for it's operatives.
If the American Public had an inkling of the truth, of just how far and wide those donations are being spent, I am absolutely sure they would change their priorities.
The Humane Society of the United States is way out of bounds here. Way off the reservation. Their agenda is obscene.
Wasn't there some minor expose in Louisiana regarding their misuse of funds? I think it is high time we have another look.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

I agree with you, the HSUS is evil and the general public is being misled. But wouldn't the HSUS be much less powerful if the USGS and NPS scientists weren't perpetuating hysteria and bogus science? IMO, the USGS and NPS scientists are doing EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE of what they should be doing, which is following the scientific method, educating the public with facts and being honest. I expect politicians to lie and mislead, but not scientists. Are there no checks and balances applied to these guys?

I'm an engineer by trade, and I'm paid to find the root cause of
problems. Imo, the root cause (at least the major one) is our Dept. of the Interior. That it allowed that USGS python range map to be published (and create hysteria) was inexcusable and irresponsible.

>>I honestly believe the American Public is not aware of where their money actually goes...where their legacy funds are going, when they turn them over to The Humane Society of the United States. They probably think they are helping homeless dogs and cats with their contributions. I think that is but a very small portion of the mission this bloated institution has developed. Developed to perpetuate and to ensure a good living for it's operatives.
>>If the American Public had an inkling of the truth, of just how far and wide those donations are being spent, I am absolutely sure they would change their priorities.
>>The Humane Society of the United States is way out of bounds here. Way off the reservation. Their agenda is obscene.
>>Wasn't there some minor expose in Louisiana regarding their misuse of funds? I think it is high time we have another look.
>>jsc
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>>"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
>>John Crickmer

This might be an interesting bit of reading on how these groups are tied to domestic terrorsts
http://www.humanewatch.org/HSUSad_NYT.pdf

Eric,

Thanks for posting that link and yes, this is interesting! In fact, very interesting in that soooooo many of these private groups just seem to be supported by the party and/or other party supporters and “private organizations”? They seem to be able to operate with impunity as there appears to be NO scrutiny by the media, NO investigation by the government, etc. Well, this has happened before in this century…

Hmmmm, let’s see…For brevity purposes, in the 1920’s in post WWI Germany (Weimar Republic), there was once a group called the “Freikorps” (primarily former soldiers)…That later “morphed” into the Strumabteilung (SA)…That later “morphed” into the Schutzstaffel (SS) and its internal security division called the Gestapo (SD)…The SA was merged into the SS after the leadership of the SA was “purged”…In the early years, members of these organizations were scrutinized by the government and its police forces but in time, as the “leadership” of the “party” became more and more powerful (occupying more and more of the offices of the government-both bureaucracy and elected leaders), these prosecutions eventually ceased entirely…

In the later years (as the party consolidated its hold over the entire country), of what was later to become a totalitarian, centrally controlled, socialist state (under a dictator)…It was the groups listed above (Freikorps-SA-SS/SD) that provided the “loyal muscle” at party rallies, oppressed rivals, provided security to the “party”, etc…This group of loyal supporters was beholden to the PARTY and not the nation of Germany or its people and eventually operated outside of the bounds the laws of Germany once the dictator was firmly established…And we know what happened from there after 1939…

Granted, it was a different time and place but, does any of this seem remotely familiar?

Later,
Jim.

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CSRAJim

I know someone who was told point blank by someone in the Humane society that right now it's Burmese pythons, but then we're going after your ball pythons and boas. They want to eliminate any exotics as pets. Birds and fish are next. And 95% of all imported animals are fish and coral.

They should be put back on the reservation and made to keep their focus on dogs and cats and possibly domestic livestock.
Never seen video even once, when shown attempting to care for confiscated exotics they had a hint of a clue. Just way out of their element. Delusional do-gooders.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

>>I know someone who was told point blank by someone in the Humane society that right now it's Burmese pythons, but then we're going after your ball pythons and boas. They want to eliminate any exotics as pets. Birds and fish are next. And 95% of all imported animals are fish and coral.

Jay,

Thanks for the post man…My 10-cents worth about this is about both socialism and propaganda and from the Webster’s Dictionary of American English, Third College Edition, these two words are defined as;

Propaganda: “2 any systematic, widespread dissemination of promotion of particular ideas, doctrines, practices, etc, to further one’s own cause or to damage an opposing one, 3 ideas, doctrines, or allegations so spread: now often used disparagingly to connote deception or distraction”, p. 1078.

Socialism: “1 any of various theories or systems of the ownership and operation of the means of production and distribution by society or the community rather than by private individuals, with all members of society or community sharing in the work and the products 2 a political movement for establishing such a system 3 the stage of society, in Marxist doctrine, coming between the capitalist stage and the communist stage, in which private ownership of the means of production and distribution has been eliminated.” P. 1273

So what is this information from the Humane Society actually saying, IMO, “they” seek the elimination of the industry altogether…Meaning the end of numerous small businesses and the amateur herpetologists and once accomplished, this will leave all of the animal rights to “their” experts (academia, scientists, zoos, etc). These entities are, in “their” opinion, the only people qualified to work with the animals (whether they are terrestrial or aquatic).

You have to keep the following thought in mind about this stuff is that the true intent of what “they’re” doing is to end the unapproved anthropologic access to the animals by regulation to end the unsanctioned/unapproved anthropologic problem (private citizens) and not the animals themselves. Meaning, the animals are being USED as the propaganda banner to ELIMINATE the anthropologic problem (by regulation) from the private citizen – This is the true intent of all of this stuff. No matter WHAT “they” say, this is the intent (read the definition of socialism)…

Just think about it for yourself…Who will be banned and who will be allowed to work with, study, etc, animals when “their” recommendation(s) are codified into law? Does this provide some insight as to why “they” are relentless with this stuff and why it continues to boomerang back over, and over, and over, and over…Again? Go to some of “their” websites and actually read (very carefully) what their mission statements and vision statements actually say…Now compare “their” words to “their” actions…If “they” are successful, who is banned and who is allowed to work with an animal – you pick – and who will be the final arbiter of that decision? The private citizen does not exist anywhere in this decision making process but, the government and its sanctioned/approved entities are vastly represented…Why?

The bottom line is that what we do, is something that the government does NOT sanction and via laws/regulations and propaganda (from “their” sanctioned entities – Humane Society, Sierra Club, etc) seeks to end it…After all, if we the people cannot have an animal (except for the species “they” allow us to have), will that end the anthropologic problem regarding animals? NO IT WILL NOT! The reason is because “they’ will still be kept in captivity, studied (both in-situ and ex-situ)…The animals will still be imported, still escape, have science performed on them, etc only that will be the EXCLUSIVE RIGHT of the government and its sanctioned individuals/institutions…We will still have invasive species…Only the government will have sovereign immunity…

This is why we need to pay careful attention to this from now on as it will not stop unless we take the time off from work, go to the polls, and vote these people out of office…We have an opportunity in 2010…

Later,
Jim.
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CSRAJim