Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Letitia Mee actually replied to my message today. I am happily surprised, both that I received a reply and that it was so quick!

There is a confidentiality notice prohibiting me from quoting it here, but basically Ms. Mee said my concern (military personnel with reptiles moving into the state) was a "special case" and a permit would almost certainly be approved; unlike a child buying a turtle in a pet store and then releasing it... ?

What was NOT addressed was the question of the health certification requirement.

I will see if I can get permission to post Ms. Lee's response.
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Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet

I appreciate your quick response!

If I understand your reply, someone in my situation would NOT have to have a veterinary inspection for my animals? That is not what my reading of the web site led me to believe.

Also, your mentioning of nine-year-olds buying animals and releasing them into the wild is interesting for two reasons: 1) Do most pet stores in New Mexico sell animals to minors without parent or guardian approval? and 2) many (most?) of the species on the various lists would not be able to survive more than a week in the wild (for example, tropical and subtropical species such as all of the chameleons, and the subspecies of kingsnake found in Florida). It does not appear from reading the list that safety of your state, its citizens, and/or its wildlife is truly the primary concern. I may be cynical in this regard, but only because I've seen this happen in other states with little or no scientific basis for the selection of animals on the list.

I trust the public comment period may be able to further inform the Director on the matter.

As a final question, can I reproduce your replies on a reptile/amphibian interest group forum? I may be overlooking references to scientific research and other sources which other interested "herp fans" may be able to provide.

Thank you again for your reply!

Chris
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Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet

Thank you Chris.
Was her name really spelled Letitia?
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

Was her name really spelled Letitia?

Yep.

She replied to my reply, but did not address granting permission to reproduce the text of her emails here.

The synopsis is that she says I'm getting hung up on the species list, and need to consider the draft import regulation as it compares to the regulation currently in existence (since 2001).
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Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet