Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just read in the cornsnake forum that the Ohio reptile show was canceled and Ohio fish and game was there refusing entrance due to the threat of monkey pox(check out the original post). Have any other shows been affected. I have been looking forward to attending the Midwest Reptile Show in Indianapolis tomorrow. I am a little concerned after reading because Indiana is one of the main states that has been affected by monkey pox. I'm just a little concerned.

I know I waited from like 8:50 - 11:00 to get in at the Ohio show before heading home. I called DNR at about 12:30 to check status. They said they were about to finish up in the next hour so and it would be up to show organizers to decide whether or not to open. I pretty much wrote it off at that point. If I were you, I'd expect hassles or cancelation at your show in Indy.

In fact, ISTM that alot of the Ohio vendors head over to Indy for that show. Now, everyones pocketbooks will be hurting and they may fear a second shutdown. Some might bail. I would.

The show was not cancelled. We just arrived back to our in-laws a bit ago from attending the show. We were not vendors at this one, but did speak to several about the situation. Apparently DNR (Department of Natural Resources) was looking for species native to Ohio as well as checking permits of the vendors. They finished up at about 1:00 and we made it into the show at 1:30. Unfortunately a lot of the vendors either left or were told to leave because they didn't have the proper permits to sell in Ohio. IMO the Indie show will happen tomorrow, but you may see delays if DNR does show up.
On another note concerning the show...the admission price was lowered to $1.00 for those who waited out the situation, and many of the vendors were lowering their prices for those of us that had been standing outside since 9:00am or earlier.

Uriah and Tina Walker
geckoville

Everyone had to sit in the sun till 1:30pm when we were finally let in (got burned bad). When we got inside a lot of the dealer were gone or packing up. I was told some were arrested, some didn’t have the right licenses, and one was selling turtles to small. I also think it may be on the news tonight.

My wife and I where there...from 8:30am to 1:30. They started letting people in finally...and yes after sitting in the squelching sun all day. They still charged...only a buck but because so many people vendors had packed up and left I said F... it i'm not paying to go in and see only a few vendors left. My wife and I live in west michigan so after driving a total of nearly 750 miles round trip and wasting a night in a motel...we went home empty handed and not pleased.

Who's to blame? while yes i am more than unappy about my wasted trip...the Federal Wildlife Agents and other Agents who where there where only doing their jobs. The vendors who recieved tickets not "should" have known...but DO know what is right and what is wrong. They are the ones who hurt themselves and the other venders...and the customers.

Funny thing...or not so funny, I was listening to the guy who said the quote about not seeing anything like this before.
All Ohio Reptile Raid

They may have been doing their jobs, but they were doing it POORLY!! The "expert" on-hand had a "Peterson's Field Guide" as his sure-fire tool at identifying these species...c'mon!! Sketched illustrations with mediocre detail at best. Texas Sally's we're confiscated as evidence for species native to Ohio. Mike runs an excellent show w/ some great vendors and customers as well. I was there, they can't properly identify anything but a Prairie Dog. Sad, sad day, I'm telling you this right now, it's time to get serious, there were very BIG names involved - not your little flea market guy selling turtles. The guys that do it right. I guess for EVRY SINGLE ANIMAL brought in from out of state (CB or WC) must be accompanied w/ a health certificate!! EACH ANIMAL!! These people are freaking ignorant and trust me, blowing it off as "they were just doing their jobs" is what's going to cost each and every one of us our passion. Hmmmm....what will all the crazies be keeping in their basement now????????

I agree. It is Time. But the first thing that we need to do, is to let it be known that we are ready, willing and able to have a show that is not in violation of the existing rules.
I love the All Ohio Show, but there are a handful of vendors who have "learned" that they can get away with whatever they want.
It's time for all to "learn" that a clean, rule-abiding show will also teach the local and federal autorities that we are NOT worth their trouble. When we let just A FEW vendors conduct illegal busines, for whatever reason, we all look bad, and our hobby as we now know it is in serious trouble. So...if there are laws that we disagree with...fine...fight them if we can.
But until the laws are changed, we must insist that our shows be run in compliance with those laws...or we will, indeed suffer.
We will need internal control over the Ohio Show, so that the authorities will not feel a need to excercise external control.
We can do it! But it will take a serious effort. Duffy

and I agree 100%!!!

Duffy - How does the NOAH show in Cleveland compare? Live in Toledo and am considering NOAH, Taylor, MI or Pittsburgh shows.
The Indianapolis and Shelbyville shows are just a little too far for my needs.

Sorry...I don't NOAH. I am kinda spoiled living half an hour from the Columbus show. I go almost every month. As fate would have it...I missed yesterday's show (my wife is an artist and we were doing a festival). I asked a pal to pick me up some rodents. So he got to experience the hassles. I just hope we can get it back on track before too much damage is done. There's plenty of folks who just don't like snakes out there, and I'm sure that they'd be more than happy to make life miserable for us who do if we don't get more serious about the rules that are posted for all to see. I truly feel that if those rules had been internally enforced all along, what happened yesterday would not have happened. If I were one of the MANY good, solid, legit dealers that attend the show, I would be really pissed at the small number of habitual rule violators that got them into yesterday's jam. I know that some innocent folks got hassled, and that truly sucks. See you at the show next month! Duffy

while I too saw them carrying around thier "field guide" and thought to myself..."you've got to be kidding..." Still the main point and downfall was those that chose not to abide by the law. The not so knowledgable agents did not bring the show down and that is not the point. For those vendors not following the law how much clear can you get when its said that at the AORS no venemous or native species are allowed?!

I fear that prices will skyrocket if breeders are forced to have a certificates on each animal. I mean come on they have countless numbers of animals and I have yet to see anyone at the show trying to sell off sick or unhealthy animals. I can see the reasoning for the rule but in my mind I will trust someone who has been breeding and raising for years over a piece of paper that sais a vet who knows a "thing or two" about reptiles has looked them over.

I like the show but we will probable be looking for something closer to home for now here in MI like the Taylor show we just found out about.

The certificates would mean nothing to me, the only "exotics" vet in my area is far less knowledgable on Reptiles than a number of Breeders/Collectors, that have studied these animals for years. I agree there are some bad guys out there (we see them everyday on the internet) but I truly think the Columbus show will bounce back and everything will be back to normal. After checking out many shows in my surrounding area (greater mid-west) Columbus is by far the best in my opinion. It's the
"Grandfather" of ALL Reptile shows!!

i was there got there at 8:45 got in around 1:30 it was my wifes first show and she wasn't happy.Guess i picked a good one to take her to lol.but at least i got the adult female bearded that i've been trying to get for a few months now so i'm happy about that.and to top it off my male breed her as soon as i put her in with him so that was cool and i picked up 2 more nice balls to.Well see you all at the midwest show hope it dont go the same way.

While I didn't travel as far as some people to get to the show,I was also a little upset about waiting 4 1/2 hours to get in.It was my girlfriends first show and a little disappointing to have to go through all of the waiting.Even though we found what she was looking for outside the show,we still stuck it out to go inside.I have always loved the All Ohio show and hope that it continues to go on.Like others have said,hopefully there won't be a need for external intervention and the vendors that were trying to bypass the laws learned a valuable lesson.

I am one of the venders for the Ohio show - I was not cited, but this was much more than just a few people dealing under the table. And it was not as the media put it "all out for a buck and devestating the native population". It very much appeared they were targeting everyone they could with the goal to shut the show down. According to reports more than 3/4 of the vendors were cited for something - ranging from out of state required certificates to un-chiped animals. Many had their homes searched also. The cost associated with these citations and requirements will seriously hurt the event. Vendors will not be able to afford and customers looking for healthier animals at better prices than you can find in the pet stores will lose.

I could have the attitude that great! - now no "out-of-staters" will be able to come - I got the market to myself. But that is not what I am about - I love my animals and really feel very good about the quality and variety of animals provided at Ohio's longest monthly running largest reptile show in the country. They also made it clear that they were targeting several other shows - so this is not an isolated incident. It really is a shame - there are people who travel from numerous states (as far away as RI and Neb.) as vendors and as customers - what a loss.

If you want to know more of the specifics - check out the string in the herp law forum.