Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've been emailing PETA three times a day for a week. My question was whether they would support a bill that if passed could promote skinning our pets and/or selling the meat for food to recoup our losses. Being they are fighting against us I thought this info would be useful.
Here is their response. We'll see what comes of this but it would supposedly put them on the fence if bill promotes this....

Dear Mr. Beilstein,

Thank you for contacting PETA again. We appreciate your concern about reptiles who are killed for their skins.

PETA is an animal rights organization that believes that animals deserve the most basic rights and consideration of their own best interests regardless of whether they are useful to humans. Like us, they are capable of suffering and have interests in leading their own lives; therefore, they are not ours to use—for food, clothing, entertainment, or experimentation, or for any other reason. Therefore, PETA not only supports legislation that would prohibit people from keeping and/or breeding exotic animals but opposes any bill that would permit killing them for their skins.

To the video exposing the cruelty of the exotic skin trade, please visit http://www.PETATV.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=exotic_skins.

Thank you again for writing and for your concern for this important issue.

Sincerely,

Karen Dickerson
Correspondence Assistant
The PETA Foundation
In these difficult times, please remember animals. Donate today!

I have yet to understand how exactly (both in scientific and common sense ways) does PETA tell for sure that a domestic animal is a miserable animal.. (?) but that would be another thing...

IMO, they don't, other then the Snakes I own I also have 2 cats and a dog and they show the atmost affection towards us showing they aren't miserable. my wife's dog goes absolutely crazy with excitement and joy when she walks in from work and sleeps by her side every night, a miserable animal would not show this type of affection and would most likely be recluse and not want to interact.

One of the cats (my cat) is the same way. when I get home he is right by my side telling me how much he missed me and how mad he is that I left him to go to work (of course my interpretation of it.) He always sleeps by my head and pures till he falls asleep.

These domestic animals show their appreciation for us and unlike people keep an open mind and most time indefinitely forgiving of us.

So long story short I feel PETA and all the other animal rights organizations are speaking what they want, not what the actual animal wants. These animals aren't our properly but part of our family.

Just my 2 cents
Zack
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Zack Greens Reptiles

PETA is full of nuts and insane people who want to make other people think like they do very similar to a cult. I've had 3 cat's in my life. Mr Silver lived with me for 21 years and Fluffy for 19 years. Both were adults when I got them. Elvis my current cat is now 7 years old and ALL of them were a part of my family and I loved them and they loved me unconditionaly. I don't consider them property but a living thing I share my life with. I also have 3 Rhino Iguana's that I consider as I do my cat. This is their home and they will live here until they die. I don't think PETA thinks of animals as we do and I'm sure they don't love them as we do. I believe I enrich my animals life just as it enriches mine.

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Tom Crutchfield
www.tomcrutchfield.com

I completely agree Tom, and awesome picture
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Zack Greens Reptiles

Time to vent. PETA is a pathetic organization that has absolutely no scientific merit. PETA earns 8 figures a year (yeah seriously look it up) from donations and does absolutely squat for conservation or science. The lack of class they showed attacking steve irwin after his death was laughable considering the man dedicated his entire life to conservation, was such a likable person that he rose to celebrity, took advantage of that celebrity and put the money he earned back into the animals and conservation. PETA has supported convicted arsonists and domestic terrorists. I would just once like to hear a PETA supporter make a valid argument or show me an example of something PETA has done that is in any animals interest. Now i obviously do not support the skin/fur trade but i am certainly not a vegan. To me (a logical thinker) PETA trying to take away my fried chicken is the same as them banning the use of rodents as feeders. lets just let all the carnivores die in the world because its 'wrong'. Who here thinks i can switch my kings over to leafy greens?

I have only one lg King Cobra that was a gift from a dear friend. Perhaps I could teach him to eat banana's or better have a PETA employee teach him if I get infiltrated by the eco-terrorist...LOL
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Tom Crutchfield
www.tomcrutchfield.com

>>I have yet to understand how exactly (both in scientific and common sense ways) does PETA tell for sure that a domestic animal is a miserable animal.. (?) but that would be another thing...

If anyone is in a bookstore and wants a few laughs, check out PETA's book "The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights.

The author (Ingrid Newkirk) tells a story about how she came upon some fisherman who pulled in an eel. She was so upset that the eel was wriggling around, she walked up to the fisherman and wrapped a towel around the eel to hold it still so the fisherman could get the hook out without injuring the eel. (Of course, wrapping a towel around an eel is probably a bad idea, since it will remove the slime on the skin.) Anyway, she said that the evil fisherman yanked the hook out and tore out some parts of the eel along with it. She said she saw in the eyes of the eel horrible pain, suffering, sadness, etc. Now don't get me wrong, I love all animals, and I don't like seeing any animal get it's guts ripped out, but reading emotions from the eyes of an eel is about one of the stupidest things I've ever heard or read.