Hello all,
As many of you know I have a small reptile breeding business as well as own several reptiles. The captive bred reptile trade helps dimish the amount of reptile/amphibian that are taken from the wild and helps increase the population of species that may be going extinct.
I am sure you have heard about the Burmese Python "problem" in Fl. Well the Senate is looking at a bill to make 45 constrictor species (ball pythons etc) ILLEGAL to own. This will impact 100s of small and large
breeders and millions of snake owners.
See more below
Due to the hurricanes many pythons escaped from zoos and stores. Burmese are one of the largest pythons in the world. PETA and the HSUS have been on a witchhunt to use the pythons to ban all pythons from ball pythons (about 4-6 ft long) to the Burmese as their first step to ban people keeping reptiles.
Florida is not banning these snakes they have to be registered and chipped:
Reptiles of Concern (ROCs) are non-native reptile species that have the potential to become established in Florida and can threaten native wildlife, cause economic damage or pose a threat to human safety. Rules for Reptiles or greater in diameter must be permanently identified by a microchip (also called a PIT tag). Microchips can be implanted by local veterinarians who work with non-native species. Any person who possesses an ROC that is 2 inches or greater in diameter before January 1, 2008 will have until July 1, 2008 to get their animal microchipped. Any ROC greater than 2 inches in diameter purchased after January 1, 2008 will need to be microchipped immediately. The following are the Reptiles of Concern:
Burmese python (Python molurus)
African rock python (Python sebae)
Amethystine python (Morelia amethystinus)
Reticulated python (Python reticulatus)
Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus
There was a recently held Python hunt for about three months in Florida. Of the supposed 100,000 Burmese in Florida they found and killed a whole 32. Burmese would NOT survive outside of a tropical area like Florida but the USGS and the PETA lobby is using a ton of bad science to try to railroad a complete python ban through the Senate.
The bill passed the house with only the "big 6" being banned from being imported. This includes the Burmese and the African Rock Python, in the Senate they are trying to ban ALL the Pythonidae family, I said all constrictors. Let me show you that list: Some of your most commonly sold snakes which are harmless, ball pythons, rainbow boas. If this passes and you have one you would have to turn it to to be killed immediately as it would now be illegal.
For those of you who are unaware the reptile industry is a billion dollar industry with people like me all the way to people who make millions of dollard breeding species for color variations or "morphs"
Here is a link to a breeder of "investment: qualit morphs"
Which means rare or first of a kind morphs.
Another site with more info on ball python morphs
Ball pythons alone have well over 100 different color variations that people have spent years developing. Morphs to snakes are like various breeds to dogs or cats. People spent years developing your golden retreiver, your poodle, your labradoodle and breeders of these dogs make their livelihoods on them. The same holds true for reptile people.
We should not be banning a whole slew of pets because of unfounded fears and a few incidents. Reptiles kill or attack less people than dogs each year, as far as an environmental danger, your household cat species has done millions (yes I say millions) more times damage to the local bird and reptile population around the world than a Burmese python or other reptile will. Most reptiles can only survive in a certain ecological niche.
THe state of Florida is already requiring the microchipping of large pythons so they can be tracked in case they get out.
There is no need to ban 45 pythons. The following information is from US Association of Reptile Keepers: USARK Inohofe is actually working with the reptile people to try to stop this. I guess he can get something right now and again.
December 10, 2009 Wilmington, NC- Driven by powerful special interests and much media sensation S. 373 aka ‘The Python Ban’ is likely to move forward despite lack of scientific justification. Pushed by Sponsor Senator Bill Nelson and the Humane Society of the United States S. 373 could devastate the trade in high quality captive bred reptiles in the United States.
Today the Senate Committee on the Environment & Public Works (EPW) will hold a business meeting on S. 373. The Committee Chair is Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and the Ranking Member is Senator James Inhofe (R-OK). The committee will hold a mark up session where they will consider S. 373, to amend title 18, United States Code, to add constrictor snakes of the species Python genera to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act. The committee is expected to amend the bill to include the 9 snakes listed on a recent controversial report by the US Geological Survey (USGS). All tolled the bill could stop the import, export and interstate transport of as many as 45 species of Boas and Pythons.
The USGS report being used to justify these extreme measures has been called into question by a group of independent scientists in a letter to the EPW Committee on November 24, 2009. The letter characterized the USGS report as "not a bona-fide scientific paper". The US Department of the Interior (DOI) and the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) stand by the report and have recommended to the committee that all 9 snakes reviewed should be included by amendment to S. 373. The independent scientists, who include professors from University of Florida, Arizona State University, Texas A&M and The National Geographic Society, go further to state, "this document is not suitable as the basis for legislative or regulatory policies, as its content is not based on best science practices"
The United States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK) made an agreement in principle with Senator Bill Nelson’s office to limit the damage to a 3 billion dollar a year trade in these reptiles, but was informed yesterday that the agreement would not be honored. Senator Nelson has justified his position based on the recommendations made in regards to the USGS report by USFWS and DOI. Andrew Wyatt, president of USARK, commented that "it is a real shame that Senator Nelson has changed his position on this issue". . It is ludicrous to put so many law abiding citizens in that position and diminish the Lacey Act for the sake of political expediency."
Passage of S. 373 would result in the following: If the bill passes approximately 4 million boas and pythons already in captivity would be rendered valueless overnight with no provisions for disposition or compensation. Wyatt added, "it could create a situation where millions of people will be in possession of injurious wildlifein the loss of thousands of American jobs bankrupting an entire industry. Without strong evidence to support the injurious wildlife listing, USARK calls on the Senate EPW Committee to give an unfavorable rating to S. 373.
Link
Here is a link to the USGS Stude
Here are statements regarding the lack of scientific evidence in that study:
Link
As scientists whose careers are focused around publishing in peer-reviewed journals and providing expert reviews of papers submitted to these journals, we feel it is a misrepresentation to call the USGS document "scientific". In fact, much of this report is based on an unproven risk assessment model that produces results that contradict the findings presented in a recently published scientific paper that used a more complex and superior model (see: Pyron R.A., F.T. Burbrink, and T.J. Guiher. 2008. Claims of Potential Expansion throughout the U.S. by Invasive Python Species Are Contradicted by Ecological Niche Models, PLoS One 3: e2931. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002931). Unfortunately, the authors of the USGS document limit their reference to this scientific work to an unsubstantiated criticism. To the contrary, this alternate model is validated by its relatively accurate prediction of the natural distribution of the species in question (something the USGS model does not even attempt). Furthermore, despite its conclusion of a limited potential distribution of Burmese pythons in the United States, the model presented by Pyron et al. accurately predicts the presence of Burmese pythons in the Everglades.
The USGS model likely provides a gross overestimate of potential habitat for these snake species. People throughout the United States keep pythons as pets, yet the only known breeding populations in the United States are in the Everglades. Such a wide distribution of potential sources of invasion, but only a localized invasive event, suggests that factors beyond those used in the USGS model are critical to limiting the suitability of habitat for pythons. The authors even state that climate is only one factor of several that affect the distribution of an animal, yet they develop a model that only uses overly simplistic climatic data (e.g., the climatic data did not take seasonality into consideration).
We are further concerned by the pervasive bias throughout this report. There is an obvious effort to emphasize the size, fecundity and dangers posed by each species; no chance is missed to speculate on negative scenarios. The report appears designed to promote the tenuous concept that invasive giant snakes are a national threat. However, throughout the report there is a preponderance of grammatical qualifiers that serve to weaken many, if not most, statements that are made.
Signed:
Elliott Jacobson, MS, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACZM
Professor of Zoological Medicine
University of Florida
Dale DeNardo, DVM, PhD
Associate Professor School of Life Sciences
Arizona State University
Paul M. Gibbons, DVM, MS, Dipl. ABVP (Avian)
President-Elect, Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians
Interim Regent, Reptiles & Amphibians, American Board of Veterinary Practitioners
Director, Exotic Species Specialty Service
Animal Emergency Center and Specialty Services
Chris Griffin, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (Avian)
President, Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians
Owner and Medical Director
Griffin Avian and Exotic Veterinary Hospital
Brady Barr, PhD
Resident Herpetologist
National Geographic Society
Endangered Species Coalition of the Council of State Governments
Crocodilian Specialist Group
Warren Booth, PhD
Invasive Species Biologist
Research Associate
North Carolina State University
Director of Science
United States Association of Reptile Keepers
Ray E. Ashton, Jr.
President
Ashton Biodiversity Research & Preservation Institute
Robert Herrington, PhD
Professor of Biology
Georgia Southwestern State University
Douglas L. Hotle
Curator of Herpetology/Conservation/Research
Natural Toxins Research Center
Texas A&M University
Francis L. Rose (Retired) , B.S., M.S. (Zoology), PhD (Zoology)
Professor Emeritus
Texas State University
Edward J. Wozniak DVM, PhD
Regional Veterinarian
Zoonosis Control Division
Texas Department of State Health
Action links: If you want to contact your Senator or President Obama to stop this we reptile people would appreciate it. For those of you think, well they are just snakes, remember all the Pit Bull Bans? You are aware that homeowners insurance will raise your rates or not insure you if you have any of the following dogs:Pit Bull Terrier "Type" (Including American Staffordshire, American Bull Terrier also know as the Target Dog etc.) All of these terrier "type" dogs are lumped into the same breed category by many insurance companies.
Rottweiler
Wolf or Wolf Hybrid
Doberman Pinscher
Akita
Chow Chow
Boxer
German Shepherd
Huskies
Alaskan Malamute
Great Dane
St. Bernard
Mastiff's (again all are lumped into one breed category by most insurance co's.)
Presa Canarios
So it can happen to any pet owner. How would you like it if someone said you had to put down your Dobie because all Dobies are aggressive, or your Great Dane? That is what pit bull people had to go through and now possibly millions of snake owners as well. Not to mention the loss of revenue.
Please help!
ACTION STEPS:
- Contact The Media; Pythons Politics & Destruction of the American Dream Campaign. Click on this link to send a hard hitting email to all the big media outlets:
Media Link
- Contact President Obama. Click on this link to let the President know you oppose S373 and the destruction of American jobs:
- Call & Fax the Senate EPW Committee Today!
Obama Sample Letter: cut and paste in whitehouse contact portal above
President Obama,
S373 aka the Python Ban is being considered in the Senate right now. It will destroy thousands of jobs and bankrupt thousands of American families. The bill has been sensationalized and politicized and has no basis in real science. In fact a report generated by USGS to justify this bill has been called unscientific by an independent panel of scientists. It is being pushed by powerful special interest groups and it will hurt me financially. It is a confiscation of my personal property rights and will not solve the problems proponents claim it addresses. This is clearly a situation that has become politically driven and ignores science that does not support S373. Please do not allow politics to trump good science and sound policy. This is wrong and you promised in your election campaign not to allow situations like this to occur. Please stop S373