Feds Move to Ban Importation and Interstate Commerce of ALL Boas and Pythons
 

That's right-the US Federal government, in all their wisdom(which could fit on the head of a really small pin, with room to spare), has announced their intentions to ban the importation and interstate commerce in ALL species of Boas and Pythons, which would include small species like Ball Pythons(such as Sparky's Duchess)and Australian Spotted Pythons or Amazon Tree Boas, as well the giants, such as Green Anacondas or mainland subspecies of Reticulated Pythons(there are many island subspecies of Retic which get no larger than a Black Ratsnake). The intent to is to classify these and eventually probably ALL non-native reptiles, as "injurious wildlife", making the trade in and ownership of most reptile species illegal in this country. This is yet another example of the government caving in to the "Animal Rights" extremists who believe that ownership of ANY animal, for any purpose, is cruel and should be outlawed. They are accepting public comments/opinions about this up through April 30, but I'm not sure if they will actually take heed of any of it, since they have not been known for giving a rat's rear end what the American public thinks.

http://www.pethobbyist.com/sitenews/...hons-Boas.html

pitbulllady

But people could still breed them domestically, right? :terrconf: I don't know everything, but at least with balls that's often really more desirable. The guy who sold Duchess to me didn't know anything (or so he said, I'm certain he knew she was ill and just didn't say anything so he could get full price from a reptile novice) but I bet she was wild-caught.

You could breed them domestically IN-STATE, but you could not ship to buyers out-of-state. You also could not carry your python or boa across state lines if you moved, or temporarily traveled, out-of-state. The reptile industry depends on being able to buy and sell animals all over the country, as do dog, cat, horse or livestock breeders. Each individual state does not have enough demand to support the breeding of most reptiles, but the demand IS there nationwide. There would be no more reptile shows, since many of the vendors sell and breed boas and pythons, and have to travel from state-to-state. These shows generate large revenue for the cities hosting them and also serve to help educate the public about such animals. Sites such as Kingsnake.com, which depend on advertising from breeders who sell their animals all over the country, would disappear. It would be illegal for someone to travel to a neighboring state for a visit and carry a pet Ball Python with them. I know that one of the country's leading Ball Python breeders and experts lives here in South Carolina, and most of his buyers are in other states, since he sells high-dollar snakes, like Platinums and Bumblebees. People like him would be put out of business, completely, even though their animals pose no threat whatsoever to any environment or person. You really would not, eventually, be able to obtain such snakes, even in-state, because the people who now breed them would stop, since there simply would not be enough demand unless they could ship out-of-state. You can rest assured that the Feds won't stop with boas and pythons, either, but will move on to monitor lizards, Bearded Dragons, geckos, and turtles. Currently, boas and pythons, as well as certain lizards, are the "backbone" of herpetoculture, so the move is calculated to break that backbone and remove one entire class of animals-reptiles-from being kept or sold as pets.

pitbulllady

I missed when you said "interstate commerce" in the first post. I see now. You're certainly right about the breeders going out of business. The laws aren't that hard on ferrets, which seems like the species everyone has complained about the most so far.

This is probably only happening because they figure that the multitudes that hate snakes/reptiles will be in favor of it. Because the rest of us are "nutjobs" anyways. :P

That is EXACTLY what they are counting on-that the public's fear and hatred of snakes, and of reptiles in general, will help support their cause, and that there won't be much backlash against this. They depend on fear-mongering from the news media in much the same way the anti-dog people do. And this is FEDERAL, not a state law, like California's ban on ferrets(one of only two states who've failed to acknowledge that these are NOT wild animals), which means it would affect all 50 states and all US territories. Many boid species are not yet well-established as captive populations in the US and still depend on new bloodlines from imports to strengthen their captive genetic base here in this country, and so those would become extremely inbred. Of course, with no outlet for their animals, most breeders would stop breeding snakes anyway.

pitbulllady

thats so lame. I bet copperheads kill a whole lot more people than boa constrictors.

ETA i bet dogs kill exponentially more people than any snake species

No human has ever died from a Copperhead bite, actually, nor have any humans ever been killed by Boa Constrictors. The issue that the Feds have with boas and pythons is NOT the alleged danger they pose to humans, but the risk to the environment or native wildlife(and Copperheads are native wildlife, too) if they escape or are intentionally released. They are basing this fear totally on what has happened in south Florida, where many exotic invasive species have taken hold, not just just pythons, due to the unique tropical climate of that region. That same factor-the climate-works AGAINST any tropical snake species being able to survive and establish itself in the wild elsewhere in the US. The proposal also makes the assumption that ALL members of the boa and python family are large snakes, and this simply isn't true. Ball Pythons seldom excede five feet in length, and many pythons species, like Spotteds and Savu Pythons, seldom excede THREE feet! This is considerably smaller than many native snakes, which are naturally adapted to our climate(s), unlike exotic species.

The Federal Lacey Act is designed to prevent the importation and trade in non-native species of plants and animals that are deemed "injurious" to the environment or agriculture, like Snakehead fish or fruit bats, for example, not so much to prevent importation of animals that might actually be a direct threat to human life. Last year, the HSUS(Humane Society of the US, an Animal Rights organization) tried to get "Pit Bulls" and game fowl chickens added, under the argument that dogs and roosters being carried across state lines for fights would spread bird flu, kennel cough, dog flu, Newcastle's Disease, distemper, etc., to other poultry or dogs, as if only those kinds of dog or chicken could carry diseases and were a bigger threat than say, chickens being hauled to slaughterhouses across state lines, or people's pet dogs riding with them in the car to visit grandma. The HSUS has long been an outspoken proponent of total bans on the ownership and sales of reptiles(along with pretty much all other animals), and this is a way to gradually accomplish their goal, not so much with an outright ban, but by making it so difficult to obtain or sell such animals, that people will simply give up on doing so.

pitbulllady

Ah.

Well, i think we've effectivley proven that legislation has never solved anything. I wonder who's making money off of this?