land of the free...

[Nathan Hall]

What scares me is that the folks passing all of these ordinances are grossly misinformed about herps and listen to orgs like HSUS. HSUS has political clout, and they spew bunk statistics for their anti-herp agenda. Most of the ordinances are arbitrary. With the support of activists with deep pockets, these anti-herp orgs will continue to get their way. These regs. are for our protection, right? Land of the free? PLEASE!!! At this alarming rate, the only animals that we will be able to keep will be toy poodles and fish. Blanket regulation is definitely not any sort of viable solution. ORGANIZE & EDUCATE!!

 

[Protean]

seriously... I think i want to go into politics and try to get involved in the USFish and Wildlife services and change some of the issues there.

 

[PreditorNprey]

Great to see someone who actually complains about these matters, who seem willing to stand up as well (Monkey)

Until we are able to rise up, and try and change something, I personally say that we quit complaining.

Edit: I noticed with the last sentence I posted it may appear that I am singling you out Nathan, but I am not you do a great job for the reptile community as I have been able to see.

 

[Marlies]

I don't know the details of America, but here in the Netherlands we have about the same problem. Some organisations who have a lot of money but no experince want to expell reptiles from households. They are setting up "possitive list", with on them they animals we can still keep, en those we can't.

Here in the Netherlands, the reptile organisations are joining to gether in order to stop this. Or at the least, give an opposite "possitive list", with what we think is right...

Maybe you can get some big organisations to overlook this problem together en try to make a difference?

 

[Nathan Hall]

I noticed with the last sentence I posted it may appear that I am singling you out Nathan, but I am not you do a great job for the reptile community as I have been able to see.

I didn't think you were. I'm heavily involved in herp politics at the state and local level. I do the best I can to write letters to our politicians when I believe that some general herp ordinance is absurb, too broad, etc. Educating the masses is extremely important as well. The legislative bodies that be usually respond to the loudest and last voice heard. I'm not an apathetic whiner who sits and waits for my precious rights to be taken away.

 

[LarryLockard]

That's true, I feel sometimes though that many of us who keep herps, learn about these laws too late. By then its almost academic to do anything. I always keep my ears to the wire, just in case. This forum and others like it are great for that purpose. It allows us persons who are informed about reptiles to react with enough time and hopefully stop legislation that is not really thought trough or understood completely.

 

[Protean]

nathan,

I just read your initial posting on this over a few times... the sad thing is that part of this b.s. is that they want zoos to keep the exotics and not the public. Zoos are doing a terrible job pushing species on the ESA listings and still they are the allowed to keep them. Since when does a zoo not have the beaurocratic b.s. in the way of how they do their jobs? Since when won't a hobbyist spend his last dollar to feed his reptile?

jason