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Posted by vtherpster on October 08, 2002 at 06:39:49:
In Reply to: Please Educate Yourself and Help Others posted by barrel_racer on October 07, 2002 at 18:31:25:
Welcome to the herp community very disappointed barrel racer.As previously mentioned this has been out for over a year and an identicle draft showed up in 1999. A counter petition was formed by Kara the Great which grew very quickly with signitures. Now here is the thing that Samcin touched on, the book that the HSUS put out is worth reading and has important information. The solution is however drastic. ARAV has put out a message arguing the importance of certain species to be kept in captivity as pets and disagrees with the extent that the salmonella claim is pressed.A group of reptile veterinarians might have a better claim on a salmonella issue than some others, and they did take opffense that they were not contacted for there opinion and after a national meeting did come up with a very adequate response. The meat and the potatoes(romaine and potatoes for my vegan friends) of the response is that we as herpers have to come together in our respective regulatory areas and work with local governments to improve regulations concerning our herps. Myself, I've started a statewide herp society where there was none, we came up with some guidelines and proposed them to the Fish and Wildlife Dept. We then had a physical meeting with a state F&W biologist in charge of these regulations and have come up with some promising changes to protect the hobby and prevent cruelty to reptiles in the state.It takes time but hasn't cost anything but some gas money and inkjet ink.I recommend everyone do this and also recommend that if you stay inacvtive in this way to shut to heck up, cause your part of the problem.
Bottom line is some real bad things are going on in the herp community and would continue if it were never looked at.Although groups like the HSUS and API are working at getting a slow change in legislature to ban exotics and the fact that we have been able to prolong that in NY and stop it in SC doesnt mean they have gone away. The fact is as long as these bills come up we are on the defensive end backpeddaling. If we take the effort to write the regulations to fit our community we resolve and disolve some of the many ugly issues on the books and through regulation give ourselves the right to maintain our hobby and put the edge in our hands as well as allow us to steer the direction of our own destiny.
Take care and get out there and make things better in your area. Craig.
