In defense of That Fish Place

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Posted by Dan Snelbaker on March 25, 2002 at 15:05:30:

In Reply to: anyone who shops at That Fish Place in Lancaster, Pa posted by Kim on March 24, 2002 at 20:12:55:

My name is Dan Snelbaker and I am manager of the reptile room at That Fish Place. Unfortunately we often receive surrendered animals from people who do not always make wise decisions. Many people remove animals from the wild then realize that the animals are more difficult to house than they original thought, or the animal does not acclimate to being in captivity. In the case of the yellow rat snake the owner caught this snake in Florida while on vacation then decided that it was too much trouble to properly keep the snake not to mention the fact that the snake would not eat.

Many times the person who surrenders the animal leaves us with no choice but to accept the animal-they threaten to destroy it or release the animal into the wild. We prefer to find the animal a new home where it will be properly cared for or if the animal is a native species we contact the appropriate PA agency to arrange for its release in a suitable habitat or to place it with an educational program licensed to keep native species. Many non-native abandoned animals such as this snake often become part of That Traveling Pet Place, our own educational program for the general public on responsible pet care.

We realize that it is not legal to release any non-native species into PA and would never do so. I believe there was some misunderstanding when the employee was told the snake would be �released.� The manager meant that the snake would be released to a new home once it was eating again.

Thank you for your concern about the snake, if you have any further questions or concerns please contact me in person about this situation. I would be more than happy to discuss it with you. I am not in on Sundays or Thursdays. You can reach me at the store number 717-299-5691.

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: My name is Dan Snelbaker and I am manager of the reptile room at That Fish Place. Unfortunately we often receive surrendered animals from people who do not always make wise decisions. Many people remove animals from the wild then realize that the animals are more difficult to house than they original thought, or the animal does not acclimate to being in captivity. In the case of the yellow rat snake the owner caught this snake in Florida while on vacation then decided that it was too much trouble to properly keep the snake not to mention the fact that the snake would not eat. : Many times the person who surrenders the animal leaves us with no choice but to accept the animal-they threaten to destroy it or release the animal into the wild. We prefer to find the animal a new home where it will be properly cared for or if the animal is a native species we contact the appropriate PA agency to arrange for its release in a suitable habitat or to place it with an educational program licensed to keep native species. Many non-native abandoned animals such as this snake often become part of That Traveling Pet Place, our own educational program for the general public on responsible pet care. : We realize that it is not legal to release any non-native species into PA and would never do so. I believe there was some misunderstanding when the employee was told the snake would be �released.� The manager meant that the snake would be released to a new home once it was eating again. : Thank you for your concern about the snake, if you have any further questions or concerns please contact me in person about this situation. I would be more than happy to discuss it with you. I am not in on Sundays or Thursdays. You can reach me at the store number 717-299-5691.

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