Exotic Pets and the Law, A Mission to Help the Animals

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Posted by Ryan on January 16, 2001 at 14:15:25:

I figured with iguanas being a shinning example of how, through a practice of greed over ethics, pet stores sell animals kept in inhumane ways to people who are uneducated about proper care of animals, that this would be a good place to start. The catharsis, or the straw that broke the camel's back, if you will, was when I walked into a new pet store in town. There, in their reptile section, lay a young iguana, dehydrated, with a broken rib, prone on its belly, head resting on the floor of the tank. It was hard to pass this up, and at least not purchase it if for no other reason than to give it a comfortable place to die. This was too much. Too many times have I argued, trying to explain proper scientific names, care, and basic decency to pet store owners. Worse yet, on a tank soon to be filled was the label "Caimen Gators", which means soon children will be purchasing spectacled caimen sold as dwarf caimen, that within a year will be killed or dumped into the waterways of Louisiana, disrupting the delicate ecosystem.
So I plan on doing what I can to rock the boat. While I want to stop the few examples I see localy, I am thinking more wide scale. So if you can, point me in the right direction. Who can I contact about the pet stores, and then who can I talk to about establishing new laws for the sale of exotic pets? I specificaly think that proper scientific names should be supplied, so at least when people buy that animal they can research proper care.
Any information or ideas would be appreciated.
Thank you for your time,
Ryan

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Re: Exotic Pets and the Law, A Mission to Help the Animals Travis 01/16/01 (0)
Re: Exotic Pets and the Law, A Mission to Help the Animals Tmom 01/16/01 (1)
- Re: Exotic Pets and the Law, A Mission to Help the Animals Samcin 01/16/01 (0)

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: I figured with iguanas being a shinning example of how, through a practice of greed over ethics, pet stores sell animals kept in inhumane ways to people who are uneducated about proper care of animals, that this would be a good place to start. The catharsis, or the straw that broke the camel's back, if you will, was when I walked into a new pet store in town. There, in their reptile section, lay a young iguana, dehydrated, with a broken rib, prone on its belly, head resting on the floor of the tank. It was hard to pass this up, and at least not purchase it if for no other reason than to give it a comfortable place to die. This was too much. Too many times have I argued, trying to explain proper scientific names, care, and basic decency to pet store owners. Worse yet, on a tank soon to be filled was the label "Caimen Gators", which means soon children will be purchasing spectacled caimen sold as dwarf caimen, that within a year will be killed or dumped into the waterways of Louisiana, disrupting the delicate ecosystem. : So I plan on doing what I can to rock the boat. While I want to stop the few examples I see localy, I am thinking more wide scale. So if you can, point me in the right direction. Who can I contact about the pet stores, and then who can I talk to about establishing new laws for the sale of exotic pets? I specificaly think that proper scientific names should be supplied, so at least when people buy that animal they can research proper care. : Any information or ideas would be appreciated. : Thank you for your time, : Ryan

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