While I'm working on an article about alleged animal hoarding (15 is a hoard if you have them but 400 is OK if you're an "official" rescuer or city pound, really?), I thought I'd share one of Barbara's posts. If you've read my blog for a bit, you know that snakes kinda freak me out; however, many love them the way I love dogs and cats and I think they have every right to keep and tend them without undue interference from irrational laws that only jack up taxes to enforce the irrational, unfounded laws; further damaging our economic situation in the US.
So, whether your preference it dogs, cats, hamsters, horses, chickens, cattle, or whatever animal; I hope you'll join in supporting our fellow animal owners, those who own snakes, and help them defeat these outrageous laws.
ONLY Two Weeks Left to Help Fight NATIONAL Snake Ban!!! ALERT!!!
July 15, 2010
| Website for the pending python ban has added an easier
to navigate page to use in commenting. It is: http://www.kill-rulechange.com/That site has a sample letter but I’ve been told by a lobbyist that form letters don’t really work well because when the officials get similar/identical letters, they just count it as one submission. So pick some highlights and put it you own words. The USFW won’t take emails. You can mail it, postmarked by Aug 2nd. You can paste or attach it to their submission form by Aug 2nd at: http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480b0fd62If you’re looking for ideas, following are some pointers as I see it, to be of assistance to anyone reading this. I’ve also included, at the bottom, the exact things that they would like answered. To be honest, most of what they do ask for isn’t applicable to people that aren’t in the nuts and bolts business of the snake trade.*They don’t request anything about how this would effect people with pets that have to move, or how it might diminish vets that know how to care for these types of animals.*And since USFW hasn’t ever considered this extreme of an action on an animal so widely held and sold, this does almost become an unlawful seizure of property since it wipes out the usefulness and ability to move the property.That certainly effects the rights of thousands, maybe millions.*They don’t ask for info on if it’s realistic for these snakes to inhabit areas outside of the southern most parts of TX and FL (Which it isn’t and they aren’t even in TX at all. Boas have colonized south FL for many many years and have yet to move north.). One study (exposing pythons to outdoor temps and habitat) in central FL has strong evidence that they can’t even live that far and another study is wrapping up in SC. This is very important because the USFW involvement is supposed to be because they pose a threat to the nation. Since our cold winter here in FL they know that there was a massive die off of the pythons, estimates vary widely. Some say 50%, some say 90%. But either way, how are they going to threaten the country if they can’t even really withstand a cold snap in the area that they are currently inhabiting?! Incidentally, they haven’t even seen a python since the winter, so it is in the realm of possibilities that it was a 100% die off (maybe). *FL has already taken on a huge regulatory change that clamps down on possession (personal use is banned and current “licensed” owners can only keep them for the life of the animal. *FL also started all this with the propaganda that it was pet owners that caused it. This deceptive policy of misinformation (including the USGS climate study) got the movement on snake bans going. This USFW ban presents the perfect example of “two wrongs don’t make a right.” Now it’s established in the public mind that any snake owner (which was practically a dirty word before all of this) anywhere could cause an invasion, even though no other place has this problem. And officially FL has quietly backed away from that “theory” now that hard evidence suggests otherwise. The US Geological study was also used as “proof” that action was needed. This study has been discredited. Bad science is at the core of this. There has already been a demand to retract the USGS paper. *They don’t ask for info on the rate of predation on native animals,
which is why they are “threatening” to the nation. This is also of note
because on the flip side, juvenile snakes are a excellent source of food
for other animals including waterbirds of the everglades. Plus since
that area already has quite a few invasive species, the snakes will be
just as happy to eat those. Mostly my experience with FWC is that since they themselves aren’t effected by their regulations, they don’t have any empathy for those people who are. In commenting to them about their proposed rules it’s “The facts and nothing but the facts,” which they don’t hold themselves to in the media and then because of “public pressure” they don’t have to heed those facts in front of them. It’s an insane system. A fellow involved in the citizen advisory group to FWC reinforced my thoughts when he said, “it is completely a perception issue.” ~AP This is what they specifically ask for: We are soliciting public comments and supporting data to gain additional information, and we specifically seek comment regarding the -Indian python (Python molurus, including Burmese python P. m. bivittatus), -reticulated python (Broghammerus reticulatus or Python reticulatus), -Northern African python (Python sebae), -Southern African python (Python natalensis), -boa constrictor (Boa constrictor), -yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus), -DeSchauensee's anaconda (Eunectes deschauenseei), -green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), -and Beni anaconda (Eunectes beniensis) on the following questions: (1) What regulations does your State have pertaining to the use, transport, or production of any of the nine constrictor snakes? What are relevant Federal, State, or local rules that may duplicate, overlap, or conflict with the proposed rule? (2) How many of the nine constrictor snakes species are currently in production for wholesale or retail sale, and in how many and which States? (3) How many businesses sell one or more of the nine constrictor snake species? (4) How many businesses breed one or more of the nine constrictor snake species? (5) What are the annual sales for each of the nine constrictor snake species? (6) How many, if any, of the nine constrictor snake species are permitted within each State? (7) What would it cost to eradicate individuals or populations of the nine constrictor snakes, or similar species, if found? What methods are effective? (8) What are the costs of implementing propagation, recovery, and restoration programs for native species that are affected by the nine constrictor snake species, or similar species? (9) What State threatened or endangered species would be impacted by the introduction of any of the nine constrictor snake species? (10) What species have been impacted, and how, by any of the nine constrictor snake species? (11) What provisions in the proposed rule should the Service consider with regard to: (a) The impact of the provision(s) (including any benefits and costs), if any, and (b) what alternatives, if any, the Service should consider, as well as the costs and benefits of those alternatives, paying specific attention to the effect of the rule on small entities? (12) How could the proposed rule be modified to reduce any costs or burdens for small entities consistent with the Service's requirements? (13) Why we should or should not include hybrids of the nine constrictor species analyzed in this rule, and if the hybrids possess the same biological characteristics as the parent species. |
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United we animal owners stand or divided we will fall. It's that simple. You aren't paranoid if you think they are trying to thieve your animals and keep you from getting new ones because that's exactly what the animal rights activists are doing, right now, today, and probably in YOUR neighborhood.