Indiana Wild Animal Ban to effect snake owners!!! PLEASE READ!

It has a number of issues to be sure. There is a grandfather clause of sorts but wow it is a real jumbled bit of work. Hopefully it gets sorted out before it is in place.

Ironic, 4.5 sub 3

(3) A description of each dangerous wild animal, including the scientific name, common name, and any information that would aid in the identification of the animal.

The author can't even follow his/her own guidelines....

These politicians are unbelievable. Imagine the hissy fit they would throw if we tried to ban something they were passionate about.

The place to kill the bill is the Natural Resource Committee (it has been sent there). If it never passes committee it never gets voted on.

Theses are the Committee Members below, they should be the ones u contact, not the author of the bill as the author of the bill will "Not" change her stance.

Rep. Sean Eberhart, Chairperson
Rep. Michael Karickhoff
Rep. David Cheatham
Rep. Kreg Battles
Sen. Ryan Mishler
Sen. Dennis Kruse
Sen. Lindel Hume
Sen. Richard Young

The one on the list I would target is Sen. Richard Young. Having dealt with him before I feel he believes that IDNR/ our state has at various times over reached its authority and or regulates for the sake of regulating.
You should explain to Sen. Young the reason why the bill is funk. That way he can have a proper understanding for when this comes up on the docket for discussion and he will know more about it than any Rep there and his voice will be heard.
But you must convince Young to be your champion (which can be done if for the good of the people in Indiana).
The Natural Resource Committee meets I think 4 times a yr. They then can recommend/ put up Bills to be voted on during session. They can only 'put up' so many, so they are choosy on what they run with.
You as a citizen can go to these meetings and they have published agendas of when this topic could be brought up. Having a small group show up and 1-2 people speak on the subject is best. BUT make sure the 1 or 2 know what they are talking about and not saying "snake good, Bill bad" thingy..lol
If I can help in any way let me know, I do know the players & how it works as the IDNR pushed a group I belonged to through the mud yrs ago and we did the long dance. I have a few semi-inside contacts where I can get some extra info if needed on what is driving this and if IDNR really supports the change or is DRIVING the change. If they are Driving it be ready for a fight.

Thank you, Wheelie for some guidance in the right direction. I implore we ALL write as many officials as possible.

For anyone who needs a letter to represent them, this letter was written by an associate on iherp.com. It's for anyone to use and TWEAK as they see fit.:





Re: House Bill No. 1288



Dear Representative Lawson (or whomever):



I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. I am writing on behalf of myself, my friends, small business owners and the entire Herpetology community regarding the aforementioned legislation.



When I read the bill for the first time, I could understand that the inception of same could quite possibly come from a standpoint of wanting the citizens of Indiana to be safer when “dangerous wild animals” are concerned. When these creatures are paired with the uneducated, it can pose a life-threatening situation, no doubt.



I read the bill again, in the hopes of comprehending it a bit better and to really get a good feel where you were coming from. It was at this point I began losing clarity, and gaining confusion.



As written on Page 3, Lines 22 and 23, Subsection (J), House Bill 1288 defines one of the “dangerous wild animals” as “All species of the family Boidae (anacondas, pythons, boa constrictors).” The first thing that popped out at me was that pythons are not part of the Boidae family (although they’re listed as if they were), but part of the Pythonidae family. Because of this oversight, it is impossible to know which snakes you are truly referring to.



Some people, like myself, have a single snake (a ball python, to be exact) as a beloved pet. Other people have twenty or more snakes as pets. Different owners have over one hundred – some may be viewed as pets, but ultimately, it is their livelihood and only source of income.



On January 5, 2011, a study was published by Georgetown Economic Services, LLC, commissioned by The United States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK, and available for your ready reference at www.whitehouse.gov), entitled The Modern U.S. Reptile Industry. The report itself was over 70 pages, but I’ll just hit the highlights:



v In 2009, the reptile industry earned more than $1 billion.



v Most of the reptile businesses in the United States are “Mom & Pop” shops.



v 4.7 million U.S. households owned more than 13.6 pet reptiles.



That is an extremely quick overview. The report is filled with hundreds of other factoids, but what I would really like to focus on is that if enacted, House Bill 1288 would effectively put many of the residents of Indiana out of business, forcing them into unemployment and undoubtedly becoming a burden on the state. When a person has a reptile business, there is little time for anything else, as that is their full time job.



I haven’t forgotten that you have listed snakes, venomous and non-venomous, as “dangerous wild animals,” showing concern for your citizens. Are you aware that since 1980, there have been less than a dozen fatalities from venomous snakes? Did you know that from 1990 to 2008 there were eight fatalities by non-venomous snakes? The people who own reptiles (either for business or for pets) are actually quite responsible and extremely educated so that they can prevent injuries.



Each year, more people are killed by deer (on average, around 150) than by dogs, snakes, sharks, mountain lions, bears and alligators combined. That fact gives me pause as to why deer are not on the list of “dangerous wild animals.” Walking into a caged area with a deer is more dangerous than keeping a variety of boa as a pet.



Representative Lawson, I implore you to “kill the bill.” Not only will it cause many of your residents to become out of work, small business owners who are trying to provide for their families, but it would also be like losing a family member to some. I know that it may be hard to understand the love some people have for reptiles, but that does not mean they love them any less than a person may love a cat or a dog.



Your diligent efforts and the tax payer dollars would be much better directed to education, your 9% unemployment rate, and helping out the small business owner instead of trying to impede them.



Warmest Regards,

Thanks to everyone helping out with this fight (pointing us in best direction to focus our attention and what to include in our letters.

I am joining USARK and will definitely write some letters.

I hope good sense will prevail, although my view of many of our politicians and various organizations driving these agendas, I am not sure how much sense is left in their world.

That is a very good letter Nay, I will use some of it when writing.
The economic impact (money) is the best defense. I know we love the python or boa, but others don't see it like that and will not factor in much.
Showing an economic loss to Indiana's economy (if bill was to pass) in such hard times is the point of the spear in my eyes (like the letter clearly shows).

I agree, wheelie. Probably the best effect we can have is to show our reps that money is to be lost. Sad, but true. To us our animals lives mean everything, but to them they mean nothing. The petition for change.org is going to be worked on tomorrow (I believe). It will be done and posted asap as an outlet to our fury.

does anyone know if this passed or not its supposed to go into effect in 5 days I cant find if it passed or not

Any update on this? I spent about 30 minutes searching last night and found nothing. How would the general public even know a law like this existed? It's like having a speed limit but not posting it.