Reptile Defense Fund

I will be donating this Friday. The reptile community has been overdue for a contribution from me for too long. Gotta protect those we love, amirite?

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Sadly, I got outbid on the fb auction (but donated my bid amount anyway), which for those who missed it was spectacular! I was really blown away by the generosity of the donors and the strength of the response of the bidders.

I wonder if there's any way to get some legal work donated to the cause?

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Originally Posted by Badgemash

Sadly, I got outbid on the fb auction (but donated my bid amount anyway), which for those who missed it was spectacular! I was really blown away by the generosity of the donors and the strength of the response of the bidders.

I wonder if there's any way to get some legal work donated to the cause?

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I was REEAALLYY considering bidding on the Protean Terrariums gift certificate... Then I looked them up. Run away! RUN AWAY!

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Originally Posted by patientz3ro

I was REEAALLYY considering bidding on the Protean Terrariums gift certificate... Then I looked them up. Run away! RUN AWAY!

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And now I'm curious, gonna have to go look that up now.

I bid on the cat sanctuary thing, I wanted to bid on the Boelen's pair but they went WAY over my 'justifiable impulse buy' threshold (like an order of magnitude over). What an awesome donation though!

I'm at work with limited looking around, how much has been raised so far?

The fb auctions alone garnered over 40k.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Badgemash

And now I'm curious, gonna have to go look that up now.

I bid on the cat sanctuary thing, I wanted to bid on the Boelen's pair but they went WAY over my 'justifiable impulse buy' threshold (like an order of magnitude over). What an awesome donation though!

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There are more bad reviews, ripoff reports, and discussions of them being banned from faunaclassifieds, dendroboard, and others than you can shake a stick at. Frankly, I'm surprised they were allowed to submit an item for auction. It's a shame, because I'd love something like their P1 design. According to their website they supply terraria to the NERD retail store, so I don't know. On the other hand, Kevin is a pretty big name in the reptile industry, so shafting him on an order could spell doom for a small company like PTD. Stiffing Joe Public for a custom order... Not so much.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by patientz3ro

There are more bad reviews, ripoff reports, and discussions of them being banned from faunaclassifieds, dendroboard, and others than you can shake a stick at. Frankly, I'm surprised they were allowed to submit an item for auction. It's a shame, because I'd love something like their P1 design. According to their website they supply terraria to the NERD retail store, so I don't know. On the other hand, Kevin is a pretty big name in the reptile industry, so shafting him on an order could spell doom for a small company like PTD. Stiffing Joe Public for a custom order... Not so much.

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Holy cow. All anyone has to do is take a glance at Google after searching 'Protean Terrariums reviews.' Uh-uh! lol

USARK has filed a lawsuit. Here's the announcement as USARK's website is being slow.

The United States Association of Reptile Keepers filed suit in the U.S. Federal Court against the U.S. Department of the Interior, challenging the Lacey Act listing of four species of constrictor snakes as “injurious.” This is a powerful day for the Reptile Nation, as we fight to protect your rights to pursue your passion and defend your businesses against unwarranted and unnecessary government intrusion.

USARK has been planning and laying the legal groundwork for months to ensure the strongest case possible. Our key objective is to challenge the listing of four species of constrictor snakes as injurious under the Lacey Act and put the government on notice that we intend to challenge any additional listings, including Reticulated pythons and Boa constrictors. As an established trade association, USARK has the legal standing necessary to mount this challenge and provide the best advocacy and representation possible.

The decision to move forward was not made lightly, however, after extensive legal analysis and planning by the USARK Board and our legal team at Kelley Drye, USARK determined it was not in the best interests of our community to sit back and wait until a final determination is made on the “Constrictor Rule” and hope for the best. The challenge will be litigated by a team of Kelley Drye attorneys with extensive experience in regulatory challenges and administrative law. Kelley Drye is the most qualified team to tackle this and their documented success with animal-related issues is the reason they represent USARK.

Key elements of the suit include the government’s failure to respond to challenges to the underlying science relied on by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as well as the question of whether the Lacey Act can be used to restrict interstate commerce in listed species. USARK has invested heavily to establish a strong record to support this legal challenge, dating back to the initial challenge to FWS' inadequate economic impact analysis. USARK commissioned the Georgetown Economic Services (GES) study and brought our case to the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy and the Office of Management and Budget.

In April of 2013, USARK presented the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Department of the Interior (DOI) with a 30+ page detailed letter demonstrating the Service’s many failures to meet its legal duties under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other laws. The letter highlighted flaws and manipulation of the science used to list four species of snakes as injurious. No fair examination of the evidence can support a ban on these species based on their potential invasive nature. USARK’s letter served notice to FWS that it cannot continue with listing the remaining five snakes without reopening comment and considering new science and information.

This legal action demonstrates USARK’s commitment to follow through on our promises to fight for your rights. Whether you are a hobbyist, breeder, pet owner or business operator, and whether you deal in constrictor snakes, other reptiles and amphibians or herp-related products and services, this landmark legal challenge is important to you and your future.

This battle will be expensive and we must continue to secure funding. USARK appreciates all donations as this fight and our continued battle against anti-reptile legislation would not be possible without your support. Donations can be made directly on the USARK website at http://usark.org/reptile-defense-fund-2/.

Its a good day.