An Eerie Glimpse of Whats to Come

[Adam_Wysocki]

Just finished my daily read of the Humane Society of the United States blog written by the HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle.

Yesterday, Wayne and the HSUS graded President Obama for his efforts in 2009 promoting animal protection. They gave him a B minus.

Of particular interest to anyone that owns a "non-native" or "exotic" pet (these animals include all reptiles, all amphibians, most caged birds, many small mammals, and almost all fresh and saltwater aquarium fish) ... The HSUS stated:

"At the Department of the Interior (DOI), led now by Secretary Ken Salazar, the Department sustained a ban on the import of sport-hunted polar bear trophies into the United States and also submitted a proposal to provide greater protections for polar bears by moving the species to Appendix I of CITES, which would halt the international trade in polar bear skins. DOI has also actively supported legislation to list nine species of large constrictor snakes as injurious, which will prohibit imports and interstate commerce, based on a comprehensive risk assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey. The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is now considering how to improve the process for listing species as injurious. The agency has also dropped its appeal of a U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia decision overturning FWS’ rule allowing canned hunts of endangered species."

Of course they mention the python & boa ban, but more importantly and what should be of concern to most is the comment about FWS improving the process for listing species as injurious. What they are talking about is HR 669. It may not have any activity currently, but the ideas that created it and the drive to pass it are still very active. This spring, the Senate will take it's turn to try and get something passed that will give FWS unprecedented powers that could result in many commonly kept pets being listed as "injurious" with only a couple of hours of consideration by a graduate student working for the government part time.

I hate to give the join/donate/get your cr@p together speech because I know that you've all heard it time and time again, but I'll say it a little differently than you've heard it before. It's time that we all started thinking about making an investment in our own future. If you normally make $10,000 a year selling snakes that you produce, 5% of that is $500. That's not a lot to ask to secure your future. If someone offered you an animal normally worth $10,000 for $500, you'd give that money up in a heartbeat if you were in love with the animal because it's an awesome deal. Well, giving that $500 to USARK, or PIJAC, or NATPET, or whoever so that those organizations can secure your future is a great deal too. 5% of your gross a year so that you can keep doing what you love for the rest of your life is a GREAT deal.

Just some food for thought.

Thank you to everyone for being involved and making calls and sending emails and arranging meetings and everything else that you're doing. That's an investment as well and it is appreciated more than you'll ever know.

Respectfully,
Adam

[snakemastercanada]

Monitor lizards are on the radar of senator Nelson as well in his BS testimony.
YouTube - Nelson implores lawmakers to pass a ban on Burmese pythons
He sounds more like the puppet Bert from sesame street everytime i hear him.

[Freakie_frog]

A very famous quote I'm changing to fit our current endever

Reverend Martin Niemoeller, quotes about Nazi (changed to fit our current fight):
In America, the government first came for the Burmese, Retic and Rock Pythons , and I didn't speak up because I had none. Then they came for the Monitor Lizards, and I didn't speak up because I had no monitors. Then they came for the whole of the Python species, and I didn't speak up because I kept none. Then they came for all the exotics, but I didn't speak up because I was a dog person. Then they came for my dog, and by that time there was no one left to speak for me.

Speak up now or there may be no one left when they come for your pet's..

[Denial]

A very famous quote I'm changing to fit our current endever

Reverend Martin Niemoeller, quotes about Nazi (changed to fit our current fight):
In America, the government first came for the Burmese, Retic and Rock Pythons , and I didn't speak up because I had none. Then they came for the Monitor Lizards, and I didn't speak up because I had no monitors. Then they came for the whole of the Python species, and I didn't speak up because I kept none. Then they came for all the exotics, but I didn't speak up because I was a dog person. Then they came for my dog, and by that time there was no one left to speak for me.

Speak up now or there may be no one left when they come for your pet's..

I think this is one of the best posts I have seen on any forum! AMEN to that !

[Denial]

bill nelson...... when he speaks I can feel my iq drop. They have fangs with fish hooks on them. And there hunting the florida panthers! And I still dont believe that snake killed that baby. Burmese pythons are not hunting people in the everglades.

[Freakie_frog]

bill nelson...... when he speaks I can feel my iq drop. They have fangs with fish hooks on them. And there hunting the florida panthers! And I still dont believe that snake killed that baby. Burmese pythons are not hunting people in the everglades.

Given what we know about burms and snakes in general.. there are some things that don't add up..

1: Burm that big bites anyone with a feeding response..your going to hear a scream and there is going to be loads of blood..
2: The report says that the animal was laying on top of the baby and defensive.

Here's what I think happened. Snake escapes, finds its way in to baby's room, snake is cold, baby is warm, snake curls up on baby like a heat pad, snake weighs so much baby can't breath due to the weight sitting on its chest, baby (tragically) dies, dad rushes in see the snake and baby dead, dad gets aggressive, snake get aggressive, dad grabs knife wounds snake, snake runs off, dad's not sure what happened due to adrenaline and flat not being there when it all went down..

It use to happen with cats..people with cats know they like to sleep on peoples chest..well you get a 10lb cat sleeping on baby's chest it can't breath. Mom comes in finds dead baby under cat..POOF!! old wives tail starts that cats steal babies breath when they sleep..

In truth its call positional asphyxiation, same principle used in crucifixion and other old forms of execution.

Just food for thought.

[twistedtails]

bill nelson...... when he speaks I can feel my iq drop. They have fangs with fish hooks on them. And there hunting the florida panthers! And I still dont believe that snake killed that baby. Burmese pythons are not hunting people in the everglades.

I'm just trying to find the source that he is talking about when he says they have teeth with fish hooks on them. WTF!!!

[BPelizabeth]

Ugh...I think I want to move to FL just to vote this guy OUT of office.

Even before this man speaks I look at him and kind of get the creepies....really!!

[BPelizabeth]

and by the way...hasn't it been proven that they are NOT at the top of the food chain. They do have predators????

[Russ Lawson]

Birds, cats (native and feral), gators, etc... pretty much any animal that eats other snakes is just as likely to eat burms... After a certain size though, that list will narrow itself down, and some of those might actually become prey of the burms (mainly feral cats of that list). At the largest size it will probably only go down to just gators beating them out as top predators, and I'll tell you something. A 13 foot gator goes up a 13 foot python in the water, the gator wins hands down. It will weigh probably 5 times what the snake does. I'd go after a 13 foot burm by myself, but you're not getting me after a 13 foot gator without at least one other person helping.