WARNING - BAN ON BOAS & PYTHONS!! - HR6311 Reintroduced as HR669

[Lucas339]

signed twice!!!!

[ThyTempest]

Well Dudes, Bring on the flaming.

I'm on the fence on this one. As one who's research is based on invasive species, I can understand the need for legislation to reduce the impact. If the hobby will not regulate itself, it is inevitable that someone else will do it for us. Although I do not agree with HR6311, as it is written, I can respect that there need to be rules. Despite what many of you seem to see as a black/white issue, there are legitimate questions to address here. The days of 'no rules, no regulation' are over. Ask anyone who has had to acquire a permit for their retic. We have the tendency to just yell 'boo-hiss' and pretend regulation is evil and will go away if we keep ignoring it. Instead, we should be looking at this as a chance to influence policy in a constructive way. Yes, we'll all be pissed if they were to shut down our breeding, but would it kill us to regulate the importation of new stock? Would it be a terrible thing to require licensing of large, powerful constrictors? Or of venomous species? Would the hobby die if that happened?

I happen to think of myself as a 'responsible' hobbyist. I believe in sustainability of as many species as we can bestow it upon. And if everyone who owned or bred herps was responsible about it, this would be a non-issue and I'd be waving pitchforks and protesting it full-force. But we're not. For every reputable, sensible individual in this industry, there are several who are not. All I ask is that you actually read the legislation and consider both sides. Don't just send radical hate mail to your congressmen. Be good stewards of your hobby and offer alternatives. The bill talks about grandfathering, so perhaps suggest it be extended to all CB stock already in the US and any subsequent offspring. Fight for better, more efficient management of importation and regulation. All I'm asking is that we use our heads instead of jumping in with emotion here.


~Kat

Thank you for this. I agree with you in that way too many people, especially in this community, just jump on the bandwagon before doing their own extensive research. I did not vote because I didnt get a chance to read the broken screens article, and still no one has pointed it out, so I remain abstained.

As for the issues, I agree with you again. If the hobby cannot regulate itself such that congress does not have to intervene, then, yes, they are going to step in and I believe they have the duty to the public to do just that. I agree with permit requirements for hots, large constrictors (10+ feet), and possibly potentially invasive species. I know this last one may seem a tad much and tedius, but I think it is the keepers responsibility to think of the general public and environment just as much as the hobby.

Check out the DVD "Ball Pythons in the Wild" by DR. Steve Gorzula, you would find this info and much more!!

One movie by one doctor does not mean anything. Scientific evidence means, and only means, articles from peer-reviewed journals.

This just reminds me of all the dentist/doctor/trainer products on tv with a professional endorsement from a guy who you know got paid buku bucks to promote said product.

[Skiploder]

Well Dudes, Bring on the flaming.

I'm on the fence on this one. As one who's research is based on invasive species, I can understand the need for legislation to reduce the impact. If the hobby will not regulate itself, it is inevitable that someone else will do it for us. Although I do not agree with HR6311, as it is written, I can respect that there need to be rules. Despite what many of you seem to see as a black/white issue, there are legitimate questions to address here. The days of 'no rules, no regulation' are over. Ask anyone who has had to acquire a permit for their retic. We have the tendency to just yell 'boo-hiss' and pretend regulation is evil and will go away if we keep ignoring it. Instead, we should be looking at this as a chance to influence policy in a constructive way. Yes, we'll all be pissed if they were to shut down our breeding, but would it kill us to regulate the importation of new stock? Would it be a terrible thing to require licensing of large, powerful constrictors? Or of venomous species? Would the hobby die if that happened?

I happen to think of myself as a 'responsible' hobbyist. I believe in sustainability of as many species as we can bestow it upon. And if everyone who owned or bred herps was responsible about it, this would be a non-issue and I'd be waving pitchforks and protesting it full-force. But we're not. For every reputable, sensible individual in this industry, there are several who are not. All I ask is that you actually read the legislation and consider both sides. Don't just send radical hate mail to your congressmen. Be good stewards of your hobby and offer alternatives. The bill talks about grandfathering, so perhaps suggest it be extended to all CB stock already in the US and any subsequent offspring. Fight for better, more efficient management of importation and regulation. All I'm asking is that we use our heads instead of jumping in with emotion here.


~Kat

Very well stated. The problems this hobby faces have been brought on, in large part, by the hobby itself.

We have done a very poor job of self regulation on almost every level. It was inevitable that if the hobby could not show constraint, that constraint would be applied from somewhere else.

[Jyson]

I signed it.

[dracovolans]

One movie by one doctor does not mean anything. Scientific evidence means, and only means, articles from peer-reviewed journals.

This just reminds me of all the dentist/doctor/trainer products on tv with a professional endorsement from a guy who you know got paid buku bucks to promote said product.

Do you know who Dr. Gorzula is. Thanks to his job this hobby is what it is today.

Read this..

____________________________________________

Dr. Steve Gorzula Presents - Ball Pythons in the Wild (DVD)

Embark on an amazing field trip with Dr. Steve Gorzula as he takes you on a fantastic journey through the bush of Ghana, Africa to learn about and explore ball pythons in their natural habitat!

Ball or Royal pythons (Python regius) are possibly the most popular snake species for reptile hobbyists in America. They are an extremely beautiful species having a wide variety of color and pattern mutations. They are easy to keep, very docile and rarely bite. They make fantastic pets and are a great teaching tool for schools. But, where do ball pythons come from? Have you ever seen pictures or film of them in the wild? No? Then, read on!

In 1997, Dr. Steve Gorzula led a field team to survey ball pythons in Ghana, Africa and to develop a management plan for their sustainable use. Since submitting their report to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), Ghana, Togo, and Benin have exported approximately 1.5 million ball pythons to the international pet trade, with 85% of them destined to the USA alone.

Did you know that the international pet trade of ball pythons was almost shut down? Did you also know that this survey is the reason why you can now acquire ball pythons today? In this DVD, you will accompany Dr. Steve Gorzula and his colleagues on an amazing field trip to learn about ball pythons in their natural habitat. This is "in the trenches" biology at its finest! You will meet and come face to face with many other wild animal species such as venomous spitting cobras, African pythons, imperial scorpions, dwarf crocodiles, African giant rats, "grass cutters", pangolins, and hedgehogs. If you are a ball python enthusiast, a herpetologist or a person who loves animals then this is real field biology for you!

You will witness never before seen footage of the Ewe tribe who consider the ball python to be sacred. You will be part of their annual ball python festival as you witness their sacred ceremony first hand. You'll also see and learn the importance of protocol and libation ceremonies with the local kings and chiefs of villages in Ghana.

Later, you will join inspections of exporters' installations, and see where your pet python started its journey. You will share some time with the students at the University of Kumasi as well. Finally, you will see what happens when you answer an emergency call from a school where the children were scared about the crocodiles in the pond across the street. We capture the crocodiles in the night and take them to the school the next day. The only problem is that we didn't call the school beforehand to let them know that we were bringing the crocs with us!

Dr. Steve Gorzula is a biodiversity conservation and natural resources management specialist. He has more than 30 years experience in environmental and social impacts of development projects, environmental legislation, river basin management, wildlife conservation, commercial wildlife management, the Convention on International Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), ecological inventories, human impacts on biodiversity, biomedicine, and endemic and protected areas. Of these 30 years, he has spent 24 living and working in developing countries. Dr. Steve has described two new genera and 22 new species of reptiles and amphibians. A species of frog and two species of endemic plants are named after him.

Click here to read Dr. Steve Gorzulas' official SURVEY OF THE STATUS AND MANAGEMENT OF THE ROYAL PYTHON (Python regius) IN GHANA report in Adobe PDF format.

_________________________________________

[ThyTempest]

Do you know who Dr. Gorzula is. Thanks to his job this hobby is what it is today.

Read this..

____________________________________________

Dr. Steve Gorzula Presents - Ball Pythons in the Wild (DVD)

Embark on an amazing field trip with Dr. Steve Gorzula as he takes you on a fantastic journey through the bush of Ghana, Africa to learn about and explore ball pythons in their natural habitat!

Ball or Royal pythons (Python regius) are possibly the most popular snake species for reptile hobbyists in America. They are an extremely beautiful species having a wide variety of color and pattern mutations. They are easy to keep, very docile and rarely bite. They make fantastic pets and are a great teaching tool for schools. But, where do ball pythons come from? Have you ever seen pictures or film of them in the wild? No? Then, read on!

In 1997, Dr. Steve Gorzula led a field team to survey ball pythons in Ghana, Africa and to develop a management plan for their sustainable use. Since submitting their report to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), Ghana, Togo, and Benin have exported approximately 1.5 million ball pythons to the international pet trade, with 85% of them destined to the USA alone.

Did you know that the international pet trade of ball pythons was almost shut down? Did you also know that this survey is the reason why you can now acquire ball pythons today? In this DVD, you will accompany Dr. Steve Gorzula and his colleagues on an amazing field trip to learn about ball pythons in their natural habitat. This is "in the trenches" biology at its finest! You will meet and come face to face with many other wild animal species such as venomous spitting cobras, African pythons, imperial scorpions, dwarf crocodiles, African giant rats, "grass cutters", pangolins, and hedgehogs. If you are a ball python enthusiast, a herpetologist or a person who loves animals then this is real field biology for you!

You will witness never before seen footage of the Ewe tribe who consider the ball python to be sacred. You will be part of their annual ball python festival as you witness their sacred ceremony first hand. You'll also see and learn the importance of protocol and libation ceremonies with the local kings and chiefs of villages in Ghana.

Later, you will join inspections of exporters' installations, and see where your pet python started its journey. You will share some time with the students at the University of Kumasi as well. Finally, you will see what happens when you answer an emergency call from a school where the children were scared about the crocodiles in the pond across the street. We capture the crocodiles in the night and take them to the school the next day. The only problem is that we didn't call the school beforehand to let them know that we were bringing the crocs with us!

Dr. Steve Gorzula is a biodiversity conservation and natural resources management specialist. He has more than 30 years experience in environmental and social impacts of development projects, environmental legislation, river basin management, wildlife conservation, commercial wildlife management, the Convention on International Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), ecological inventories, human impacts on biodiversity, biomedicine, and endemic and protected areas. Of these 30 years, he has spent 24 living and working in developing countries. Dr. Steve has described two new genera and 22 new species of reptiles and amphibians. A species of frog and two species of endemic plants are named after him.

Click here to read Dr. Steve Gorzulas' official SURVEY OF THE STATUS AND MANAGEMENT OF THE ROYAL PYTHON (Python regius) IN GHANA report in Adobe PDF format.

_________________________________________

Woohoo....he has done a lot for the hobby....that does not mean we should listen to everything he says. You know, cult leaders tend to do quite a bit for their subordinates, and works out wonderfully in the end sometimes....other times, they make the news for the kool-aid killing.

I still think any and all "evidence" should be from reputable sources, which in my mind means peer-reviewed materials. If this movie is from a peer-reviewed publisher, then by all means, it would be significant....if not, it does just about as much for the hobby (in this situation) as a guy who does a youtube with a stuffed animal ball python in his back yard.

[nixer]

for those that want to read the entire bill: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.669.IH:
there is no permit status for individuals at all.

and here is the ppl that supported this bill:

By Ms. BORDALLO (for herself, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. KIND, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. KLEIN of Florida, and Mr. KILDEE):

here is the current action:
Latest Major Action: 1/26/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

[nixer]

and a petition will not stop this in order to stop this contact your house rep here:
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

[janeothejungle]

Check out the DVD "Ball Pythons in the Wild" by DR. Steve Gorzula, you would find this info and much more!!

Oh, I've seen it. The real question is, do YOU know who Dr. Gorzula is?? Have you read his 'expertise' in the Ghana report? (and here I will point out that Gorzula did virtually NONE of the 'research', he was just the guy they reported to, the actual authors are owned by the govt of Ghana).

One point to note is that it is strictly a CITES report, it has so little 'research' and statistical fact that it would NEVER make it into a peer-reviewed journal (which is the foundation of good science in the developed world). Gorzula, btw, is know to favor economic development over solid research, which is partly why his CV covers a wide range of topics (brittle stars?), none of them in depth. The entire paper is a monument for trying to sound legitimate when you are anything but (just throw in a random t-test and some big words).
You find it interesting that one guy is the 'authority' in a field where no other sources are available??

~Kat

[Shadera]

I agree that yes we need regulation. BUT. The problem with bills like this is that it starts small and then gives them a foot in the door to eventually completely ban our animals.

There was recently a bill proposed in PA to ban nanday conures and some other exotics. I don't own a nanday, nor do I live in PA, but I still wrote and fought the proposal. Why? Because today it's nandays in PA, but given a foothold tomorrow it might be a species I do have and in my state.

When they propose something with some genuine thought behind it that will actually benefit the hobby and not hurt it, THEN I'll support it. But until then, I guess I'm just another "sheep on the bandwagon".