HELP my city is proposing a ban on exotics

[gncz73]

hello everyone I'm looking for a little help to stop my city before the ban exotics like snakes here's a link to the story in our local paper http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/0..._local02.shtml.
so i email all my Council members and ask to not to go though with it. please help and send a little email asking them not to place a ban on them. here are there email addys and the mayor of my city
ksadowski@cityofwarren.org, scs425@sbcglobal.net, boccomino2007@wowway.com, pgreen@cityofwarren.org, mark@markliss.com, kvogt@macomblawyers.com, sgwarner1@yahoo.com, mayor@cityofwarren.org,mkamp@cityofw...martin@aol.com

[aaramire]

Wow my goodness thats ridiculous! I cant imagine it will get passed, but I certainly hope it doesnt! Jeez....

[littleindiangirl]

This over reaction to originally trying to stop puppy mills? Ridiculous! Those people are applying blanket rules on everything!

[gncz73]

i agree but we as a group are all in there line of fire

[ADEE]

this is really just getting to the point of being insane.. honestly!

so much for a "free" country

[Windridge Kennels]

What a shame for dog lovers, cat lovers, and exotic lovers too. Makes me cringe...

[littleindiangirl]

hello everyone I'm looking for a little help to stop my city before the ban exotics like snakes here's a link to the story in our local paper http://www.macombdaily.com/stories/0..._local02.shtml.
so i email all my Council members and ask to not to go though with it. please help and send a little email asking them not to place a ban on them. here are there email addys and the mayor of my city

Well, I sent it to them just now. I hope it's a little push in the right direction.

Here is what I wrote, it's rushed, but i think it gets the main idea across.

Dear Sir or Madam,

In response to the proposed ban on exotic animals in the City of Warren, I have to point out some very clear misconceptions in regards to the keeping of reptiles and banning any ownership of these exotic animals.

Like many other cities you are faced with the decision on whether or not you should limit the ownership of these animals due to annoyance and welfare to the animals and people living nearby. Regardless of how anyone feels on a personal level whether these animals should be considered “pets” it is up to the individual person to decide how they will take care of these animals on a day to day basis.

If I am correct in my beliefs that this is truly in response to a recent rise in puppy mills around the area, I question how it came to be that all exotic animals are now grouped in with this obviously negative situation. Is there a large propagation of exotics in the area? I have to admit that this seems highly unlikely considering that most people are scared of reptiles, or rather; any animal that is not covered in fur, does not wag its tail and enjoys human companionship.

Reptiles and amphibians are highly misunderstood animals, and their maintenance and daily care is far more in depth than the average pet like dogs or cats. This higher maintenance animal attracts those people from all different backgrounds. I would hope that there is no stereotyping occurring within the local government, believing that any exotic herp is only owned by the degenerates and low life’s of society. I would be extremely offended if this were the case. That any local government should decide that I am incapable of keeping these animals because they have a misconstrued belief about reptiles based completely on media dramatization, folk lore, religious beliefs, or plainly irrational fear.

I take pride in my community of herpetoculturists. We are made of teachers, doctors, lawyers, athletes, home makers, college students; we come from all walks of life with many different religious beliefs, ethnicities, and opinions. The reasoning to put a blanket ban on exotic herps hurts all groups of people, the common fold being the keeping of reptiles. While we as a community also carry our undesirables like any other hobbyist group, they are greatly in the minority and should not be the main reasoning for a ban that would affect hundreds in if not thousands in any city.

I would hope this senseless ban is mediated by an appropriate group to find an acceptable and fair ruling. To force people to give up any animal puts tremendous stress and anxiety on the families, not to mention the hundreds of animals that will be affected if this is passed. Within reason, certain abused and mishandled animals should be monitored, like the original intent of stopping the spread of puppy mills. I do not believe that outlawing exotic animals is in the spirit of saving animals like the original proposals stated, rather this new ban has jumped on the curtails to benefit the few that believe their fears should be materialized in local law. That is persecution stemmed from no education about species often feared unjustly.

Thank you for taking the time to read this urgent message and plea. I hope the decisions you make concerning this community are both fair and reflect the morals on which this country was founded.

Best regards,

[gncz73]

thank you. i feel the more we let them know the better we will all be for it.

[ThyTempest]

Its not great, but I am in a hurry to do my research paper.

Mayor Fouts,

I am emailing in regards to the proposed exotic pet ban as portrayed in The Macomb Daily Newspaper.

I understand the need to put limits and regulations on pet ownership, especially in cases to protect the welfare of the animals. However, I do not think that the proposal currently being considered is the right way to go about fixing the issues without harming the citizens who have done nothing wrong. If trying to cut down on puppy mills, then why not place a restriction on how many dogs can be bred per year? The same regulation could be placed upon any other animal found to be a growing issue in the city, however I do not see any evidence that exotics would fall into this category. Save for a few irresponsible keepers, exotic pets, typically birds, reptiles and amphibians, are less of a problem to the neighborhood because they are not out and about outside, or even in the home. I agree that irresponsible pet owners should have to face charges for their neglect and poor treatment, however, I do not believe that punishing the responsible keepers, hobbyists or simple enthusiasts will accomplish any stretch of the goal.

As a fellow Michigan citizen, I urge you to squelch this ludicrous proposal down before it infects the entire state.

Sincerely,

[shadi11]

I was reading on this yesterday and thought of you and a few others we know in Warren. I will write a letter as well.
There are a few other cities as well trying this..
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/16038228/detail.html
this was on the news yesterday. I also read somewhere it was brought about because of an alligator found in a home. Now if this is the case it is illeagal already to sell an alligator in the state of michigan. and own as well..

From my researching this morning before comming on here there are already cities in Michigan with the laws on the books. Kalamazoo, Saginaw, Detroit has one but its not practiced and there was some more i cant remember off hand. I was going to look into details of these as well.
I know in Roseville you cant have any snake over 6 ft in length, no tutles under 4 inches no alligators or Caimen or any livestock. I looked into it in detail.
I will let you know what I find as more detail as I research if you want.
I also know that Warren has a policy against rodents in petstores. They arent allowed to be carried anymore.. so that means of course they also cant carry snakes.. Thats been for a couple years now