So I’ve spent a lot of time as of late thinking about the proposed ban on non-native species and the proposed python ban. I decided to really thoroughly think this thing thru and consider both sides of the issue. So I have spent a few days reading articles on the philosophy behind the animal rights movement and PETA and HSUS websites. To some extent I must admit that I agree with them on certain points of the issues. Being a person who owns reptiles and a parrot it would be a tragedy for me if these things were to pass. At the same time I have to admit that I have also seen things that made me strongly question whether or not we should be allowed to own exotics. Anyone who has been involved with exotics for an extended period of time will probably know what I’m talking about, especially those who have experiences with birds. The neglect and horror stories are mind blowing, but I have only recently begun to get into snakes. I have however seen some things within the reptile community that give me hope. I see reputable, honest people who love the hobby and have a genuine devotion to their pets. I personally believe that we can learn to accept and take proper care of exotics as a society. It would be such a tragedy if blanket exotic bans were put in place precluding future generations from getting to know and understand these beautiful creatures. That being said I’d like to point out a couple of things:

I don’t believe that H.R. 669 will become a law, It would (from what I’ve read) require the USFW to evaluate a giant range: (http://www.defenders.org/resources/p..._2000-2004.pdf)
Of species in a variety of hypothetical situations in 36 months. This seems to me beyond imagination. Because it’s better to err on the side of caution, the USFW would put almost all the species on the banned list. This would be a huge blow to the pet industry and the major chains would suffer for sure. I don’t think it realistic, and there would be too much money involved to ignore.

I do however think that S373 has a chance of passing. It would simply involve adding a species name to the lacey act, would cost nothing to enact, and considering the python market is relativity small compared to the whole this niche market would go down with no one really noticing. The majority of America doesn’t know or care about issues like this unless they are in their face. Otherwise this stuff would be all over the news.

Even if both these fail, this issue WILL NOT go away. If you read into the history of the animal rights movement you will find that they are very persistent and undaunted by failure. Eventually they will get their way to some extent. They are people who have their heart in the right place and truly believe what they are doing is right. The majority of them probably just want to see more regulation and protection, but there is always the fringe element that believes pet ownership in general is wrong. I believe as a whole that we are going to have to accept some things. Many exotics will eventually be banned or regulated to the point that it will no longer be practical to own them. I believe anything large and dangerous (Tigers, Bears) along with primates and most likely large and venomous snakes will at some point be banned. There is far too much sensationaliziation from the media and animal rights groups. People are afraid of these animals (usually with good cause) and it just seems like too much of a risk. I still believe that we can salvage the rest of the hobby.

I wanted to really get a feel what the message of HSUS and PETA so I read some of their articles and campaigns. I don’t think that having the attitude that they are simply out to get me and my animals, or that they are just trying to repress my rights as an American will really help with anything. I thought I would try and get a feel for them and I wanted to share some things I noticed.
http://www.hsus.org/press_and_public...es_031809.html
Notice anything from this recent press release from HSUS? Most of the incidents stated in this report are related to tigers! How about these ones?
http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affe...s_as_Pets.html
http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/issues_...ts_market.html
Again with the tigers, and this time disease is also used to play up fear. Also these try to appeal to America’s current acceptance of the genetic fallacy (It’s natural so it must be right). So I have a pretty good idea at the angle that HSUS approaches the public with this issue, fear and danger. This is why it is imperative that hobbyists make it clear what the distinction is between species, and not lump the exotic industry together as a whole. Here is an example of how PETA works (Graphic!!!)
http://www.petsmartcruelty.com/photo_gallery.asp
I found this collection interesting mainly because of the lack of reptiles. To me, pet smart is one of the worst offenders as far as reptiles go, but PETA chose to include few pics of reptile suffering! Why? My guess is that PETA knows people don’t normally react to a reptile suffering, but pictures of cute or beautiful animals suffering is sure to evoke emotions. The people who work for these organizations know what they are doing and know how to perpetuate situations.

So all I can do now is give my humble opinions on what people can do on an individual basis. It should be our goal as hobbyists to meet the animal rights movement half way. We need to show the good side of exotic pet ownership. I don’t want to just say that people should abandon the fight for those who own things that a little more “exotic” but a distinction needs to be made between someone with BPs and someone with a 20’ retic. I also would like to advocate some of my personal opinions that I believe would help in the long run. I don’t believe people should buy imports. One of the main arguments HSUS uses is that most exotics are WC and carry diseases and will die in transport or shortly after arrival. I also am strongly opposed to buying pets from chains, and many local shops (there are always exceptions with local shops, but most I’ve seen horrible). If you don’t believe this creates a problem, I have a personal story about one that put the nail in the coffin for me. One day my wife and I were at a pet smart when we overheard a man and his wife and his mother, or mother in law who apparently lived with them. They were talking to the employee in the bird section, they were discussing a Congo African Grey, and when the employee went to get them more info on the bird the man started talking about keeping the bird in one of those big multilevel ferret cages with all the tubes. I normally never say things to people in public about stuff like this but I had to say something. I approached him and told him I heard him talking about buying a parrot and related that I had one and grew up with them. I went on to stress how hard they could be to deal with and what kind of caging he would need and how long they live and how loud and aggressive they can become. It looked like it really hit home and he said thanks, and my wife and I left thinking we had done a good deed. We went back later that day and saw that the grey was gone. I always tell myself that someone else came in who knew what they were doing and bought it, but I know deep down the man bought it after I left (the store didn’t even have it sexed btw). Honestly, I hope that bird died soon after… if it didn’t I’m sure it’s in some rescue, or a dark corner of a room tearing out its feathers and ripping holes in its chest. How does this relate to my argument? The bird, if it lived, will at some point end up in some rescue program mutilated. This is what PETA feeds off, and how they make their point. This leads to my final point, if someone you know wants to buy an exotic: bird, lizard, snake, and they don’t know what they are doing… do everything you can to stop them! This is the primary reason there are so many rescues, and so many horrible depressing stories that give PETA and HSUS backup for their movement.

This is only my opinion, feel free to comment and criticize. Sorry if there are any mistakes, grammatical or otherwise… it’s late. Thanks for your time.