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