Jack Hanna Phone Interview

[Freakie_frog]

Frog, I totally understand where you are coming from. But I think this is the way the outside world views it. The problem is, people are still going to buy reptiles who shouldn't, and there still needs to be some sort of solution for the unwanted ones. I don't know, but I think that dog breeders who do follow this protocol get very few dogs back. So I am thinking that they screen very carefully who they go to and probably breed an animal of such quality that few people find the need to return them. The dogs from these types of breeders are not the ones ending up in shelters. (By the way, I am speaking from the dog world view because this is the world I am most familiar with since I am involved in dog training, which of course has made me very familiar with the unwanted dog crisis). Jacks idea did remind me of how responsible dog breeders do things. The problem I suppose with taking back reptiles is that they live so long. You could be 80 years old and getting a call to take back some snake you sold 20 years ago.... the longevity of the snake is probably a contributing factor to the problem of what to do with unwanted animals.

And I totally get that but you wouldn't expect to take your car back to the dealership and just expect them to take it, or call the person who sold you your house and ask them to take it back..

I think that if these animals were priced a little higher that might cut down on some of it.. I mean you wouldn't spend 200.00 on a snake and then just turn it loose..

I really would like to see that breeders have to PIT tag the animals and register that with the USFW so if it is let go the USFW can find out who it was sold to and last contact and all that info. Then put a huge fine and min. jail time on it like 250,000.00 and 5 years in jail for releasing it or selling one with out the PIT tag..I mean you get that for copying a DVD..

The breeder has done all he can to make sure the person is responsible and the Government has recourse, and the owner has huge incentive to not release or to think long and hard about buying one..