Jack Hanna Phone Interview

[West Coast Jungle]

I have to respectfully disagree wirh Jack. I live in Southern California and there is no way any of the 9 exotic snakes could survive here. It is a desert and it does get cold, frost etc... As far as sending them back, everytime a snake gets sick and people dont want to deal with it, they will send it back. Example a $60 snake that needs $150 in vet care. I have spent over $400 on one animal. Not only does the breeder get stuck with the problems of irresponsible owners but also puts the rest of his collection in jeopardy!

Now I could see organizing reptile rescues and supporting them but Jack obviously is overlooking alot of facts. or is just unaware of the reality of the situation.

[Shadera]

I'd like to see Jack passing this on to the media, if he truly supports responsible ownership. I haven't listened to it yet, but will after this post. With us owners, it's kind of preaching to the choir. It's our politicians that need this info.

Thanks to Jack for taking the time to express his views.

I would happily take back any and all animals I sell, to then rehome them or just keep them. But I won't buy them back, I'm not a bank and that animal is not a savings bond. I'm not sure something like that would be successful, since a lot of people are more interested in money than the best home. Craigslist is full of rehoming fees that look an awful lot like purchase prices.

[dr del]

Hi,

I'd just like to thank you for taking the time out of your hectic schedule to make sure he got to put his opinions out there and clarify things.

We have all watched news reports and become aware of bias and misleading use of quotes and statistics and it's nice to hear someone be allowed to fully explain his stance rather than a 30 second soundbite.


dr del

[Emmastaff]

I think that whether we agree or not, Jack is giving us valuable insight into the view of the non-herp community. Whether or not we agree that these reptiles can survive in various states is not the complete issue. If we lose ourselves in details like that, we will lose this fight.

The issue that I personally heard Jack bringing to our attention is the concern of what happens to the unwanted reptiles. Whether or not they can survive in the wild, yes, is important. However, even if a burmese python can only survive for say 50 days in a "warm state", it still could inflict damage in those short 50 days in some people's opinions. It still could eat the endangered pocket gopher native only to a small sector of that area (Yes, this animal is fictional LOL!) It still could eat a beloved family pet, and some people don't care how long it can survive, if it is out there at all it is a problem!
I am one who believes we must understand our opposition in order to win the battle. The problem from their view point is what happens to the unwanted reptiles? Jack graciously brought this issue to our attention. Whether we agree or not on where they can or cannot survive, we must address this issue. If we don't, the government will do it for us. So we can try to come up with a solution that will benefit us, the reptile community, or we can leave it to the government who would just as happily end our rights to own these animals. We need to bring to their attention the facts, but we must understand their point of view very well in order to produce the best argument we can. I think sometimes we get lost in "Well I don't agree with that", and then fail to really try to see things from their perspective.
I think Jack provided us with a valuable thing when he agreed to that interview, and gave us his opinion. His gives us much needed insight into the mindset of the zoological community. If we can get them on our side, and address their concerns, we may win this battle yet!