2010 Legislation So Far

[Eventide]

Just because it's a law that restricts ownership/breeding/selling of reptiles/amphibians doesn't mean it's automatically bad....

Federal- HR2811/S373- Would ban importation, intertate sales, and transport of 9 constrictors.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s.00373:

HR2811 only bans the importation of Burmese pythons.

Arizona-HB 2375- Adds the following reptiles to the prohibited wildlife list:
12. All species of the order crocodylia. Common names include: gavial, caiman, crocodile and alligator.
13. The following species of the order testudines. Common names include: turtle and tortoise:
(a) All species of the family chelydridae. Common name: snapping turtles.
(b) All species of the genus gopherus. Common name: gopher tortoise, including the desert tortoise.
14. All species of the following families or genera of the order Squamata:
(a) The family helodermatidae. Common names include: Gila monster and Mexican beaded lizard.
(b) The family elapidae. Common names include: Cobra, mamba, coral snake, krait and Australian elapid.
(c) The family hydrophiidae. Common name: Sea snake.
(d) The family viperidae. Common names include: True viper and pit viper including rattlesnake.
(e) The family atractaspidae. Common name: Burrowing asp.
(f) The following species and genera of the family colubridae:
(i) Dispholidus typus. Common name: Boomslang.
(ii) Thelotornis kirtlandii. Common names include: Bird snake and twig snake.
(iii) Rhabdophis. Common name: Keelback.
(iv) Boiga irregularis. Common name: Brown tree snake.
15. The following species within the order anura, common names frog and toad:
(a) All species of the genus xenopus. Common name: Clawed frog.
(b) The species bufo horribilis, bufo marinus, bufo paracnemis. Common names include: Giant or marine toad.
(c) All species of the genus rana. Common names include: Leopard frog and bullfrog, except bullfrogs possessed under section 17-102 are not included.
http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBil..._Number=HB2375

I see nothing wrong with these.

For example, a lot of captive desert tortoises have a specific type of respiratory infection (I think) that we don't want passed to the wild population. It is legal to own one desert tortoise, however.

Brown tree snake: See Guam.

Bullfrogs: Are causing severe damage to Southwest US ecosystems and should be banned. I wouldn't be surprised if the other frogs/toads on this list are doing the same damage...and these are from people releasing them purposely.

Gila Monster & Beaded Lizard: Are rare enough as it is...and are frequently poached for the black market.

Native AZ snakes (including rattlesnakes) and lizards are permitted, but they cannot be sold across state lines. Again, I see no problem with this one either. It's bad enough that so many are killed just because people don't like them; we don't need people catching them and selling them out-of-state. What we really need is a rattlesnake law similar to the one for Gila monsters: It is illegal to harass, chase, capture, injure, etc. Gila monsters without a permit.