Snake Owners See Furry Bias in Invasive Species Proposal

[BPelizabeth]

But sly......who determins who is qualified? That is a very dangerous and slippery road......

[Slyther83]

But sly......who determins who is qualified? That is a very dangerous and slippery road......

The same people who license those who are able to be in possession of comparable animals such as wolves and large cats would make the most sense, would it not?

I understand and sympathize with slippery roads, however I don't believe that to be the case when you compare the legalities behind keeping larger breeds of other domesticated animals.

[BPelizabeth]

but the ppl that licsense now are the ones that are assisting in pushing these bans. If you listen to the legislatures and the Game and Fish, HSUS, and Peta....they are the ones stating that this was a release problem in Florida. They dont take into consideration that studies have been done that show it was due to the Hurricane. Nor do they take into consideration that the importing is being done in an atmostphere where if things do escape they can survive. And where does that licsensing stop....where does the ban stop and what dictates that you can have a lic.

Im not trying to argue with you at all and I do understand your point. But again and I keep saying this....once you have your rights taken away it is only easier to have more taken and it is nearly impossible to get them back. Remember the whole saying.....they came to take the elephants and I did nothing as I did not have elephants....they came to take the bears and I did nothing as I have no bears.... You get the picture!

[TessadasExotics]

I’m kinda tired of the Hurricane Andrew release notion. Yes I am sure it had a major impact on the wild population, but its not the only reason why we have Burms in the everglades. It’s not just Burms that are non native that are living there. People do release animals all the time. I personally knew someone that worked for a circus that released a nasty 20 foot Burm in the glades because no one else would take the thing and they were tired of dealing with it. There is an active giant day gecko colony in an area in Florida that someone has released. They go back to this area and collect the babies to sell. It's cheaper for them than to raise them themselves. There are tons of wild animals in the U.S. that are non native due to escapes or releases.
I am all for people owning wild or exotic animals, but I too feel that not everyone should own them. There should be stricter laws on the owner ship of dangerous animals. Things like Burms should be microchipped. When said microchipped animals are found in the wild, that owner should lose their ownership rights and be fined. Owners should have to prove there competency in husbandry for the animals they want to own.
Its way to easy to get a pet on a whim and then to toss it when it gets too unmanageable/big or it loses its appeal. Look at all the rescue groups there are. Why do we have them? People suck that’s why.

Honestly if we don't put something in place like this ourselves we are going to lose our rights to own these beautiful animals. It's just a matter of time. We can hold them off for a little while but eventually we will lose this fight. Then we will all become an underground society.

[BPelizabeth]

I am not denying that ppl do release....but a study has been done to show the majority are from a certain blood line. I believe it was VPI that did the study....but don't quote me on that. I am also not denying that certain ppl shouldn't have reptiles. What I am arguing is how you go about that without opening the door to stringent regulations and who is in charge of these regulations.....is it the same ppl that think they know about them???? Its kind of like a damned if you do and damned if you dont situation.

[Gloryhound]

Its illegal to own a wolf and yet we own dogs. It is also illegal to own large cats, yet we own small domesticated ones.

It is not illegal to own a Wolf, large Cat, or black bear in Ohio. Currently due to an executive order issued by the outgoing Governor Strickland it is illegal to sell, purchase, trade, transport, and breed these animals though along with lots of others including several of the larger species of constrictors. This rule was created due to a back room deal with HSUS and the previous Governor.

Currently we the people of Ohio, USARK, and Ohio Association of Animal Owners are trying to work with the new Governor Kasich. The best hope is Governor Strickland passes an Executive order nulifying this one. Second best is 90 days goes by and Governor Kasich and no one else in the Ohio Government does anything with this. Other possibilities exist as well.

While I don't own any large constrictors, I support the rights of those that do. Also the US is a large exporter of captive bred snakes like the burm, Retic, and such. If we were not breeding these animals in captivity and exporting them then the places we supply would be pulling the animals out of the wild.

Currently I would like to see legislation that promotes more captive breeding of some of these animals, but starts to limit some of the wild collection of them. Yes some wild animals need to be brought into the country, but not everyone that can care for a captive bred ball pythons is ready to care for a captive hatched or wild caught ball python. We do need some still brought in to keep the blood lines strong, but it should be limited. (I have some ideas on how to do that, but not going into it here.)

[Slyther83]

It is not illegal to own a Wolf, large Cat, or black bear in Ohio. Currently due to an executive order issued by the outgoing Governor Strickland it is illegal to sell, purchase, trade, transport, and breed these animals though along with lots of others including several of the larger species of constrictors. This rule was created due to a back room deal with HSUS and the previous Governor.

Currently we the people of Ohio, USARK, and Ohio Association of Animal Owners are trying to work with the new Governor Kasich. The best hope is Governor Strickland passes an Executive order nulifying this one. Second best is 90 days goes by and Governor Kasich and no one else in the Ohio Government does anything with this. Other possibilities exist as well.

While I don't own any large constrictors, I support the rights of those that do. Also the US is a large exporter of captive bred snakes like the burm, Retic, and such. If we were not breeding these animals in captivity and exporting them then the places we supply would be pulling the animals out of the wild.

Currently I would like to see legislation that promotes more captive breeding of some of these animals, but starts to limit some of the wild collection of them. Yes some wild animals need to be brought into the country, but not everyone that can care for a captive bred ball pythons is ready to care for a captive hatched or wild caught ball python. We do need some still brought in to keep the blood lines strong, but it should be limited. (I have some ideas on how to do that, but not going into it here.)

Ohio is a bad example, they dont even have motor vehicle inspection for gods sake. The vast majority of states have outlawed ownership of wolves and large cats except by licensed professionals- and rightfully so. They havent made pitbulls or rotties illegal despite their bad name, why would anyone assume anything progressively worse snake bans beyond the largest constrictors?

[Slyther83]

Logic dictates that a gun is dangerous, therefore you need a permit. This helps keep a dangerous item out of the hands of the irresponsible. The same logic applies to large predacious animal ownership. You want to own something that has the potential to infringe on your own safety as well as others you need a permit. Its legal for anyone to buy a carnivore that is capable of swallowing a child and can overpower multiple people. That is scary.

[TessadasExotics]

Personally I think it's awesome. Imagine if everyone had a Tiger in their homes. I bet home invasions would drop. I'd want a clouded or a snow leopard.
I think we should be able to own pretty much anything we want to, we just need to be able to be held responsible for any short comings that may arise.
If you can provide a nurturing, safe and healthy life for an animal why not be able to have it?



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Some things just do not do well or don't thrive in captivity, such as primates. No one should own one as far as I am concerned.

[Gloryhound]

Ohio is a bad example, they dont even have motor vehicle inspection for gods sake. The vast majority of states have outlawed ownership of wolves and large cats except by licensed professionals- and rightfully so. They havent made pitbulls or rotties illegal despite their bad name, why would anyone assume anything progressively worse snake bans beyond the largest constrictors?

Most bad government has grown out of too much government.

Logic dictates that a gun is dangerous, therefore you need a permit. This helps keep a dangerous item out of the hands of the irresponsible. The same logic applies to large predacious animal ownership. You want to own something that has the potential to infringe on your own safety as well as others you need a permit. Its legal for anyone to buy a carnivore that is capable of swallowing a child and can overpower multiple people. That is scary.

You really need to quit talking about laws and such when you really have no idea. You do not need a permit to own a weapon. You need a permit to carry a concealed weapon. The only thing you need to own a weapon is passing a quick back ground check that is it and how it should be.

Some things just do not do well or don't thrive in captivity, such as primates. No one should own one as far as I am concerned.

I don't agree. It is not my place to tell you that you can not keep a primate as long as you keep that primate in such a manner that it does not create a danger to the public, me being the public. If I come over to your home with the understanding that you have a primate running around inside your secure house, I am accepting the risk.

Only two arguements can be used against keeping dangerous and wild animals.

1. The owner is just plain stupid and can't or doesn't secure the animal properly which then poses a risk to the public. Can't or doesn't is in refering to mental capacity as well as financial capacity.
2. When children are in the house and parents don't take the steps to protect the kid from exposure to the dangerous and wild animal(s). You can have children and these animals in the same house, but some common sence needs to take place as well. Remember a kid will jump off the roof of a house with a garbage bag as a parachute as their idea of danger is a little differnt due to a lack of understanding and remarkable ability to bounce.