PETA Sues Zoo Med

[dakski]

Okay, I have a few thoughts here and welcome feedback and disagreement.

1. I am not really in favor of this lawsuit. PETA paints a pretty broad stroke here and will do more to scare people into not keeping reptiles or feeling bad about keeping reptiles in adequate enclosures in many instances. Are there some where people do not properly keep their snakes or other reptiles, yes. We see it every day. But most of the time it's not from lack of enrichment. More on that in a moment.

2. This is incredibly circumstantial. Different species have different requirements. I generally go with length + width = snake length for active species and my boas, etc. However, many smaller species or inactive species can be kept in smaller enclosures, even boas. I don't see PETA suing nature preserves where a corn snake will literally wedge itself into a barely body size tree root and wait for food for weeks at a time.

3. Enrichment? I love Behira, but last time I checked, she wasn't a Rhodes Scholar needing constant enrichment. She comes out of her tank several times a week and gets to explore, climb, etc. She's properly fed and housed and seems to be doing great health wise.

I don't see PETA going after herding dog owners who don't have 100 damn sheep for them to herd. Enrichment can be construed in many ways, and in snakes cases, I think much is anthropomorphizing. In dogs cases, probably less so, but it doesn't amount to cruelty.

4. Zoomed wants to sell products. It is advantageous to them make keeping a snake seem easy, space limited, etc. This is where education comes in. All heating devices = thermostat. Cage size and type is dependent on species, in general. For example, more work to keep a BP in a class 40G than a 3X2' PVC tank, due to privacy, humidity, and heating requirements. Does that mean it cannot or should not be done. NO. It just means it's more work for the owner to make sure the snake is safe, secure, eating, etc.

Here I don't think zoomed is the greatest company on education, from what I've seen, and they are in the business of selling. I tend to favor specific reptile companies for specific needs and not a one stop shop. However, do they deserve to be under attack from PETA, probably not. If this article is any indication of how PETA views reptiles in general, they should not be advocating for them.


Note: Above I said, ......"make sure the snake is safe, secure, eating, etc." I didn't say happy, or content. Snakes, IMO, deserve to be treated with respect and cared for properly, just like all living creatures, especially ones we take on as keepers. It's our responsibility. Meeting the basic needs of our captive animals, be it a dog, snake, cat, fish, etc. is our obligation. It's a choice, but it's one we make when we take on the animals. I used to fly RC airplanes a lot. We used to say, "talk of is optional, landing is mandatory." If you don't want the responsibility of caring for an animal properly, do not get that animal!

However, snakes aren't happy or sad, or need love and affection. They don't have the brain capacity for that - no frontal lobe. They can feel pain and hunger, and can also not feel those things if taken care of properly. However, they are very largely instinct driven. It's not a mood thing. That's us interpreting. Why do snakes bite? Fear or hunger. No malice, no intent to harm, and they don't hunt for "fun" either.

Bottom line: PETA is overstepping their bounds but we as reptile keepers need to continue to educate and support organizations like USARK who fight for our rights.

Again, I welcome comments.