Not only that, but the non-reptile-informed public just gets the impression that all reptile keepers are irresponsible. When these accidents are the only ones making the news, the impact is unfairly magnified, & you're right, that leads to bans of everything. Because people (including law enforcement) aren't able to tell venomous from non-venomous, so in their mind it comes down to "let's make them all illegal"- that's their answer, & admittedly, there are over 5000 species, so it IS hard to tell what's safe for anyone not an expert. Heck, even some experts have, in the past, been fooled & killed by species they thought were harmless.
Add to this the bans on live educational programs with reptiles that some states have been passing- heaven forbid that people even learn about harmless reptiles? But they can go online & be influenced by the reckless show-offs.I don't see this as ending well.
Reply With Quote