block

[amercnwmn]

PIJAC
GOTTA LOVE THE ONE DAY NOTICE!

Florida Proposes A Ban On Certain Snakes And Other Reptiles
** Hearing Set For March 10th **
The Issue:
Legislation banning five snake species and certain other reptiles has been introduced in both houses of the Florida Legislature. Senate Bill 318 and House Bill 709 ban the listed animals for "personal use", essentially banning them as pets. A hearing for HB 709 has been announced with one day's notice for tomorrow, Wednesday, March 10th.

The Impact:
Companion bills, Senate Bill 318 and House Bill 709, provide that "no person, firm, or corporation may keep, possess, import into the state, sell, barter, trade, or breed the following species for personal use or for sale for personal use:

* Burmese or Indian python (Python molurus);
* Reticulated python (Python reticulatus);
* African rock python (Python sebae);
* Amethystine or scrub python (Morelia amethystinus);
* Anaconda (Eunectes);
* Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus); and
* Any other reptile designated as a reptile of concern by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission."

The bills state that if a person holds a permit issued before July 1, 2010 to capture, keep, possess, or exhibit any poisonous or venomous reptile or reptile of concern, that person may possess the individual reptile for the remainder of that reptile's life.

Also, any person who possesses an anaconda, other than a green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), and who meets the required criteria, must obtain a permit from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission by October 1, 2010, in order to keep that anaconda for the remainder of its life.

PIJAC Position:
Generally, PIJAC supports licensing legislation for species that could become invasive; however, an outright ban of the listed species in HB 709 will drive trade underground, except for the few who would be able to qualify for a permit.

As drafted, HB 709 would prohibit existing owners from selling their breeding stock and/or progeny to other states or countries where one may possess these species. The alternative for owners of the listed species is to incur substantial expenses to maintain the animals for their lifetime, turn them loose or euthanize otherwise healthy animals. The state needs to adopt a more sustainable and flexible regulatory mechanism to handle these species.

Recommended Action:
As stated above, a hearing has been set for TOMORROW, Wednesday, March 10th in the House Natural Resources Appropriations Committee at 3:00 p.m., Room 306 HOB, in Tallahassee.

Anyone affected by this legislation should contact the Committee members IMMEDIATELY to express concerns and attend the hearing if possible. Click 'Take Action' to find out who your Representative is and to learn how to contact them.

Click here to read the text to HB 709.

If you have further questions please feel free to contact PIJAC's Bambi Nicole Osborne by phone at 202-452-1525 or via email at bambi@pijac.org.