Are we about to loose our hobby?

[trinitywolf]

This is the lead article in the NY Times today. My heart sank when I read it. Are we so scared of disease that we are going to legislate all of our rights away? It would seem that we just may.
This is the article:

The Problem of Exotic Pets
ver the past few months we've had several unfortunate reminders of the biological common ground we share with other species. The SARS virus probably crossed over from animals to humans in Guangdong Province in China. Humans got monkeypox from pet prairie dogs, which probably caught it, in turn, from an imported Gambian rat. Meanwhile, at the movies, there is "28 Days Later," a horror film about a "rage" virus that passes swiftly and catastrophically from chimpanzees to humans. We can probably discount the dangers of a fast-acting horror-movie virus, but not the others.

If nothing else, the emergence of SARS and the recent outbreak of monkeypox in the United States are reminders that the potential biological effects of globalization can be chilling. Ordinarily, prairie dogs, native to America, do not catch diseases from rats native to western and central Africa. And humans do not ordinarily catch diseases from prairie dogs. What made the chain of monkeypox infection possible were humans who keep wild animals — prairie dogs and Gambian rats — as pets.

Although the federal government has now banned the distribution of prairie dogs and the importation of rodents from Africa, the monkeypox scare demonstrates how poorly regulated the ownership of and traffic in wild or exotic pets really are. A dozen states and some localities outlaw owning dangerous animals, and the federal government, as a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, prohibits, in most cases, owning or transporting endangered animals. But that still leaves most of the world's wildlife free to be captured, transported, sold and kept as pets. There has been a significant escalation in the trafficking of such pets in recent years.

For selfish reasons alone, Americans should avoid keeping exotic pets. The dangers of sharp teeth and long claws are obvious, but so are the dangers of zoonotic diseases, which can be transmitted from animals to humans. Monkeypox affected only a few dozen people, but those who get salmonellosis from pet reptiles number in the tens of thousands. Macaque monkeys carry a form of herpes B that is very dangerous to humans. As monkeypox also demonstrated, it can be very hard to predict just what opportunities viruses will exploit to make the jump from animals to humans.

We should also oppose the ownership of wild animals as pets for another reason. It is bad for the animals, individually and as species. Almost no one is capable of giving exotic pets, no matter how small, the conditions they would enjoy in the wild. The death rate in the trafficking of wild animals, especially reptiles, is horrendous, and the plundering of wild populations for pets has decimated some species, especially tortoises. The boundary between domestication and wildness is not a soft one. It is, essentially, a biological absolute as well as a cultural one. Some kinds of animals have been tamed, one by one, but only a very few kinds have ever been domesticated, and those are the only ones that should be kept as pets.

The effort to block the trading and ownership of wild animals has been slow and piecemeal. But each piece helps. At the moment, the Senate is considering a bill called the Captive Wildlife Safety Act, which, with some obvious exceptions, would prevent interstate commerce in the big cats. (A similar bill has been introduced in the House.) This bill is being sponsored by Senators James Jeffords and John Ensign, who is one of two veterinarians in the Senate. The other veterinarian, Senator Wayne Allard, will preside over a hearing this week for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on the subject of zoonotic diseases.

As his hearings proceed, it will be worth remembering that Gambian rats and prairie dogs are not to blame for the monkeypox outbreak. No wild animal chooses to be made a pet.

Folks...I'm getting a little scared.
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[captainmorgan]

It will never happen. The're would be such an oproar against it, it wouldn't even be funny. They'll never get my snakes. It's not our fault, it was the african rat that brought it over. They can never stop that. If an infected rat jumps onto a cruise ship that is docked....it can make it over and still infect exotic pets....no worries....it will be a losing battle to those who try to control our rights. Eventually when it get's big enough some of the bigger names will come out to challenge....welcome to America... [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]
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[telefrag]

What they are still not admitting to realize, is that its ultimately HUMAN actions that are causing this problem.
Not animals,but people are not following the proper steps with quarantine, and still too many animals are taken from the wild and stored in facilities where they have endless exposure to other animals and whatever ailments or zoonotic elements they may be harboring.

The process needs to change, outlawing exotic animal ownership will not solve anything.
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[Ed_r]

Nice how they leave out that both dogs and cats can carry rabbies. Now there is a strain of H.I.V. in felines. Is it tranferable to humans too? Not to mention some serious infections from a dog or cat bite. Geee no one is trying to ban them though. Plus the occurances from the common accepted dog and cat are far greater than ANY of the exotic desease strains. Most of those exotic strains are probably in direct relation to poor husbandry, and filthy cages and surroundings. people really need to take a few steps backward and look at the big picture.

Capt. in all due respect if they did pass this and you had a not so nice nieghbor could report you then the authorities will be at your door with a warrant, and confiscate them. In the eyes of dog and cat lovers everywhere we are all true evil and probably Satanic people.

If this DOES come to legislation, we all will be hard pressed to beat it. We are such a minority, and the vast public could care less to research the validity of all the exotic desease claims. When a couple people die due to SARS or some other exotic animal desease it is HUGE news. Yet the number of small children that are mauled by Pitbulls, Rotties, and Dobermans is so much higher and also in the news but on a smaller scale. They don't want to condemn the lovable family dog as a sometimes murderous beast. Yet people DO understand that it is the owner that was at fault.

Unfortunately unless we find a herp loving politician, this could easily become a reality.
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[turel]

would "officials" really that far as to outlaw exotic pets? i mean, this is america, just about anything goes so can something really get that extreme?
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[Ed_r]

it's happening in small towns and cities already. When the towns and cities that bann them report on the wonderful success they have in reducing exotic animal desease their cause will be that much stronger. This is not to be taken lightly.

The best defense we have is to organize with your local Herp Society. United they can make the proper proposals, to try and ward this off. If they get a bunch of people yelling no frickin way...no one will listen to us..One example.


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[trinitywolf]

As evidenced by the fact that more people have not responded by this post, it is evident that most feel like this will never happen. I too have said that before. I don't think that is the reality though. Is that something we tell ourselves to validate our inaction? This way we can feel safe?
There is little doubt in my mind that the reptile industry NEEDS some regulation. There is far too much law jumping and avoidance that goes on at reptile shows as well as other venues. Import/export laws (to my knowledge) don't really even exist, and where they do, they are rarely enforced. As Matt said earlier though, the wholesale ban on exotic animals as a whole is not the way to go. To me, permits are not a bad thing. It's a good way for legitimate herp enthusiast to show that they are law abiding citizens and interested in community welfare. The problem falls in attainability.
Why not have to register our pets? We register our dogs and cats, don't we? Obviously, there are some animals that should not be registered (i.e. fish, indigenous species, etc.) but why would it be horrible to register other exotics?
Anyway, I'm not looking to start a flame war...but I do want people's opinions. Should the reptile industry be regulated? If so, how. If not, why? Ed made some good points. If we do nothing, we tell the law makers that what they decide is ok. Should we really stand by and do nothing?
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[telefrag]

One benefit that tighter regulations could show is more pressure on pet stores to better house their animals.

Also, stiffer penalties for businesses that violate basic animal care guidelines (not just herps), right now many pet stores and tons of dealers get away with taking shoddy care of the animals because they know they will end up somewhere else and it wont be there problem anymore.

Start putting pressure on those who carry large numbers of animals for sale to do all in their power to provide a healthier environment for their stock, and some of the "assumed" risk of zoonotic diseases may diminish significantly.

Also, for those who have the means to, its not a bad idea to support PIJAC.


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[trinitywolf]

Thanks for mentioning that Matt. That is a great point. PIJAC is active in opposing legislation to ban pets and has been succesful in stopping some aimed at reptiles.
I think if you breed animals for re-sale you can't afford NOT to be a member. Their fee schedule is based on annual sales.
Here is what I got from the web page here:
$25.00 - O to $25,000
$50.00 - $25,000 to 50,000
$200.00 - $50,000 to 100,000
$500.00 - $100,000 to 250,000
$750.00 - $250,000 to 500,000
$1,250.00 - $500,000 to 750,000
$2,000.00 - $750,000 and above
It seems like a lot, but if you make $750, 000 a year, you should be willing to invest a little in keeping it that way.

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