Python swallows cat in Florida backyard - Page 3

gemisnake · #41 (**permalink**) 10-10-2005, 11:25 PM

I fear you are 100% right and I try to stay up on the topics and I educate people as much as I can about responsible reptile ownership. You see reptile owners really are the same as cat and dog owners. Both have good people and irresponsible people but the difference is an abandoned cat that kills an endangered bird isnt going to get the media attention, a reptile is. And then uneducated people in the government end up trying to ban the reptiles although there are definately more cats and dogs dumped each year.
Just remember folks this isnt just Florida. Not too long ago my group sent some people to Springfield to try and stop the NYC ban from coming to Chicago, luckily we won, but who knows. Every time a city or state is succesful with a ban it helps to make other places, maybe your city or state, able to have better odds on passing a similar law!

wreckwriter · #42 (**permalink**) 10-10-2005, 11:30 PM

Yep, bans are contagious.

ssscales · #43 (**permalink**) 10-10-2005, 11:40 PM

Should Florida have tougher laws to discourage or ban the ownership of pythons, Nile monitor lizards and other exotic pets that get free and cause problems for native wildlife and vegetation?

93.6%
Yes. These species pose too large a threat to be allowed as pets. (3051 responses)

6.4%
No. These animals are not any more dangerous than any other pets. (207 responses)

I bet the 207 that voted "No" were generated from these forums..haha!

I agree that herp owners are equal to dog & cat owners, but do you see polls like these on stray dogs & cats? Do you think 94% of the public would be against owning dogs & cats to control the stray problem? Even though more dogs attack people on a day than snakes in a number of years?

There are also polls to trap & destroy these snakes. 62% vote to destroy the loose snakes. What do you think would happen if a poll went around the media to track & destroy all stray dogs & cats? There would be a public outrage!!!

But snakes are feared and hated by the general public!! We are not on the same playing field, do not try and rationalize with the public in general. All we can do at best, is try and convince the public and states that we will try and control this problem within the hobby. Rather than outright ban on reptiles, lets regulate and restrict the breeding/sales/purchases of them.

wreckwriter · #44 (**permalink**) 10-10-2005, 11:44 PM

I remember some of the polls regarding pit bulls, pretty solid in favor of bans there too.

gemisnake · #45 (**permalink**) 10-10-2005, 11:55 PM

"Do you think 94% of the public would be against owning dogs & cats to control the stray problem? Even though more dogs attack people on a day than snakes in a number of years?"
THANK YOU!!! It is ridiculous because stray cats and dogs are such a worse problem because there are a ton more of them and they can reproduce fine in the wild despite the area. The burms are doing good in Florida but up here... a Chicago winter would do away with them before they got a chance to breed. Yeah lets change it a little:
Should Florida have tougher laws to discourage or ban the ownership of domestic cats and dogs that get free and cause problems for native wildlife and vegetation?

Yes. These animals pose too large a threat to be allowed as pets.

No. These animals are not dangerous.

hmmmm, which way would that go? (not that Im saying we should ban cats and dogs either though)

ssscales · #46 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 12:21 AM

The difference between PitBulls (again falls on idiot owners) is that they were being trained to fight and attack in the 80's like crazy. People bred them and wanted the aggressive nature to come out, again people destroying animals! Of course the public is not going to ban all dogs, so they focused on a breed.

Should've there been a ban against pitbulls same as snakes now? I would much rather see every negligent owner get a $1000 fine on the 1st offence and jail time after that! Fine every seller caught selling a Burmese to a minor without their parents consent and pull their licence on the 2nd offence!

Make life impossible for those negligent and not take a broad stroke against all snakes and snake owners.

ssscales · #47 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 12:27 AM

And a ban on Pit bulls was after dozens if not hundreds of attacks and children being torn to shreds by them. Again, I think the owners should've been torn apart in court rather than banning a species of animal for doing what it was trained to do.

Same goes for sellers/buyers of the Giant snakes and large monitors and venomous snakes. I think irresponsible sellers & owners need to be punished here! Go for the source!

DeadIrishD · #48 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 12:30 AM

You know whats odd...

IMO if a parent will allow their kids to play in a place that they know is dangerous, the parents deserve to have their kids taking away, although it sucks that they go out that way.

and I totally agree with the fact that dogs and cats can do so much worse yet their looked at as angels compared to snakes, and lizards.

but it still upsets me off that cats can hunt herps, and thats alright, but once a snake eats a cat its the end of the world

gemisnake · #49 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 12:32 AM

"but it still upsets me off that cats can hunt herps, and thats alright, but once a snake eats a cat its the end of the world"
Yup! And the cat may have been hunting and killing threatened or endangered lizards and birds.

wreckwriter · #50 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssscales

And a ban on Pit bulls was after dozens if not hundreds of attacks and children being torn to shreds by them.

Yep, it was. A little girl got mauled in the apartment complex where I lived, blood was everywhere for days. That was in Broward County, no ban there, yet. If it comes up for vote though, I know which way I'll vote.

Sure, its the owners' fault but particular types often own particular animals..........

wreckwriter · #51 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemisnake

"but it still upsets me off that cats can hunt herps, and thats alright, but once a snake eats a cat its the end of the world"
Yup! And the cat may have been hunting and killing threatened or endangered lizards and birds.

I agree. But just mention feeder kittens and everyone freaks

gemisnake · #52 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 12:42 AM

You want to see a major difference a little girl was attacked badly by a lab here. Turns out it was the 3rd time this lab attacked, not just bit, I mean brutally attacked a person. It never even hit the papers, though the owners were afraid of a lawsuit and had us euthenize the dog. Everyone who heard about it said what horrible owners to have a dog that mean and that they must have abused or neglected it. Do you think they would have blamed the owners or the dog if it was a pit bull... I think most would have just said Pit Bulls are dangerous not pit bulls with bad owners are dangerous.

ssscales · #53 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 01:07 AM

I live in Broward and there is no ban on PitBulls here. In the last 6 weeks they have found 3 or 4 Burmese Pythons loose in the lakes and backyards within a 10 mile radius of where I live before the gator incident. Now this cat!!

It's out of hand and something should be done.

I would love to stand up and speak to the media about the source of the problem at hand. To point out the differences between these Giant snakes and Boas. Also explaining that the reptile community in genral understands that this is a serious problem and we would love to work with the state in getting this under control with regulations and restrictions on selling and purchasing these snakes. Maybe even assisting in calls to recover these snakes to alleviate the stress on 911.

Unfortunately I am one, if a number of us would come together as a group we may make enough noise that someone may listen to what we have to say.

ssscales · #54 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lethargiic

to have the state of florida put bans on owning reptiles will only hurt the state's economy especially since the majority of all imports come through here first... ban reptiles + no importing = no $$ for the state

I don't think it's a matter of if, it's a matter of when they pass a ban on certain reptiles. I don't think they will stop all imports even though they should stop the majority of wholesale imports, but they will crack down on those on the banned list.

gemisnake · #55 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 01:48 AM

I dont think a ban on actually owning the snakes would effect the imports coming in. I am sure the state would write the bill just right so you could import them to sell outside of the state but poor residents of the state cant have them

ssscales · #56 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemisnake

I dont think a ban on actually owning the snakes would effect the imports coming in. I am sure the state would write the bill just right so you could import them to sell outside of the state but poor residents of the state cant have them

I doubt it, they will know some of those imports will hit the streets of FL. Plus if FL bans the imports they will shine for all the other states as cracking hard on these dangerous animals! I think FL will pass one of the toughest laws banning these snakes yet. I just pray they do not add Boas.

wreckwriter · #57 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gemisnake

I dont think a ban on actually owning the snakes would effect the imports coming in. I am sure the state would write the bill just right so you could import them to sell outside of the state but poor residents of the state cant have them

I agree.

wreckwriter · #58 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssscales

I live in Broward and there is no ban on PitBulls here.

I said there was no ban in Broward, not yet anyway. One more kid mauling should take care of that.

ssscales · #59 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wreckwriter

I said there was no ban in Broward, not yet anyway. One more kid mauling should take care of that.

It's been a while since I've seen any news on dog attacks. But I agree, it's only a matter of time.

kasa's_Kids · #60 (**permalink**) 10-11-2005, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssscales

It's out of hand and something should be done.
I would love to stand up and speak to the media about the source of the problem at hand. To point out the differences between these Giant snakes and Boas. Also explaining that the reptile community in genral understands that this is a serious problem and we would love to work with the state in getting this under control with regulations and restrictions on selling and purchasing these snakes. Maybe even assisting in calls to recover these snakes to alleviate the stress on 911.

Unfortunately I am one, if a number of us would come together as a group we may make enough noise that someone may listen to what we have to say.

Here is a person that has the right " Idea ". If I were in Fla. I would gladly join in. Where I live, Mexico, Panama, Belize, and Arizona, USA we don't have the political games that are played in most of the U.S. Anyone else interested in getting involved? It really isn't a state by state problem. As soon as Fla. get done, who's the next state in line, or will it become a federal ban, such as the firearms legislation?

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