I don’t own any reptiles currently but I would like to in the future and because there is active political push to blanket ban the interstate transport of reptiles with amendments to the Lacey Act I thought I’d offer the link to US Ark’s info page in case anyone wanted to read up on it and choose to reach out to their senators. It’s already passed the house by a slim margin.
When would this bill go into effect?
For another perspective, I’m a wildlife biologist (who also has pet reptiles) & think it’s great. It’s really much needed for so many species. We have a continual assault of invasive species from reptiles to fish to outdoor cats, from escapes to deliberate releases to negligence, across the country (well really, planet) & the current method of piecemeal black lists is ineffective & inefficient. It’s far simpler for everyone to create white lists (and some of the language on that web page is a bit melodramatic). It’s not just a Florida problem. I know there will always be people in the world who believe they should be able to have anything they want as a pet, anywhere they want, anyhow they want, but in this day & age, that’s just not a responsible approach.
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I understand the problems with massive pythons, reticulated pythons, Burmese pythons,etc. I don’t really have an issue with banning such creatures as pets. I also don’t have an issue with banning importation of exotic animals. My issue is the effects this could have on the many species of reptiles that are captive bred and have been for years by large and small businesses. They rely massively on being able to sell to hobbyists in other states. And the thought of having to move states but not be able to take personal pets, who are not more dangerous than a dog, or cat, or cows, or horses!!(to my person or the environment) does not sit well with me. And what happens when those less scrupulous owners can’t rehome those animals in a timely manner? The chances are they will just dump them in the environment anyway. Either that or risk getting a felony for bringing their animals with them… This is just my opinion due to how broad the amendments are.
I also understand there are massive impacts of invasive species throughout the U.S., I grew up in Louisiana where we’ve been invaded by a plethora of foreign plants and animals. I don’t really know of a good method to eliminate such things, they seem to have thrown everything they can at various problems. I think education is key, with regards to husbandry and preventing people from impulse buying animals that turn out to be more than they bargained for but their will always be people who refuse to listen.
It also does not just affect reptiles, it also affects birds, fish, and exotic mammals, anything that Fish and Wildlife deems injurious.
moonlitoaksranch, It has to go to the senate still so not passed yet, I believe the senate also has their own version of the bill that will have to get reconciled. This is an amendment to the Lacey act which has been tossed into the America Competes Act 2022, which is a 3000 page bill. I could not find the timeline on when they will meet on it.
wildlifer, Like I said I don’t have a problem with bans per se, I just have a personal fear F&W will throw the baby out with the bath water so to speak if given such broad power without oversight. Feel free to take me to task over the wildlife management side of things however I definitely know that is a freaking complex issue.
This isn’t so much a you must do this, just to acknowledge what’s taking place and that if this is something that impacts your life you may know ahead of time so you have a chance to voice your opinion (for or against, I mean it could be that I’m in the minority of opinion but I’ll at least give it) before the senate votes.
