01-17-2012, 05:44 PM
So, there was a press conference in Everglades National Park today to announce the United States' ban on imports of 4 snake species today.
It will now cost you five years in jail and $250K to be found crossing state lines with a Burmese Python, North or South African Python, or Yellow Anaconda or their eggs. They are officially covered under the Lacy Act as of March 2012.
Just curious to get your thoughts about this development. I often see doomsday posts about the Lacy Act. This one seems fairly targeted and in a direct response to a documented problem. What concerns me slighty is that CNN ran the story. Not because I hate CNN, but because they cited irresponsible pet owners as the cause for the Everglades featuring these animals. While true to some extent, native Floridians would like to humbly point out that Hurricane Andrew destroying the warehouse facilities of NATIONAL herp distributors is far more responsible for the sheer number of animals in the glades. I personally do not like the microscope being focused on keepers of exotics rather than the distributors.
Let us hope a child does not come into contact with any wild caught darts that look like candy in the near future. I should hate to think who will be blamed. The incompetent parents of said child or the HORRIBLE people who keep POISONOUS, NON-INDIGENOUS wildlife as pets.
Thoughts?
It will now cost you five years in jail and $250K to be found crossing state lines with a Burmese Python, North or South African Python, or Yellow Anaconda or their eggs. They are officially covered under the Lacy Act as of March 2012.
Just curious to get your thoughts about this development. I often see doomsday posts about the Lacy Act. This one seems fairly targeted and in a direct response to a documented problem. What concerns me slighty is that CNN ran the story. Not because I hate CNN, but because they cited irresponsible pet owners as the cause for the Everglades featuring these animals. While true to some extent, native Floridians would like to humbly point out that Hurricane Andrew destroying the warehouse facilities of NATIONAL herp distributors is far more responsible for the sheer number of animals in the glades. I personally do not like the microscope being focused on keepers of exotics rather than the distributors.
Let us hope a child does not come into contact with any wild caught darts that look like candy in the near future. I should hate to think who will be blamed. The incompetent parents of said child or the HORRIBLE people who keep POISONOUS, NON-INDIGENOUS wildlife as pets.
Thoughts?