Crazy new Congress bills beign put in action

[Giratina93]

Recently, Congress has proposed two bills that, if passed, could do some major damage to the pet industry:

1. S 373: Python Ban
This bill is brought out because of the problem Florida is having with Burmese Pythons. They want to ban not just these snakes, but any and every python as pets nationwide. This is just an easy way out that will devastate thousands of people who breed pythons for a living and hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people who own at least 1 python (many snake keepers usually have 1-3 pythons).

2. HR 669: Non-Native Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act
The bill states that all non-native wildlife will be banned as pets unless they are on a Congress-made approved list. Yet the bill is very vague: it states that all unapproved non-native animals will be BANNED. This includes most reptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds, and fish! Even the "cute and cuddly" would be included because most aren't native to the USA wilderness.

Here's an example of just a few animals that could (and most likely would) make it in the "unapproved" list:

Bearded Dragons
Green Iguanas
Hamsters
Guinea Pigs
Some rabbit species
Goldfish
Cichlids (sp?)
Boas
Pythons (again with the pythons?!)
Betas
Fire-Bellied Toas
Leopard Geckos
Ferrets
All Saltwater fish
Cockateils (sp?)
Parakeets
And the list goes on and on.

[Doc 42]

*does not live in America*
Thank god for that.

And what kind of problems is Florida having with ze pythons?

[Giratina93]

The problem there is that Burmese Pythons have started to run loose in the everglades area, thus causing an imbalance in the natural food chain, thus explaining bill#1.

I just hope these bills don't get passed.

[TyrannoTitan]

Complete bullsh*t...Like hell I would ever give up my pets, even if the government bans them.

Also, its HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY unlikely that they would pass this, because it would have untold collateral damage. Many of the "unapproved" animals are now favorite pets; ferrets are the third most popular pet in the world, just behind dogs and cats. Owners would be extremely pissed at this, and thus would cause problems for the government as a whole.

Snakes and other reptiles are also extremely popular nowadays. If they have a problem with Burmese Pythons, they should ban them specifically, or just ban them in states where they can actually SURVIVE, like Florida and California. They can't survive in a desert state, or a state that experiences any kind of winter. Its sad that people would be losing their pets, but it would protect wildlife.

It will most likely not pass. Also, provide a source, because some people might not believe it without one...

[Giratina93]

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h669/show

http://www.reptilechannel.com/reptile-n ... n-ban.aspx

Those are the sources I got the information from. I think I'm not advertizing... please let me know if I'm advertizing.

These bills are completly stupid. Why even propose them in the first place?

[TyrannoTitan]

No, providing sources isn't advertising, its just to reinforce the information.

Most likely a piss-poor attempt to control the Burmese Python problems, when it can be solved in a much simpler way...

[Evil Eye]

What would that be?

[Raptor Llama]

Well this sucks... and what's the purpose of double banning Pythons? Is one ban enough? Really. I hope this doesn't get past, but it is there better at least be a grandfather clause.

[TyrannoTitan]

What would that be?

Snakes and other reptiles are also extremely popular nowadays. If they have a problem with Burmese Pythons, they should ban them specifically, or just ban them in states where they can actually SURVIVE, like Florida and California. They can't survive in a desert state, or a state that experiences any kind of winter. Its sad that people would be losing their pets, but it would protect wildlife.

Must I repeat it again?

They should make it specific, not broad. I mean, in some states, feral dogs, cats, and even farm animals are becoming a major problem. But do they ban DOGS, CATS, and FARM ANIMALS? Nope, because they are either too popular, or they are needed for various products. If Florida has a problem with Pythons, they should ban them in FLORIDA.

[Evil Eye]

ahh... well I'm not exactly for the idea of keeping wild animals as pets (my opinion could go either way with snakes I guess) but I'm not really for this bill's passing, since, as you guys said, lots of people who breed snakes would be devastated economically (and our economy is already in a mess )

[Giratina93]

So far, the list of "Allowed" animals include small godfish, dogs, horses, farm animals, and cats. Forgot the source of the Allowed list.

The Python problem can be solved in a simple manner: buff up the gators.

Still, the double-banning on the pythons isn't necessary, when one law is enough. I guess they're trying to prevent exotic animals from coming to the USA and escaping into the wild.