To say that the reptile community is going to have a very Merry Christmas would be an understatement in our opinion. The reason for all this celebration is that today we have learned that the reptile legislation known as S373 and the US House companion Bill HR2811 have fallen into defeat through the incredible efforts of the USARK also known as the United States Amphibian & Reptile Keepers Association these two bills were known as the Python Ban. Had these bills been passed they would have added 47 species of the Python genus to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act.To put the candle on the cake so to speak, HR669 was also defeated which could have potentially banned most non-native animals in the United States. HR669 was known to be known as the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act. So please join us in our celebration of one of the most momentous occasions in the history of herpetoculture and donate to USARK. Why donate if the bills are defeated you ask? It’s no secret that the Defenders of Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, and The Humane Society of the United States are not going to stop with this defeat. Andrew Wyatt President of USARK warns that we still have to contend with the Rulemaking at US Fish and Wildlife Services also stating that we should be prepared for similar bills to be introduced in 2011. So make sure to subscribe to the USARK newsletter and donate now to help keep the fight going. If you like owning pets of any kind then you should get involved and be aware that your rights as a pet owner are under attack. As Mark Romansky has said “Today its Pythons, tomorrow its Poodles” rings true if we actually read the regulations as they are written we can see that they simply won’t stop with reptiles.
