But here is the problem: The public (and most who instigate these bills -- including the HSUS) doesn't have any idea what they are talking about. It simply comes down to the impression that snakes and other exotic animals are icky, so they should be banned.
Well, no. That has nothing to do with it at all. That is a gross mischaracterization. The justifications for the bans are invariably due to problems with the animals themselves, which are not domesticated, they are wild animals and act as such, and are therefore potentially very dangerous not only to their owners, but anyone else in the immediate vicinity. Or they are very difficult to care for, and the animal's own welfare is at high risk. These pets are typically abandoned when they exceed the abilities of their owners to care for them, and there are few rescue agencies capable of handling them.
Other issues often covered are the impacts on wild animals due to the pet trade, which frequently imports (often illegally) wild-caught animals; and impact on local environments due to abandoned animals.
Sure, Burmese pythons are less-than-ideal pets.
That's an understatement at best. Burmese pythons easily reach lengths of over 20 feet, and weights of 200 pounds. That is not an animal that any single person is going to be able to handle. And that is exactly what we see in the pet trade, people finally realize that they can't handle them and try to get rid of them. Worse, many owners believe, thanks to a lot of misinformation out there, that simply underfeeding them will keep their size down and keep them manageable; and find to their detriment that this is not true, but in fact results in a more aggressive animal with serious health issues that negatively affect its temperament.
Herp societies and rescue agencies are inundated with Burms, and simply cannot manage the sheer volume of abandoned pets. That has resulted in literally thousands of these things being released into the wild. In most cases, they cannot handle the cold climate and die. But in the Southern US, enough have been released to create a strong breeding population, and they are currently destroying endangered animal populations in Florida.
We see other impacts from such irresponsibility as well. Red-eared Slider turtles have become huge pests in parts of Australia, New Zealand, and the US. Goldfish similar have become problems in many US lakes, out-competing native species.
Sure, too many people buy improper species and there are some legitimate environmental concerns in a few cases, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Again "some legitimate environmental concerns" is a gross understatement. In fact,
Florida's wildlife is in danger of being completely destroyed by abandoned, imported pets. Not just Burms, but huge African monitor lizards, reticulated pythons, various species of boa, Cuban frogs, macaque monkeys, parrots, the list just goes on.
There's a reason that Hawaii strictly prohibits the import of pretty much any exotic animal; and some islands have still seen significant impacts from imports.
For example, your 8-9 foot suggestion also includes dozens of snake species that flirt with similar lengths (if not girths/weights), that make great pets.
Care to name a few? And I specifically included that length
and weight combination because
that is what makes a snake uncontrollable and dangerous. An 8 foot cave beauty rat snake going to be fairly simple for an average person to manage. An 8 foot boid or python is typically going to be more difficult. And when that snake gets over about 9-10 feet and 80-90 pounds, it's simply going to be impossible for one person to effectively control on their own if the snake decides it doesn't want to be controlled.
A permit system (with a carefully calibrated fee structure) should dissuade those who have no business keeping them, while still allowing good keepers to work with animals they wish.
Which is why I addressed this issue. Try reading what I'm writing, and not just go off on knee-jerk rants.
A small handful of exotic herps (not including hots) are dangerous, but the vast majority are safer than dogs (and the statistics back this up).
That's a disturbingly anthropocentric view, given the environmental damage that abandoned pets are causing throughout the world. And, again, I did not advocate banning
all herps, and almost none of the proposed bills have advocated such. There are specific categories of animals that are addressed, and all of them are known for causing problems, either for people or the environment; or for which the care requirements are simply beyond the capability of the vast majority of people.
And this isn't just about the danger that these animals pose to people and the environment; but about the well-being of the animals themselves. Many of these animals have highly-specific needs, not just for food and space, but for heat, light, and socializing. Many are highly intelligent and need at least as much attention and care as a human toddler.
Parrots are a good example. They've been considered good pets for quite some time; but the more we learn about them, the worse they look as pets, and the more dismal the outcome for their health and well-being in the average pet situation. They are extremely social, and highly temperamental, especially when they get to breeding age. Many parrots become highly neurotic and self-destructive when deprived of sufficient socialization.
And even better example are monkeys and small apes (such as chimpanzees). Fortunately, these are a lot less common than they used to be.
All of these are wild animals, and most do not cope well with captivity the way that animals domesticated for many generations do.
And since you weren't paying attention, I was talking about far more than herps. There are a lot of other animals that have caused substantial problems for people and environments where they have been released.
Better legislation needs to be on the books regarding pet shops as well, and the shops' responsibility to ensure that their staff and customers are well-educated on the nature and care requirements of their pets. One of the big problems that triggered one of the bills, as well as strong protests from local herp societies, was the way that major chains like PetCo were selling iggies with flat-out lies about the ease of care of such pets, nothing about how big they get, or how difficult they are to maintain. I've walked into far too many local pet shops and seen how poorly exotic pets are cared for, and the sheer ignorance of the staff, and lack of information available to prospective owners.
