Multiple White House sources have confirmed that the Obama administration has approved the use of armed drones in the fight against the invasive Burmese python, pending clearance by the Federal Aviation Administration. While the use of armed drones to eliminate threats outside U.S. borders has become rather commonplace, this is the first time that the weapons have been approved for use inside the United States.

"This is an escalation that we don't think the pythons are prepared for. We hope the technology will give us an edge." said one unnamed official. When asked about the $1,200,000 per missile/python cost he replied, "They're eating endangered wood rats. And they are putting American snakes out of work. They have to be stopped before they make the I-10 corridor. Once that happens, we'll start finding em in El Paso, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle...then it's game over. The Canadians are even less prepared than we are."

Both Lockheed-Martin and Northrop-Grumman are said to be preparing drone-based python remediation programs, as are European defense contractors SAAB and MBB. Brazil's Embraer is said to have a head start after developing a similar drone based Anaconda remediation program for it's neighbor Venezuela, but faces challenges selling in the U.S. market after it's Super Tucano deal got hung up in congressional red-tape. "We are the only ones that have actual field experience using laser guided weapons from high altitude to remove yellow Anacondas, the Israelis have only gotten theirs to work with Sand Vipers, and then only with the nominate species Vipera ammodytes" said Embraer's Python Project Manager Pedro Borbón."The Israelis have no jungles to test in as well, all of their work has been in the desert. That might be fine once the pythons reach New Mexico and Arizona, but that cedes the pythons the entire gulf coast."

Other American defense contractors are hard at work on their own remediation products, services and proposals, some less high-tech than others. World Ultradyne Security Systems, formerly a division of Blackwater Associates, is putting its former special forces operatives to work training "A Teams", or action teams, of specially trained mongoose, to hunt out the pythons on the ground. "We' have 100,000 of these rodents ready and trained so far, we are just waiting on the go ahead from the Park Service and USF&W to insert them into the Everglades with a large scale airdrop from C-130 transport aircraft. We're not going to win this until we put boots on the ground, four tiny jump boots at a time" Said Earl Wycleff, former Army Ranger and program manager. When asked about the possibility that the mongoose themselves may not return, and in turn become established Ultradyne has already considered that and is preparing "B Teams" of cougars to release and remediate any mongoose that fail to return. And if the cougars become established? "Bears. Bears are cougars' natural enemy, so we are working with bears. The Russian bears seem easiest to train, probably due to their extensive circus background."

http://nraac.orgThe National Reptile and Amphibian Advisory Council has been re-born to run an annual symposium on reptiles, amphibians, and the law.

In 1997, John Cherry of Cherryville Farms, Stephen Hammack from the Fort Worth Zoo and HISS, and I had dinner after a Texas Reptile Expo in Arlington. By the time our dinner ended, we had convinced ourselves that the reptile community needed a lobbying organization and we were the only three idiots silly enough to take on such a task.

We had decided to use the then-new power of the Internet to start, manage, market and run the organization. Thus the original incarnation of NRAAC was born.

When we put the organization to bed in late 2001 it had been quite successful for what it was, with a membership in excess of 17,000 and active "cells" in 20 or more states across the U.S., working primarily on state laws and regulations. We had some success in Texas, California and a few other states, but by the time we ended it, the need for the organization had lessened significantly. Additionally, kingsnake.com had overwhelmed my schedule. We had learned much about what to do and not to do when running a lobbying organization, and we all swore never to do anything like that again.

After this weekend's summit, a number of people in the community -- those who could and those who couldn't attend the summit meeting in Chicago -- and I are exploring the idea of a Reptile and Amphibian Law Symposium that would be 3-4 days of panels, workshops and seminars on federal, state, and international laws and regulations and the people and organizations they impact.

While the summit itself is a good place to receive a "State of the Union" address, the limited time allowed and the distractions of an attached reptile expo limit the amount of real work and networking that might be accomplished.

As we hope to extend an invitation to virtually everyone with an interest in reptile laws, we have created an open group on Facebook, "neutral ground", that will allow anyone to submit their ideas and input. The group description says it best:

"I am looking for people who would like to discuss the proposal/idea of a reptile and amphibian laws and regulations symposium, to be 3-4 days of workshops and talks with all parties with a vested interest, including zoos, universities, all state FW & DNR, USFW, USDA and other interested parties. No reptile expo, no banquet, no auction, completely un-commercial and neutral - just work - if you are interested in participating in this discussion, or possibly assisting/volunteering/participating in this symposium please reply to this thread, or/and send me an email. "

Almost 100 people have already joined the group and are offering input, including Marshall Meyers of PIJAC who posted the following in support:

"PIJAC, in conjunction with several other national organizations representing zoos, marine parks/aquariums, sport fishing and hunting, food aquaculture, etc., plan on hosting a summit meeting to review problems encountered related to possession, trading, importing, exporting, captive breeding, etc. of non-native species...

Your idea of holding a symposium to pull together thoughts, problems, etc within the reptile/amphibian community that could be synthesized and submitted at the overall summit meeting would be most beneficial. In fact this could set the stage for other taxa...."

There is more to Marshall's post, where he reveals more about PIJAC's summit, as well as a new injurious Risk Screening methodology being tested by USFWS that will screen 1,400 species this year and may be one of a number of solutions to our issues with injurious and invasive species. But to read it and to participate in planning the reptile and amphibian law symposium, you will need to join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/344339472269726/

It was perhaps more than a wee bit ironic that St. Patrick famously "drove" the snakes from Ireland, and on the day celebrating him the reptile community would be gathered in Chicago, where they turn the river green in his honor, to discuss a possible similar fate. Nonetheless there were plenty of reptile and amphibian hobbyists that turned out for Saturdays herp law summit and expo decked in green to celebrate, in a town that apparently has more Irishman than County Cork. There were perhaps more than a few herpers Sunday morning regretting their Irish blood.

While I was unable to stay for Sundays show due to an early flight out (I got to spend time waiting at the airport with Kevin McCurley from NERD so it wasn't all bad), Saturday's foot traffic was heavy all day, with lots of buyers leaving with full shopping bags, which was bound to make the vendors happy. And there were dozens of vendors from across the country including the Discovery Channel's Swamp Brothers, longtime herpers Stephen and Robbie Keszey at their Glade's Herp Booth, taking pictures with kids and selling reptiles at the same time. Also taking a lot of pictures was Slayer's Kerry King at his Psychotic Exotics booth, who took time out from selling T-shirts and carpet pythons to sign autographs and pose with fans, signing a guitar for the USARK/PIJAC benefit auction later on. His first trip to the Chicago Expo, he is already making plans to return for the fall show, if his tour schedule allows. The Boaphile Jeff Ronne also made an appearance, with both cages and boas, providing a refreshing break in what appeared to be a sea of ball pyon color morphs, and crushing rumors he himself had started regarding the death of his famous beard.

Jim Nesci with Cold Blooded Creatures and Bubba his alligator were there too, out in the lobby, giving kids and adults alike an opportunity to get a hands on educational experience with one of natures oldest reptiles. Cold Blooded Creatures was but one of the many educational groups and organizations with booths at this weekends expo, and Saturday was filled with reptile talks by people like the Swamp Brothers, Brian Barczyk and kingsnake.com's own Cindy Steinle.

To check out over 200 pictures from yesterdays events head over to our Reptile Summit Photo Gallery.

Last night's reptile law legal summit in Tinley Park, Illinois, brought together a group of approximately 400 reptile owners, businesses, clubs and organizations to discuss the legal issues facing the herpetology community.

Leading off the summit was an outline and discussion of the recently launched Burmese Python Initiative, a rescue program initiated by Bill Brandt and Ben Siegel. With the pending listing of the Burmese Python as "injurious" by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the BPI hopes to provide options and answers to Burmese Python owners across the U.S.

This was followed by a proposal by Justin Meitz, of the Reno Herp Society, to start a National Herpetelogical Society to act as an top level organization connecting local herpetological societies into a connected network, in order to share resources and give the herp societies a voice at the national level. This is an organization that has long been needed by the community, and kingsnake.com fully supports the effort to provide a "national backbone" to these local herp clubs and groups.

USARK's Andrew Wyatt provided a historical overview of the USARK organization, what it has accomplished, and what it does with the funds it collects, and spoke about upcoming issues that need to be addressed by the community. Mike Canning, President of PIJAC (Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council), presented a similar overview of their organization as well and its role is in the fight to keep pet reptiles legal in the US.

Finally, a panel discussion on current and forthcoming legal challenges facing the reptile world was held with the leaders of these organizations, as well as noted members of the community. Questions were taken both from the audience and from submissions made via the Internet. The frustration of many in the room was felt, and at times it seeped into the questions, and answers. After nearly two hours the panel discussion wound down, leaving some members of the audience and panelists with few real answers (and even more questions than they had at the beginning), but many good directions and ideas.

While the idea of a Reptile Law Summit is a good one, in reality the time allotted did not allow for anything more than a surface discussion of the matters at hand. It is time for the community to consider holding a pure reptile law symposium and workshop, not buttressed by or conflicting with a Reptile Expo, to give reptile owners, businesses, and organizations more work space and time to coordinate efforts, share experiences and develop tools and strategies to more effectively deal with the issues we will face in the future, both near and far.

Eleven-year-old Tyshaun Grant was in stable condition at University of Chicago Comer’s Children’s Hospital following a shooting near West 59th Street and South Stewart Avenue in Chicago at around 4 p.m. yesterday. The incident occurred while he and his friends were looking for snakes around railroad tracks in Chicago. According to MSNBC:

Community activist Andrew Holmes said the boys were looking for snakes near the railroad tracks when two men in bandanas walked up and shot the child.

Kingsnsake.com is working to obtain more information, but a number of people. companies, and organizations in the reptile community are planning to host a fundraiser for the little snake hunter's medical expenses at this weekend's Reptile Law Summit and North American Reptile Breeders Conference in Tinley Park near Chicago.

Spearheaded by NARBC's Brian Potter, donation jars and a silent auction have already been planned for the event, and an online donation system has been set up at Chip In. The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council has already pledged a donation, as have kingsnake.com and others in the community and industry. Items for the auction can be sent to 14416 John Humphrey Dr, Orland Park, Il, 60462, but with the limited time an online donation might be the better option for most.

Stay tuned here at kingsnake.com for more information on Tyshaun Grant's condition and to find out how you can help the little snake hunter.

Ohio is set to hold it's first hearing on the proposed "Dangerous Wild Animal" bill tomorrow, and a number of pet reptiles are listed in the legislation, directly impacting thousands of reptile owners and businesses in the midwest. Senate Bill 310 sets forth conditions for ownership of certain “restricted snakes” requiring extensive and expensive permitting, as well as up to $500,000 in liability insurance. The following snakes are considered “restricted snakes” in Senate Bill 310:

• Green anacondas;
  
• Yellow anacondas;
  
• Reticulated pythons;
  
• Indian pythons;
  
• Burmese pythons;
  
• North African rock pythons;
  
• South African rock pythons;
  
• Amethystine pythons;
  
• Boa constrictors
  
• Species of the Family Atractaspididae;
  
• Species of the Family Elapidae;
  
• Species of the Family Viperidae;
  
• Boomslang snakes;
  
• Twig snakes; and
  
• Any other snakes designated by the Director
  

To read more about Ohio's "Dangerous Wild Animal" bill, and how you can offer your input, click below to read PIJAC's PetALERT...

kingsnake.com is again one of the sponsors of this weekends Reptile Law Summit, as well as the North American Reptile Breeders Conference, and I would like to invite anyone with an interest in reptile laws, or the organizations involved with representing pet owners, to attend the meeting Friday night in Tinley Park, Illinois, just outside Chicago. Please make sure to bring any questions, issues, or concerns you may have regarding regulatory issues at the state or federal level, or with the organizations involved, with you to the meeting.

I am scheduled to be a panelist Friday night representing kingsnake.com, along with PIJAC's Mike Canning, USARK's Andrew Wyatt, Gary Bagnall from Zoomed and others from the reptile industry and community, where we will be discussing the federal regulation of Burmese Pythons as well as other legal issues facing our community. Hopefully we can address some of your questions and concerns and maybe arrive at some solutions together.

Reptile Law Summit Schedule - March 16,2012 7:00 PM Ben Siegel - Burmese Python Initiative 7:15 PM Andrew Wyatt – USARK President 7:45 PM Mike Canning – PIJAC President

8:15 PM Panel Discussion Bill Brant – PIJAC Board Member Mike Canning – PIJAC President Ben Siegel – Burmese Python Initiative Andrew Wyatt – USARK President Joan Galvin – USARK Board Member Gary Bagnall – USARK Board Member Mike Wilbanks – Constrictors Unlimited Jeff Barringer - kingsnake.com Others - TBA

Cindy Steinle and myself will be posting updates and hopefully providing audio and video interviews from the site, so if you are unable to attend please make sure to check in here at kingsnake.com for regular on-scene reports. The Reptile Law Summit meeting Friday night is FREE! ~ for more information on the Reptile Law Summit please visit the NARBC web site at http://narbc.com. Please drop us a note here and let us know if you will be attending.

After a late night session, the City Council of Chula Vista, California has removed proposed restrictions regarding reptiles from its upcoming overhaul of pet laws after receiving input from local pet owners and businesses. More than 35 local reptile owners were able to attend the meeting, after receiving word of the proposal only yesterday. Though some had to leave early, most stayed and were able to work with the Mayor and Council to modify the proposal and table the reptile restrictions.

Loren Leigh of LLL Reptile was one of those business and reptile owners that was able to drop everything and help rally reptile owners to the council chambers. I was able to speak with Loren briefly today about what was on the table and whet they got accomplished.

To listen to the interview click here.

Despite the input of thousands of reptile owners and businesses, today the Florida Independent is reporting that the U.S. House Judiciary Committee passed H.R. 511, a bill that would add nine species of constrictor snakes to the the list of injurious species under the Lacey Act, clearing the way for a vote by the full House of Representatives later in the year.

Quick to release a statement, the HSUS is already pushing to take the next step.

“The House Judiciary Committee recognized that the trade in large, constricting snakes is reckless and irresponsible, putting people, ecosystems and the animals that live in them, and the snakes themselves at risk,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. “We hope that the bill is scheduled for a vote on the House floor soon, and that the Senate takes up the matter expeditiously.”

The read the full text of the article at the Florida Independent click here

The next step for H.R. 511 is the full House of Representatives, where it will have to be voted on and pass, and from there to the U.S. Senate, and then to the President, a process that can take days, or months depending on the impetus of the bill. If you are a pet owner concerned or impacted by the implications of this proposed legislation, please make sure to let your House of Representatives member know how it impacts you and your family.

The Chula Vista, California City Council will discuss an overhaul of the city’s current animal laws tomorrow at its Tuesday, February 28th meeting. Among the amendments presented in this wide-ranging, proposed ordinance is a ban on certain “wild animals” and other provisions that impact reptile owners and businesses.

This proposal bans the sale, possession for sale, importation or breeding of a wild animal, and declares that “no person may possess or maintain the following:”

• venomous reptiles;
  
• birds attaining an adult weight of over 15 pounds;
  
• rodents attaining an adult weight of over 10 pounds;
  
• any crocodilian (Order Crocodilia);
  
• all boa and python species (Family Boidae) attaining an adult weight of over 15 pounds or an adult overall length of over 3 ½ feet;
  
• all monitor lizard species.

For a complete list of the animals impacted by the ordinance refer to the full text of the proposal located here. The proposal states that this ordinance will take effect, and be in full force, on the 13th day after its adoption. The proposal is set to be discussed at the February 28, 2012 City Council meeting (Council Chambers, City Hall – 276 Fourth Avenue, 4:00 p.m.). All pet owners, pet business operators and anyone else affected by this proposal should attend the meeting and contact the council.

Thanks again to PIJAC for bringing this to our attention.

The floor was busy at the North American Reptile Breeders Conference on Saturday and Sunday as thousands of people from the D/FW Metroplex converged on the Arlington Expo Center to learn about, look at, and take home reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and all sorts of cool stuff. Though not Texas oldest (the East Texas Herp Society event takes that honor), the NARBC expo is currently the largest regular reptile and amphibian event in Texas, drawing vendors and visitors from both coasts.

kingsnake.com was there displaying our "field observation vehicle" that we are preparing for this years field work, as well as handing out thousands of kingsnake.com window stickers.

Both PIJAC and USARK had booths and spent a good deal of time talking with pet owners and breeders about the current regulatory issues our community faces. An auction of reptile and amphibian related items with proceeds benefiting both organizations was held Saturday and raised over $18,000.00. PIJAC sent their new president to Arlington, Mike Canning, and it was good to finally meet with him and talk about the issues. Look for a web radio interview here on kingsnake.com with Mike to talk about what PIJAC thinks about the reptile regulatory scene in the near future.

The next NARBC show is the upcoming Reptile Law Summit in Chicago (Tinley Park), Illinois on March 17-18 and I would encourage anyone with questions, concerns, problems, issues and suggestions regarding state and federal reptile and amphibian laws and regulations, or the organizations (PIJAC, USARK) representing our community to attend. For more information on the Reptile Law Summit and who will be attending please visit the NARBC web site at http://narbc.com. To see pictures from last weekends NARBC Arlington expo, or to upload your own, please visit kingsnake.coms photo gallery.

On Friday South Carolina announced proposed new legislation that impacts reptile owners, as well as owners of exotic mammals. South Carolina's Senate Bill S 1204 Exotic Animal and Reptile Control and Regulation Act places new restrictions, regulations and penalties on owners of the following reptile species; Reticulated Python, Python reticulatus; Burmese Python, Python molurus; African Rock Python, Python sebae; Amethystine Python, Morelia amethistina and Green Anaconda, Eunectes murinus or any of their subspecies or hybrids, as well as Crocodilians and Venomous species.

Has there ever a reptile regulatory proposal that could be considered good for the reptile community? If so this might be one of them, or at the least considerably less onerous than most of the other proposed state regulations. Unlike many of the other proposals currently being considered by other states this legislation does not appear to ban the possession, sale or ownership of these animals, but appears to add caging requirements, safety restrictions and legal penalties for non-compliance, as well as legal penalties for intentional release. These are all things that responsible reptile owners should already be doing, it just makes them legally mandatory and raises the bar of professionalism in our community and industry.

As a community, and an industry we should expect to be regulated, few industries go without regulation. We can either work with these agencies, state and federal, to develop workable legislation or we can work against them. I would venture that working against them thus far has met with limited success.

To see the reptile portion of the proposed bill, click below

Fifteen years is a looong time.

On February 8, 1997 kingsnake.com first appeared on the internet; It has been 5,478 days, or 137,952 hours, or 8,277,120 minutes from when our servers first went active. Since then our reptile and amphibian community has been visited by millions of people from around the world who have posted millions of photos and messages about their pets. Yahoo and Amazon.com may be older, but Google, YouTube, and of course Facebook are still our junior.

When I first started this web site few reptile people had even seen the internet, now the internet is so ingrained in our daily lives, in our community, and in our industry, we wonder how we were able to function without it. Along the way kingsnake.com has documented much of it, good and bad, and stored in it's archives is essentially a history of the reptile communities last decade and a half. Wading through it brings back a lot of memories of great animals, events, experiences, and friends that have long past. It will be interesting to see what changes the next 15 years bring.

kingsnake.com will be celebrating it's 15th anniversary all year at a variety of Reptile and Amphibian events, including this weekends NARBC expo in Arlington Texas. Please stop by our booth, pick up a free kingsnake.com window sticker and let us know how long you have been reading kingsnake.com! If you can't make it to this weekends show then tune in here for updates from the expo floor.

I want to thank the many users, advertisers, sponsors, volunteers, and staffers who have made kingsnake.com what it is today: the largest, most relevant, and most popular reptile community on the internet. - Jeff Barringer

Click below to see images of kingsnake.com throughout the years...

Yet another state, Illinois, has proposed a law on "Dangerous Animals" that includes constrictor snakes. The Illinois Dangerous Animals Act of 2012, Senate Bill SB3264, introduced by Sen. Heather A. Steans on Wednesday identifies a class of animals that qualify as dangerous animals, requires that a person must hold a Dangerous Animal Permit or a Limited Entry Permit to possess a dangerous animal in the State and sets forth requirements that must be met before the Department of Natural Resources may issue a Dangerous Animal Permit or a Limited Entry Permit, among other things.

According to the bill as proposed reptiles and amphibians impacted by this legislation include:

(14) Venomous reptiles, regardless of whether they have been surgically altered, including, but not limited to, venomous species of the following families or genera of the order Squamata: Helodermatidae, such as gila monsters and beaded lizards; Elapidae, such as cobras and coral snakes; Hydrophiidae, such as sea snakes; Viperidae and Crotalinae, such as vipers and pit vipers; Atractaspididae, such as burrowing asps; as well as colubrids such as the: Alsophis, such as the West Indian racers; Boiga, such as boigas and mangrove snakes; Conophis such as road guarders; Dispholidus, such as Boomslang; Hydrodynastes, such as false water cobras; Hemirhagerrhis, such as bark snakes; Macropisthodon, such as varied or hooded keelbacks; Madagascarophis, such as Madagascar common snakes; Malpolon, such as Montpellier snakes; Mimophis, such as Mahafaly sand snakes; Phalotris, such as
collared snakes; Philodryas, such as palm snakes or green racers; Psammophis, such as sand snakes or racers; Psammophylax, such as skaapstekers; Rhabdophis, such as keelbacks; Rhamphiophis, such as beaked snakes; Tachymenis, such as slender snakes or false vipers; Thelotornis, such as Twig snakes; Thrasops, such as black tree snakes; Tomodon, such as Pampas snakes; Waglerophis, such as Wagler's snakes; Xenodon, such as false fer-de-lances; Boiga irregularis, including specimens or eggs of the brown tree snake; and any others that the Department designates, by administrative rule, as outlined or deemed medically significant.

(15) All members of the Boidae family, such as boas, pythons, and anacondas as provided by the Department by administrative rule.
(16) All members of the order Crocodilia, such as crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gavials; members of the Varanidae family, such as Nile, water, and crocodile monitors as well as Komodo dragons.
(17) Medically significant poisonous amphibians capable of causing bodily harm to humans or animals, including, but not limited to, Bufo marinus, such as cane or marine toads, and Bufo alvarius, such as Colorado River toads.

Just for good measure they have also included a variety of spiders and scorpions as well.

Thanks to Jeff West for bringing this to my attention.

To read the full text of the bill as introduced, please continue reading...

According to a PIJAC Pet Alert released this morning, one of the proposed bills to prohibit ownership of various species of animals in Virginia has been put on hold while the sponsor, Delegate Chris Peace (R), considers a number of changes. HB 1242, as originally written, would have prohibited the possession, sale, transfer, or breeding of certain listed species, subject to some statutory exceptions. Species subject to the proposed ban included:

• All species and hybrids of the genera Canis (wolves and related species), Cuon (dholes), Lycaon (African wild dogs), and Chrysocyon (maned wolves); excluding Canis lupus familiaris (domestic dogs) and Canis lupus familiaris hybrids
  
• All species and hybrids of the family Felidae (all felids); excluding Felis catus (domestic cats) and Felis catus hybrids
  
• All species and hybrids of bears
  
• All species of hyena and aardwolf
  
• All species of alligators, crocodiles, caimans, and gharials
  
• All species and hybrids of apes, galagos, lemurs, lorises, and monkeys, excluding humans
  
• All species of elephants
  
• All species and hybrids of the family Atractaspididae, such as mole vipers
  
• All species “that may be described as family Pythonidae”
  
• All species and hybrids of the genera Apodora (pythons), Eunectes (anacondas), Liasis (pythons), Morelia (pythons), and Python (pythons); excluding Morelia viridis (green tree pythons), Python anchietae (Angolan pythons), and Python regius (ball or royal pythons)
  
• All species and hybrids of the genera Dispholidus (boomslangs), Rhabdophis (keelbacks), and Thelotornis (twig snakes)
  
• All species of the family Elapidae, “to include all species that may be described as family Hydrophiidae,” such as cobras, mambas, coral snakes, and sea snakes
  
• All species of the family Viperidae, such as rattlesnakes, pit vipers, and puff adders.
  

No further action will occur on HB 1242 this legislative session, but the bill will remain in committee for further consideration during the second year of the session (2013).

"PIJAC will continue working with the sponsor concerning objections to this legislation. Please note that Senate Bill 477, which also bans possession of certain species of animals, remains active at this time. The bill is currently in the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation & Natural Resources. PIJAC is working with interested parties on addressing concerns about this legislation as well. PIJAC will publish an updated PetAlert when there is any change in status on either of these bills. For additional information on these bills, or other legislation impacting the keeping, breeding or selling of pets, please feel free to contact PIJAC’s Michael Maddox at 202-452-1525, ext. 106, or via email at michael@pijac.org with questions or concerns. "

A radio debate over whether citizens of the United States should have the right to own exotic pets is scheduled for tomorrow's The Diane Rehm Show on NPR at 11 AM Eastern Time.

For more information on the show and how and where to tune in, check out the Diane Rehm Show web site.

The right to own pythons, tigers, chimps and other exotic pets depends on where in the US you live. The legal US wildlife industry doesn’t get much national attention unless someone is hurt, an exotic pet gets loose or an ecosystem is damaged. A new report links Burmese pythons released in the Florida Everglades to the severe declines of in the region's mammals. In Ohio police shot and killed dozens of exotic animals including wolves, lions, and bears reportedly set free by their distraught owner. As some fight for more regulation, breeders, brokers and owners of exotic pets say they are being unfairly targeted. Guest host Susan Page and a panel discuss battles over the legal wildlife trade.

Guests
Wayne Pacelle - President and C.E.O. of the Humane Society of the United States
Andrew Wyatt - president of the United States Association of Reptile Keepers
Zuzana Kukol - president and co-founder of Responsible Exotic Animal Ownership (REXANO)
Tim Harrison - director of Outreach for Animals, and advocate group for proper behavior around wildlife

UPDATE: Feb 1, 2013 2:15pm - To listen to an archive of today's Diane Rehm Show you can stream it at http://thedianerehmshow.org/audio-player?nid=15416

Rhode Island is the latest entity to introduce legislation aimed at reptile owners and hobbyists. Introduced by Senators Tassoni, Lynch, Perry, and Pinga Senate Bill 2033 proposes a ban on the ownership of pythons and boa constrictors in Rhode Island, giving reptile hobbyists in the tiny state a double dose of regulation indigestion. Should it become law, anyone found in possession of these animals will face fines of at least $1,000. The bill as introduced prohibits ownership of the following: Alligators. Crocodiles. Pythons, and Boa constrictors.

To read the bill as introduced, click here. Although Rhode Island is a pleasant enough vacation spot, it is hardly habitat that would allow any of the proposed species to sustainably reproduce and become invasive. Additionally the bill as written provides no direction as to what to do with the animals currently in public hands, nor provisions to grandfather them in. Thanks to PIJAC for the heads up ~

The reptile world is in mourning this week after losing two of it's own, people that changed the reptile world for everyone in a good way and whose loss leaves big holes in our communiuty.

Center for North American Herpetology Co-founder and Director Joseph T. Collins suffered a heart attack and died on 14 January 2012 in Florida. Joe Collins was the driving force behind the Center for North American Herpetology. The CNAH brings a variety of herp news, some of it shared here on this page, and provided a data bank for researchers and professionals across the country a central networking data base. His list of books that he authored is immense and I would venture to say most herpers own at least one. His passion for the field was obvious and it was in the field herping that he left this community.

But for others who knew him more intimately, Joe was a major inspiration. Mike Rochford, a wildlife research assistant for the University of Florida, knew Joe, and his life's path was forever changed because of that. From Mike:

He was just an all-around great guy. He could always make you smile, laugh, or get excited about the future. He was the brains behind the Kansas Herpetological Society, the number one state herp society in the nation. And he had the ability to excite a passion among people in that state that will never be rivaled. In fact, KHS field trips brought in many people from other states as the reputation for a good time and great herping became more and more well-known. The state of Kansas really lost a champion for wildlife. Joe was "The Crocodile Hunter" before that ever became cool. And by that I mean he inspired a lot of people with his enthusiasm.

Andy Price, former state herpetologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife died January 16th, 2012, at Christopher House in Austin, TX, after a long fight against Multiple Myeloma. He was an avid field herpetologist and worked for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department from 1986 to 2008. From 2009-2010, Andy worked with the Texas Natural Science Center and taught at Southwestern University. Andy was passionate about fieldwork and was granted awards for his lifetime efforts in conservation of Texas reptiles and amphibians by the Southwestern Association of Naturalists and Texas Herpetological Society. He was given the Southwest Book Award for Literary Excellence for his book, Amphibians and Reptiles of New Mexico. He was Editor- in-Chief for the Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles from 1994 to his death.

I was long time friends with Andy, we sat on many committees, panels, and discussions groups together and I and all the other Texas herpers that had a close bond with him will miss him greatly. And Andy was a friend to kingsnake.com, participating in the site in many ways. Andy was a kingsnake.com chat week guest way back in 2002. You can read the transcript here. I will miss Andy deeply. His sense of humor got me through some bad times and long meetings.

Both Joe and Andy will be missed greatly by our community and their loss will be felt by all in many ways. Donations in Andy's name should be sent to support the “Field Research” section of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Grants in Herpetology program: Dr. Kirsten Nicholson, SSAR Treasurer, Museum of Cultural and Natural History, 103 Rowe Hall, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859.

Thanks to Cindy for helping with this post ~

The USF&W Invasive Species Listing for the Burmese Python, Yellow Anaconda, and Rock Pythons will appear in tomorrows Federal Register, and here at kingsnake.com we have received a pre-release copy. At 161 pages the document is not light reading and is bound to make many in the reptile world upset.

One of the nuggets gleaned in a quick scan is this gem -

Many commenters stated that responsible owners would release or euthanize their snakes if this rule passed. We do not believe that this would be the case since pet owners will still be allowed to keep their snakes and sell or give them away within their State.

Considering the whole premise of the Burmese Python "problem" is based on the governments repeated statements that these are animals that have been released into the wild by exactly those same people, that makes this claim hard to justify.

To download and read the whole document, click here.

This morning United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the Burmese python, the yellow anaconda, and the northern and southern African pythons would be added to the Lacey act as injurious wildlife in order to restrict their spread in the wild in the United States.

“Burmese pythons have already caused substantial harm in Florida,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “By taking this action today, we will help prevent further harm from these large constrictor snakes to native wildlife, especially in habitats that can support constrictor snake populations across the southern United States and in U.S. territories.”

Ashe said the Service will continue to consider listing as injurious the five other species of nonnative snakes that the agency also proposed in 2010 – the reticulated python, boa constrictor, DeSchauensee’s anaconda, green anaconda and Beni anaconda.

To read the official release, please see http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Announces-Ban-on-Importation-and-Interstate-Transportation-of-Four-Giant-Snakes-that-Threaten-Everglades.cfm

After a five year plus battle and despite the best efforts of the reptile community, it is being reported by the Miami Herald that the U.S. is set to approve a federal ban on Burmese Pythons and most likely African Rock Pythons as well, next week during the presidents stop in Florida.

Under a rule that has been the subject of five years of lobbying and debate in Washington, the United States intends to declare the Burmese python an “injurious’’ species, which would make it illegal to import or sell the snakes across state lines. At least one other species that has been found in the Glades, the African rock python, also is expected to be included on the “injurious’’ list that originally included nine large constrictors.

As yet there is no word on the other 7 species on the proposed list, including Reticulated Pythons and Boa Constrictors, but watch this space for further news updates as they come in.

For more information on the expected announcement see
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/16/2592593/us-set-to-approve-python-ban.html

We spent some time over the holidays sprucing up and fixing a variety of pages on kingsnake.com, including building a brand new advertising rate page.

The new page makes it easier for our advertisers and sponsors to locate all current kingsnake.com advertising options and rates and access advertising accounts such as the classifieds, sponsorships, and banners. The new rates page includes a much more detailed overview of kingsnake.com's services and many samples and examples of our various ad platforms, including our new low cost "Featured" advertisements.

Included in the new rates page is an advertiser tools tab with links not only to purchase options but also to advertising account management options and tools and third party demographic information. The advertiser tools tab is likely to appear later on other pages on kingsnake.com where it is applicable. To check out kingsnake.com's new advertising rates page, see http://www.kingsnake.com/services/

Unfortunately something you will no longer find on our rates page is a purchase with PayPal option. Due to a variety of repeated and continuing issues we have decided to suspend our payment processing with PayPal, once again, and for now will be utilizing Google's Checkout/Wallet system to process credit cards. It will take a few days to completely remove PayPal from all our systems, so until then please continue to use PayPal if you wish to do so.

To give our site members more flexibility and payment options, kingsnake.com has transitioned its online payment processing systems to support both Paypal and Google Wallet payment systems. Both systems give our users a number of credit and debit card payment options as well as the ability to use their Paypal accounts.

We hope to incorporate some of both platforms' mobile capabilities in later revs of the mobi version of kingsnake.com's classifeds, slated to be released as a BETA this week! Check back here for more info as it becomes available.

* please note - there may be some "funkiness" for the next week as we get the Google Wallet system implemented properly, so please bear with us.

The rumors are true!

kingsnake.com is preparing for spring 2012 in a big way by building out a monster off-road vehicle for observing reptiles in the field and then taking it cross country - and we plan to take the web site along!

The plans are to equip the truck with all sorts of cool mobile technology for both filming and broadcasting live from the field and then cross the country on a epic snake hunting trip to Americas legendary herp spots in Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and more! Along the way we'll be stopping and saying hello to some of North Americas' favorite herpers, hopefully talking a few of them into showing us around.

Time is short, we plan on making our first trip in March or April down to the Mexican Milk Snake haunts of South Texas, so we have a lot to do to get "The Beast" prepared and precious few days to do it. As seen in the photo the 1990 Chevrolet Suburban is currently being stripped to primer in preparation to being completely covered in bedliner, to give it a "hardened" exterior. We are as yet undecided whether to paint big yellow tiger stripes over the black bedliner, but don't be surprised if we do.

Once painted the electronics work begins, with the truck becoming a 4G Wifi "hotspot" with onboard computers and tablets and a monster audio/video system. The Suburban will also be equipped with cameras and lights on the front, rear, and sides. When we are done we plan on having the most high tech field herping rig on the planet.

Check back here for updates on our progress or send us an email if your interested in sponsoring kingsnake.com's 2012 cross country trek.

The kingsnake.com Business Directory has some brand new features, and we're making them available to our customers for free!

We've been upgrading the Directory, and we're just about finished with the first stage, which includes listing specific breeders in the appropriate classified advertising categories -- a powerful business-driver! We'll also be adding these same Directory tabs to the forums later this week, opening your listings up to a whole new market.

If your business has a Storefront, Hosting, or Business Directory account, please sign in and review and update your listing keywords to make sure your business is listed in the appropriate classified categories.

This is a FREE upgrade to your existing account, so please take time and add the appropriate keywords to your listing as it will have the potential to add your link to thousands of pages on kingsnake.com!

To update your listing please go to http://www.pethobbyist.com/myaccount/bus_dir.php

If you don't have a business listing on kingsnake.com yet, you can purchase one at
http://www.kingsnake.com/breeder.html.

Also - please make sure to add your Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter links to your business listing!

Please note - this system is on a cache so your changes will not appear immediately, you will usually see them within 2 hours.

Below the jump is a listing of the keywords that will cause your listing to appear in the appropriate classified category (dry goods and supplies will be added later).

After a long long wait heavy metal band Slayer returned to kingsnake.com's hometown, Austin, Texas, bringing not only Kerry King, who showed me some neat pics of an albino carpet python he recently added to his collection, but also with Exodus's Gary Holt, filling in for Slayer's Jeff Hanneman, still recovering from necrotizing fasciitis after a nasty spider bite earlier this spring.

Gary is also a herper who has kept a number of reptiles over the years and I got to talk to him a bit about his favorite herps. Slayer is not on tour, this was a one off show, but will be touring again most likely early next year. We hope to get an interview going with both Gary and Kerry over the holidays.

Check out the article and photos at on club kingsnake. for more info on Kerry King, Gary Holt and Slayer's Austin experience. Part 1 is up now, look for part 2 on Wednesday.

In the wake of the awful tragedy that left dozens of exotics dead, their carcasses piled in the mud by authorities like so many trash bags on the side of the road, awful law proposals against the owners of "exotic" pets have begun.

First out of the gate in Ohio is House Bill No. 352, an emergency exotic law that appears to prevent ownership of most, if not all, pet snakes -- even the lowly pet corn snake.

A wide and sweeping proposal that so lacks details and definition that it essentially encompasses virtually any pet snake, HB 352 outlaws the possession of "A constricting snake."

Since the proposal fails to define what a "constricting snake" is, and since the overwhelming majority of snakes considered non-venomous are known to subdue their prey by "constriction," virtually every pet snake kept in the State of Ohio, which is likely to be in the hundreds of thousands if not millions, would be considered illegal under the ban.

Current Ohio residents who own a "constricting snake" would have 60 days to register if they met the state's criteria. The proposal is unclear as to what happens to people and their animals if they do not meet the state's registration criteria.

I would encourage all residents of Ohio to contact their elected representatives and ask them to clarify the proposal, specifically detailing the animals they intend to restrict, so that their laws allow people to keep their pet corn snakes and other "non-dangerous" snakes, and focus on the truly dangerous animals they really intend to restrict. And for pet owners in other states, be on the look out for more poorly-written laws headed your way, too.

To read the bill in its entirety please look at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_HB_352_I_N.html.

(Note. Originally this article referenced Garter Snakes as it's example and it was pointed out to me by a noted wildlife artist that Garter Snakes are not considered "true constrictors" so rather than argue semantics and field observations, the article has been changed to use the ubiquitous Corn Snake, perhaps the most commonly pet snake, equally non-dangerous, and without doubt a "true constrictor". Thank you John for keeping me honest. If I am asking them to be specific I need to be equally specific. And thanks to EricWi for bringing this legislation to my attention.)

Authorities near Zanesville, Ohio, have shot and killed 30 of the estimated 48 exotic animals, including lions, bears, camels, and cheetahs, known to have escaped from an Ohio animal sanctuary after the owner's death yesterday. Authorities have yet to release information into the owners cause of death, though they have said it was not "suspicious."

The Humane Society of the United States has already jumped into the fray, urging Ohio to immediately issue emergency restrictions on the sale and possession of "dangerous wild animals."

"How many incidents must we catalogue before the state takes action to crack down on private ownership of dangerous exotic animals," Humane Society Wayne Pacelle said in a statement.

Reptile owners and keepers in Ohio should look for even more regulatory efforts in the coming days, weeks, and months as this will exacerbate an already problematic situation for Ohio exotic pet and reptile hobbyists. For all the latest updates on this developing story check out Google News.