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.

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.

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