This past Friday the Boa Constrictor was at risk of being classified as an “injurious” species and restricted from further interstate commerce. Four large constrictors were added to the list (Reticulated Python, and a few varieties of Anacondas), but luckily the Boa Constrictor was not added to the list. The reason that they were “banned” from further interstate commerce is because some believe that there is a substantial risk of these snakes being “invasive” wildlife in nature.
It has been shown that some of these varieties of snakes are, in fact, surviving and living in the wild in parts of Florida. I agree that these animals should be restricted within Florida and perhaps a few adjacent States. However, the US Fish and Wildlife has chosen to treat this as a national problem, as Federal agencies tend to to, instead of letting individual States, who are closer to the people and who are more properly equipped to make appropriate decisions on how to handle these State specific situations.
I am grateful that Boa Constrictors were spared from this list, but am very perturbed and disgusted that the citizens of this country and of individual States are not able to make these decisions. Instead, non elected Federal officials from the US Fish and Wildlife are making these “rules” and destroying the free industry of reptile keeping. This sort of “rule making” that is being done by these federal agencies instead of being passed by a system or process that is under more direct control and oversight by the people or their elected representatives must stop. This is not how legislation was intended to be made and is a gross abuse of federal power. These kinds of decisions should be up to the States and more closely subject to the will of the people.
What makes matters worse is that extreme animal rights groups, such as HSUS (The Humane Society of the United States) are behind the scenes spending their money (that they raise through misleading advertising about helping starving puppies and kittens) to try and push this sort of extreme agenda driven legislation.
I support organizations such as PIJAC and USARK that are attempting to stop this immoral and dishonest legislation from passing. Please support them financially if you care about your right to own any kind of pet animal.
For more information about the constrictor ban, click here.
Here is some more information about the phony animal rights movement. Keep in mind that taking proper care of animals is most definitely something that is important. I deplore intentional animal abuse and am strongly opposed to it, but what I am describing is something different altogether. Take a look below:
http://www.naiaonline.org/articles/article/deception-in-the-name-of-animal-rights