Last Chance to stop the Python and Boa Ban!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

What animal isn't? Piranhas are innocent. Deadly venomous snakes are innocent. Does that mean just anyone should have the right to buy and keep them?

Sorry but I have to LOL at this!!! Piranhas?!?! oh goodness you can't lump those in there.... Piranhas are the biggest wussy fish there is. We have a school of 9 piranhas that are about 4-5 in long so far. The moment you put anything in the tank (your hand) that is unfamiliar they SCAT! They flip out and run for dear life! They hide in the plants and lay on their sides.... even if it's a new and large food item they've never seen before. It takes them about a half hour to work up the courage to swim over to it. Piranhas are incredibly harmless unless you slit your wrists and go for a swim in their native habitat where there are hundreds of thousands of them. They are not bloodthirsty and angry. There is simply no comparison between piranhas, large constrictors and venomous animals.

Also, a grown man couldn't remove the snake for obvious reasons. If you don't know what that reason is, you shouldn't own a large python. Never seen a snake immobilize a prey item, let go and bite again?

an 8 foot, emaciated snake??? Of course he could have removed it. It was only 8 foot. and emaciated. Hell, I could do that. I HAVE done that... Maybe let go and bite one more time to get a better grip....but 3... 4... 5 times? no they don't do that... they bite and hang on for dear life!!!!

[ConcinusMan]

OK Shannon, not every piranha is a wuss just like I have heard that not every burmese python is mean. Seriously? wussy piranhas? Personally I've never seen a tank of piranhas that wouldn't jump out of the tank and latch on to your hand. And those were "pets" purchased in Oregon, but outlawed in WA at the time.(1989 or so?)

From what I understand there is one species that prefers colder water and is fairly large and they are somewhat "wussy". These were tiny mean little red boogers. anyway, that's not the point.

Maybe this particular incident in FL involved a weak emaciated snake. maybe the druggie did commit murder and used the snake as an escape goat. The point is, healthy, well cared for, "tame" pythons have turned on their owners and killed or seriously injured their owners or others. And still, many more snakes suffer from poor care or end up homeless due to inability or unwillingness on the part of the owners. I'm sure more snakes suffer than humans injured by them.

One might argue that dogs are also more dangerous than others. Is that any reason to ban all dogs? heck no. But clearly some breeds are more dangerous than others and the pet trade can thrive without those breeds.

[Stefan-A]

One might argue that dogs are also more dangerous than others. Is that any reason to ban all dogs? heck no. But clearly some breeds are more dangerous than others and the pet trade can thrive without those breeds.

If banning needs to start anywhere, it's with breeds with health problems. That's because it causes suffering to the animal, the owner cannot have any control over that type of problem and there are not really any ways to eliminate the negative aspects of it.

Dangerous animals are a different matter. The owner can actually take measures to make sure no harm is caused and it is ultimately the owner's responsibility to make sure that even a dangerous animal doesn't cause harm, whether that requires more intensive training or even cages for some types. It's not much of a reason to ban an entire breed or a species and it's not much of a consolation that the pet trade can thrive without them. It's overkill. Like trying to prevent breast cancer through mandatory mastectomy.

[WingedWolfPsion]

How about the government NOT getting involved in telling people what they can't keep as a pet? A horse is a large animal that can kick your skull in with one blow of its hoof. People keep them as pets all the time. People get killed by horses. My aunt's arm was broken by her horse. THAT is a dangerous animal.

Let people decide what risks THEY want to take. No one's neighbors are in danger from their pet python.
And no, it really seems vanishingly unlikely that the Burmese in Florida actually killed the child. The man had a history of child abuse--it doesn't take a genius to work out what really happened, particularly given the small size of that snake. If it was a bigger snake, maybe...but not an 8 footer. The entire scenario is hard to buy. This has nothing to do with my wanting the snake to be innocent--this is about the facts of the case. They do not add up.

HSUS is supporting every reptile ban or restriction bill that comes into being. They're also busily attacking the livestock industry, and they're working on putting dog breeders out of business, too. They're support mandatory spay/neuter bills.

We can all live without pets, so should they ban them for our protection? I'm allowed to bungee jump off a hot air balloon, but I can't keep a 6 foot dwarf Burmese because some Senator in Florida said it was going to invade Texas, and the CDC says it might possibly carry salmonella (so might your dog). You think this is right? This is what you want to happen? Let them ban everything that might be remotely dangerous.

Let them take away all of your freedoms, one tiny little thing at a time. You can do that, or you can fight them every step of the way, and make them work for it.

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety"
--Benjamin Franklin

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

One might argue that dogs are also more dangerous than others. Is that any reason to ban all dogs? heck no. But clearly some breeds are more dangerous than others and the pet trade can thrive without those breeds.

This is all I need to read to see that you have been seriously misinformed about dogs...

[ConcinusMan]

@ aSnakeLovinBabe: Well I sure as heck don't see any pomeranians attacking and killing children.

@ WingedWolf: Jeez, as far as that goes, why do we need any law at all? We don't need the govt. telling us what we can and can't do.

[ssssnakeluvr]

dogs kill more people each year in the U.S. than snakes.....

[Stefan-A]

dogs kill more people each year in the U.S. than snakes.....

Well, which kills more people is not really a measurement of how dangerous they are. The focus should be on how large a percentage of dogs and snakes kill people each year. It probably doesn't change the situation, but if they don't exist in equal numbers, they can't be compared directly.

[ssssnakeluvr]

good point.... people kill more people than anything... but they wont ban people

[ConcinusMan]

Well, which kills more people is not really a measurement of how dangerous they are. The focus should be on how large a percentage of dogs and snakes kill people each year. It probably doesn't change the situation, but if they don't exist in equal numbers, they can't be compared directly.

I agree.