As you may have noticed...

[GarterGeek]

I recently heard a story about a monitor getting classified as a "venomous tree-climbing alligator", so...

The problem is global. No matter what country and political system, it's always the people with the least knowledge that get to make the laws.

If it wasn't such a serious problem, I would probably laugh. What's worse is that most people actually think that those in charge know what they're doing. I had someone (a very nice open-to-snakes-person) ask me whether my baby snakes were weened off their mother's milk yet.

[Stefan-A]

If it wasn't such a serious problem, I would probably laugh. What's worse is that most people actually think that those in charge know what they're doing. I had someone (a very nice open-to-snakes-person) ask me whether my baby snakes were weened off their mother's milk yet.

To be fair, according to the owner, they were trying to find something to charge the him with and there were no laws against keeping lizards.

[mustang]

Hey thattle show em!!! Get a big lizard like a tegu!!!!!!

[ConcinusMan]

To be fair, according to the owner, they were trying to find something to charge the him with and there were no laws against keeping lizards.

Wording. It's all in the wording. A poorly written law that required that classification to make it apply to that particular lizard.

I know that African clawed frogs have been banned as a pet in many places, and WA followed suit with the CA ban, but I still find them in pet stores, usually as albinos. My point is, they call them "Albino domestic frogs" and get away with it.

The OP is stuck with a well written law in a strict state, that has a specific list of ALLOWED species. No room for creative wording there.