Legislation in North Carolina

Update (11-07)
The short version of the story is that it appears we have repelled the efforts of API again in this round. Justice prevailed and our adversaries were sent back to California to plot their next misadventure. I hope to have a more detailed write up in this space so other people can learn from our successful fight and block similar attempts in their home states. Thanks need to go out to a lot of people who sacrificed time and money to the struggle. It was a united effort with many animal owning constituencies involved. Special kudos to our President Andrew Wyatt who has done a remarkable job fighting for our rights.

Update (4-07)
The bill to ban "inherently dangerous animals" has been re-introduced by a new senator as Senate Bill #1477 so we are back to code red status in our struggle to work with the animals. Please support our efforts:  North Carolina Association of Reptile Keepers (NCARK).

Update (8-06)
The North Carolina Association of Reptile Keepers (NCARK) has officially formed. We are in the process of getting our legal status as a non-profit organization. Through our efforts and with the help of others we were successful in killing this bill. However, we expect this legislation to eventually arise again as a new bill. Please visit our web site and read about our efforts to organize reptile keepers and inform the public about the positive aspects of our activities and our animals.

www.ncark.org

Here are photos of our booth at the Raleigh Show in May 2006:

Update (4-16-05):
Possibly good news but this information is not 100% confirmed. Apparently the bill's sponsor has agreed to a re-write in order to improve the bill and better serve all interested parties. He has enlisted the help of some experienced keepers to help him with this process. Now we need to ensure that the changes are reasonable and fair and that the changes will actually be incorporated into the legislation.

Update (4-2-05):
For those that are just tuning in, here are the facts:
Senate Bill #1032 was introduced on the floor of the state Senate in NC on Wednesday March 23. Supporters of the bill tried to push it through immediately but there were objections because the bill had not gone through committee. The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary II Committee on Thursday March 24. For those that don’t have time to read the full bill, here is the part that has an immediate impact on boa enthusiasts:

Under “Definitions”, part c, #2, there is inclusion of the following:
2. Family Boidae – all species whose adult length has the potential to exceed eight feet in length.

Obviously, a simple change in the language to twelve feet would make all the difference for us.

Here is a link that allows you to view the bill and its progress. Click on the “filed” link to view the bill (don’t click on pdf unless you want to wait a while).

Senate Bill #1032

I sent my letter by email on Sunday March 27. My message went to the 21 senators that are immediately involved with this bill – the 20 senators who sit on the Judiciary II Committee and the bill sponsor (link to addresses of 21 senators). As of now, I have received one response to my letter and it was from the bill sponsor himself. The original response was merely a form letter that was received by other hobbyists I know in NC. However, I replied to his message and did receive an additional response. You can read my original letter and the responses received here:

My original letter along with responses

Discouraged by the lack of response, I spent a morning assembling 21 letters which were mailed on Friday April 1. If you want to read an excellent letter advocating for small pythons, take a look at the letter sent by Will Leary of Reptilicus Reptiles:

Letter by Will Leary

Info from Will concerning the ban

I have learned a lot in the past few days and it is not all good news. I have gotten connected with the mammal side of things by way of a boa hobbyist (thanks Nathan) who is also active with a non-profit conservation center working with a variety of threatened species especially the cats. Apparently this legislation has been spearheaded by one particular individual with a serious agenda and serious financial backing. She is the curator of mammals at the NC Zoo. She is also connected with the AZA (American Zoo Association) and PETA (you know what that stands for). She has the financial backing of PETA and these people intend to target states one at a time. I guess it was our turn. This legislation would cause total havoc with the conservation efforts involving mammals in our state. This particular conservation center (as well as most others) would have to be shut down and this would leave many animals homeless. I have learned that this bill does a lot more then just prevent your neighbor from buying a tiger and leashing it to a tree in their back yard. The director of the conservation center has been very proactive and they are now working with an experienced state lobbyist. They do not work with reptiles so she asked if I would be willing to serve as a resource for boas. I have also provided names of people who have expertise with the pythons.

Where does that leave us? I’m not sure. I do know that there are a lot of people working very hard in this state to make sure that experienced, educated voices are heard. However, we need your help. The opposition has national backing through PETA and other animal rights organizations.

We must demonstrate:

1. That boas have MANY supporters world-wide
2. That boas acclimate well to captivity and have a long and successful track record as a captive pet
3. That captive breeding programs have been very successful in supplying the pet trade and reducing the importation of wild caught boas
4. That boas in the wild are under great threat because of prolific habitat loss as South America continues to develop large areas of the Amazon rain forest and other important areas of habitat

Even if you do not live in North Carolina this is your issue. New York went through this last year……now it is us….next it will be you. Any success that they have will just embolden them to continue their efforts and will increase their chances of future success. Bad legislation that is passed here will just serve as a model for future legislation in your state. Join with us in making our voices heard. This is where our system of democracy gets tested. I know this is an emotional issue but please give your voice a chance to be heard by keeping your letters professional. The opposition would dearly love for the lawmakers to view reptile hobbyists as uneducated, strange, hotheaded criminal felons.

Again, here is the link to the addresses:

Senators