BC wants to ban exotics
January 22nd 2008 04:51 pm
How about no?
Argh. I was going to rant but I really don’t feel like finding facts to back up my arguments at the moment, so I’m just going to say they are stupid.
Sign this if you’re not ignorant.
ATVIIR: CATAL
EDIT: In reference to the first comment.
I don’t feel so.
They want to ban things because a few people get bit, or a few animals get turned over the SPCA because they don’t know what they are doing. These people pushing for the ban don’t seem to realize that more damage can be done by a good sized dog, than something like a ball python, or a TURTLE. Seriously.
As with any pet, the buyer should know what they are doing, and I think it should be in the sellers best interest to ensure that as well. Banning everything because it’s ‘bad’ or could hurt you is not the answer. Education is.
As for people buying animals such as chameleons, iguanas, boas, and carpet pythons that don’t understand the husbandry, size, or commitment requirements, it comes back to education. I can’t comprehend why you would up and buy any animal without having ANY prior knowledge about it. Some dog owners spend months researching different breeds to get exactly what they want. Even if the education comes the day you buy your animal from the breeder or store clerk, it’s education nonetheless (provided the person doing the educating is giving valid information).
I think it might also stem from people thinking reptiles are disposable, since they live in a box, basically, and the individual animal can be fairly inexpensive. If you buy a quality dog, it will run you over $1000 easily, but even a quality healthy young ball python can only cost as little as $80. Bearded dragons are even cheaper.
As for this from the above page:
Exotic pets: love ‘em or hate ‘em
How the hell did this guy get a Siberian Tiger? How did the other guy get a Bengal Tiger? A fucking TIGER is a tad different than a boa constrictor. As for the other guy with the cobra, maybe some things should be banned, as in Alberta, such as essentially anything venomous, but to up and ban EVERYTHING is really pushing the Overreact button a bit too quick in my mind.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said “sign if you aren’t ignorant”, but “sign if you don’t want a few (possibly stupid) people’s mistakes to ruin it for everybody”.
A few people ruining things for everybody seems to be a trend.
About the author... Daniel Huckstep is a software engineer(ing student) at the University of Alberta. He enjoys all aspects of computers and their software, reptiles, guitar and music creation, reading, and macaroni salad. 
eada
responded on 23 Jan 2008 at 8:15 am #
Um…isn’t it kind of ignorant to say “sign this is you’re not ignorant”?
eada
responded on 23 Jan 2008 at 9:04 pm #
Soo…yeah. People suck. Uneducated people are ruining the freedom to keep herps from both sides; the ones who have herps and the ones who don’t. And thew few ruining for all has been around for centuries.
Just shows up in different formats.
Brian Lauzon
responded on 10 Nov 2008 at 3:12 pm #
Does anyobdy have a list of animals to be banned….it makes perfect sense to ban things like tigers…um yeah…duh!!!!!! But for people who collect tarantulas, snakes, frogs…etc….it is seriously UNFAIR….I am from Quebec and pledge my support for the fight against the ban. What should be done is to ban ALL pets ALTOGETHER!!!! There should be a licence for the owner….here in QC…every year people die from dog attacks. A pet owner should be able to prove that he/she can handle the pet and know what to do in case of emergency…as in the case of automobiles. This is my two cents but it makes more sense to regulate it than to give it to anybody. Another example is a pet store here sells Usumbara Tarantulas to kids that wanna buy a spider….NOT A VERY GOOD IDEA…NOT A VERY GOOD FIRST TARANTULA!!