Exotic reptiles win new protections
February 21st, 2007 by admin
Earlier this month, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) enacted new rules concerning reptiles and other captive wildlife. The rules are a positive step in addressing the many problems associated with exotic pets.
The new rules require a permit to possess pythons, green anaconda and Nile monitor lizards. People who possess these reptiles will also have to permanently identify the animal by purchasing and implanting a microchip.
The new rules have been widely praised. In a recent editorial, the News-Press newspaper called the regulations “a good move” and explained why they are necessary, “The problem with the critters is that people buy them as pets, get tired of them or are unable to care for them as they grow too large to manage and dump them in the wild. ”
By coincidence, on the same day the FWC passed the new regulations, a 10-foot boa constrictor was captured in a Vero Beach apartment complex.
Although the new regulations don’t go into effect until January 1, 2008, they appear to already be having an effect. Last week, the FWC released a “Clarification re: unwanted nonnative pets.” Apparently, their offices have been “inundated with calls seeking information on where people may take pets they no longer want.” The FWC is encouraging people to donate unwanted non-native pets, “no questions asked,” at Non-native Pet Amnesty Day 2007, which will be held March 24th at Crest Lake Park in Clearwater. Click here for details.