Reticulated Pythons to be added to Lacey Act

[JeffreH]

From US Herpetoculture Alliance Newsletter:

UPDATE: Reticulated Pythons To Be Added To Lacey Act

The US Herpetoculture Alliance has just learned that reticulated pythons and green anacondas, along with two obscure species of anaconda, will be added to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act. Boa constrictor will remain under consideration, but will not be listed at this time.

"We are making a final determination to list four species of large constrictor snakes as injurious wildlife under the Lacey Act: Reticulated python, DeSchauensee's anaconda, green anaconda, and Beni anaconda. The boa constrictor is still under consideration for listing." ~ US Fish & Wildlife Service 7/23/13

The Herp Alliance has not engaged in advocacy for some time. Funding for a first class federal advocacy program is extremely costly. We have reorganized as a conservation and education organization.

The Herp Alliance broke this story yesterday. We are incorporating a news and commentary component to our mission. To that end, this information was first published last July in the Department of Interior Semiannual Regulatory Agenda. This notice provides the semiannual agenda of rules scheduled for review or development between spring 2013 and spring 2014. So this information has been available for some time.
Reticulated pythons and the anacondas will officially be added to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act when US Fish and Wildlife services publishes the finalized portion of the 'Constrictor Rule' in the Federal Register.

The reptile and pet trade associations cannot sit fat, dumb and happy while the rights of herpetoculturists are regulated into oblivion. By the time the collective coma is shaken off, the days of breeding Burmese pythons, reticulated pythons and Boa constrictors may be lost forever.

It is the opinion of the US Herpetoculture Alliance that the only real recourse is for one or both of the trade associations to file a federal lawsuit against the US Fish & Wildlife Service challenging the merits of the original 'Constrictor Rule' of 2012.

[Bombina Bob]

I find the Lacey act ridiculous. Very few people are killed by constrictors and yet dogs kill
more than 30 people a year (Not to say dogs are bad) but the government is given the idea
that large snakes are the largest threat to us. The issue of the pythons is only present within
the southern tip of the Florida panhandle, but why go a step further
to ban them across the country?

[poison]

I think we all knew this would happen. It was just a matter of time.

I don't really have a problem with the lacey act to be honest (or at least not with the species that have been listed yet). I actually think it is pointless. It mainley affects people who are into morphs. I would think there are plenty of "normals" in each state. Other then some subspecies like indian pythons and some species of anacondas. Many children can still purchase these large constrictors with no problem. I feel like there should be a permit required to own one of these. I have seen to many of these snakes stuffed into improper enclosures.

This is just my opinion

[poison]

Ryan, though not many deaths have been reported they can still be dangerous animals. I have seen people with nerve damage from these snakes.

[JeffreH]

Food for thought: The addition of the large constrictors will likely only give more momentum to begin adding other 'injurious' species. They'll be targeting the entire amphibian hobby next to control chytrid fungus (they have already proposed the addition of All amphibians to the Lacey Act this year).

[Mentat]

...They'll be targeting the entire amphibian hobby next to control chytrid fungus (they have already proposed the addition of All amphibians to the Lacey Act this year).

So if they add them; keeping our frogs in USA would be like not legal ? Government is getting too crazy these days... imagine me at my old age becoming a rebel and anarchist again .

[JeffreH]

So if they add them; keeping our frogs in USA would be like not legal ? Government is getting too crazy these days... imagine me at my old age becoming a rebel and anarchist again .

It would be illegal to take your pet with you across state lines. You may keep your pets, even breed them within the state. But any form of transportation across state lines (and naturally, import/export) would be against the law.

Part of the reason it has taken this long to add the retic (and the reason Boa constrictor spp. are still 'under consideration') is due to the massive economical impact it would have. The livelihoods of many people who have made a living out of breeding these animals will be destroyed. The hobby may persist at the state-level, but because animals cannot be shipped or transported across state lines, it severely cripples the hobby.

[Bombina Bob]

I agree with Daniel that they have the potential to be dangerous and that a permit would be necessary . But the issue I`m most concerned about is that the Lacey act would start putting animals on the list that don't even endanger us, ive already heard ball pythons were going to be put on this list . Its a matter of time that our rights to keep animals may disappear.

[LLLReptile]

Brian from BHB had a great blog post about this. Into the Future: SnakeBytesTV - The fate of the Reticulated Python

It's important to stay on top of these kinds of laws and legislation, even if you don't keep the animals currently being added. A lot of the rhetoric about what's best for the animals, about how wild animals should stay wild, it's cruel to keep them in captivity, that kind of stuff that comes from HSUS and similar organizations trying to get pet reptiles banned...that same faulty logic can be applied to keeping frogs, too. Just something to keep in mind.

-Jen