Kevin, Kevin, Kevin...
***Windbag alert***
It's not just my state of Michigan, it's the entire United States; federal law, 50 states!
Many here wouldn't give one crap if they found out that there was a bill right now that is on it's way to becoming a law that would make it illegal to transport snakes across state lines or import any into the USA from anywhere else in the world.
But yes, this is the case with nine species of snake:
Indian or Burmese Python
Northern African Python
Southern African Python
Reticulated Python
Boa Constrictor
Green Anaconda
Yellow Anaconda
Beni or Bolivian Anaconda
DeSchauensee's Anaconda
Yes, there have been a few well publicized cases where some 'idiots' pet snake has killed a child, or so it was meant to be seen as the case. There have also been idiots out there that let their pet snakes go instead of taking them to a rescue or just advertising them for free...people do this with cats and dogs all the time too you know.
The important thing to realize if this bill becomes law is that it will become a stepping stone to making
ALL snakes illegal,
all reptiles illegal, all non-native species illegal. Wanna bet? This bill, S373, became into being because of the squashing of bill HR669, which was a bill to make it illegal to have any non-native species, whether it be snakes, reptiles, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, tropical fish, and the list goes on and on. Illegal! HR669 wasn't a citizen friendly bill, if it would have became law, all your little pets would have instantly made you a law breaker and with the nationwide confiscation that would have taken place, your pets would have been taken away and killed and you, most likely, would have been fined for having them in the first place.
S373 wanted to make it illegal to own any pythons, that means that the Pied Ball Python mentioned earlier would have been illegal to own. Luckily for snake holders the bill got amended to only include the nine species listed above...except, that's not lucky for those of us with those species.
Isn't laws suppose to make sense?
Then why is it that this bill, if it becomes law, will be totally bogus?
S373 is about invasive species. How many of you think that a Burmese Python could live out in the wild in your neighborhood and become invasive? Could they, needing an ambient temperature of 84 degrees F, live out in your neighborhood? Through your winters?
Read more about S373 at
nosnakeban.com,
usark.org,
natpet.org or
pijac.org to name just a few.
This bill was sponsored by Senator Nelson of Florida, claiming that the feral Burmese Python population that lives in the Everglades is harmful to the rest of the United States, that these Pythons will eventually take over the entire country. This is a Florida problem, not a Federal one, and Florida needs to address these concerns herself.
If you want to do some reading, go to
Dave and Tracy Baker's website, over on the right you can download a pdf titled: "On Burmese Pythons in the Everglades (revised)" Read it! Remember, these two are not only snake hobbyists, they are also very educated and know what they are talking about.
Now, for those of you that think that this bill is a good thing, I ask you...why would you think this? Because snakes are evil, as the Bible portrays? Because some small kids have been killed by them? Because they are slimy animals looking to bite, then eat you?
Well, it's a known fact that I am sure every one here will attest to that more pet dogs kill kids every single year than any snake has.
Anybody that's held a snake, including all of you that I visited over the summer when I was loaded down with them, knows that snakes are not slimy animals looking to bite and then eat you.
Are they evil as the Bible portrays? In the original Hebrew Bible, that snake is actually thought to actually be Lilith (Adam's first wife); if you believe in anything from the original Hebrew Bible.
Anyway, some people hate cats and there are more feral cats in the United States then probably any feral animal, yet they are totally legal to own anywhere in the Country.
Again, this bill (S373) isn't just a Michigan thing, it's a Federal thing that could eventually affect every person in here.
Ok, enough about that!
-Tim