This is not exactly show ring related, but could have an effect on the people that raise, sell and make their living off of producing pedigreed animals.
H.R. 669 is a bill that bans possession, import or export to the United States, transport between states or breeding of nonnative animal species in the United States.
H.R. 669 excludes some animals from this possible ban, including dogs, cats, horses, goldfish, domestic rabbits and some farm animals.
The bill also notes that the Secretary of the Interior can exclude other animal species that are deemed common and clearly domesticated. Any species not excluded must go through an assessment process to determine its possible negative impact to the economy, environment, other animal species and human health.
Supporters of H.R. 669 believe it prevents harm to these areas from nonnative, invasive species.
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-669
What this means is that those of you the like exotic birds, ferrets, chinchillas, constrictors and pythons, zebras, and other animals not native to the USA will find yourselves with animals that are banned by this bill.
PETA is one a roll. How long until they get the government to ban the importation of all animal species? Horses and cattle are not native to the USA, even though they've been here for centuries. The majority of dog breeds aren't native either. They are talking exclusions now, that would allow common animals to stay, but that doesn't mean they won't block importation of new breeds.
Madeline Bordallo is the sponsor for this bill and in my opinion she needs her fricking head examined. She's a pawn for PETA and the people that want animals set "free".
Does this stupid woman not realize the impact of shutting down a huge section of the animal industry? The makers of pet products will have to close their plants. People will lose jobs, animals will be abandoned and neglected, veterinarians that have specialized in these species will no longer practice. It makes *no* fricking sense. She's a delegate from Guam and here's her official website: http://www.house.gov/bordallo/
You can contact here here: http://www.house.gov/bordallo/IMA/issue.htm
Step on it people and let this idiot know that she's messing with something she has no clue about. Or the next thing that may be legislated is your ability to keep a horse.
22 comments:
Oh, I don't think it will ever go as far as banning horses/dogs/cats/etc.
However, I do know several bird owners who are nervous about this bill. It's really ridiculous to tell people they can't own birds, ferrets, turtles, etc.
I have issue with people owning:
1) extremely dangerous animals. I think most large predators and primates are extremely hard for a private citizen to keep safely while providing the animal with a high-quality life
2)Endangered wildlife.
other than that, I think people should be able to keep whatever pet they wish to have.
cheers,
Mary H.
http://stalecheerios.com/blog-- a serial for positive animal training
Mary,
It might not go as far as banning the owning of horses/dogs/cats etc, but it may go a long way towards banning the importation of new breeds.
I agree that dangerous animals, such as primates, should be more closely regulated, but this bill doesn't address the "danger" of an animal, since a ferret is considered just as big a problem as a tiger.
And no one has explained to me how this will effect zoos and the people that own wildlife parks. Is Sea World going to have to give up their penguins and Killer Whales?
It's a pretty vague bill, that's for sure. Is the goal to help keep dangerous diseases down, such as Bird Flu or Rabies? Is it to cut down on canned hunts or illegal trade on endangered species? I don't get why this random bill is out there.
In the U.S., it is illegal for "just anyone" to own large cats and primates. If you do own them, you have to have special State and Federal permits. I think zoos and wildlife protection groups that do things like rescue some drug dealer's pet tiger have other kinds of licenses to have. Same with people who use these kinds of animals in movies. I don't know for sure, of course. I only know what research I did when I wanted to get a skunk. In AZ, it's illegal to own skunks because they're a rabies carrier out here.
Overall, a law like this isn't going to stop people from importing and exporting them. The current laws aren't working as it is to keep stupid people from owning predatory animals--why would this be any different? It also isn't going to stop those who already own exotics that won't be considered legal. I know some people who had two sugar gliders here in AZ, and then some law was passed where they can no longer be owned legally in the state. But of course they kept them. I even have a vet who doesn't have a problem with trusted clients keeping such animals as pets! I once found an orphaned baby skunk that was starving to death at a horse camp. It latched onto me and OMG, I wanted to keep it so bad. I wish my husband had been there--he would have let me bring it home. But my friends I was with were freaking out and wouldn't let me. I'm sure the poor thing died out there on its own. My husband and I knew we could take it to our vet and she would be fine with us having it, even though it's illegal. But it was a big risk--the thing could have been a carrier of rabies, and if it was sharing water with my animals....
I bet this came about from that dumbass lady whose friend was attached by that chimp she kept as her husband--uh, pet. Did I say "husband" outloud? Oops! Gosh, I've got to be more careful! Does anyone know for sure?
Once again, irresponsible animal owners fuck it up for everyone else.
I have a real problem with invasive nonnative species, like iguanas and pythons in Florida, red squirrels in England, piranhas in US waters, and let's not forget Kudzu!
But THAT is what needs to be legislated: people keeping exotics who have no business doing so in the first place!! Plenty of dumbasses acquire ferrets, and turn 'em loose when the novelty wears off. I had a lady peddling Sugar Gliders try to convince me that my dog and cat would NEVER bother it, because it would be so foreign to them. Uh huh...
THESE are the people who should get busted, right alongside the assholes who dump their dogs & cats.
I think that the feds really have it right when it comes to regulating falconers. I wish every animal owner had to go through a similar caliber of instruction & testing... parents, too! ha ha
"I have a real problem with invasive nonnative species, like iguanas and pythons in Florida, red squirrels in England, piranhas in US waters, and let's not forget Kudzu!"
What I meant was, introducing these species into the wild is NOT GOOD.
It's kinda too little too late, IMO.
It's so the politicians can say, well, we are against this invasive species/non-native stuff. The Good Guy spin.
Heck, go to a gardening store, buy some goutweed. It's a non-native highly invasive plant, for those who don't know.
Bingo, habitat gone. It's already in my "conservation" area. Purple loosestrife..
The animals are already here, and the plants, all through that funny thing we do, called trading with other countries. That didn't start yesterday. Try centuries.
It's a very vague bill, and I hear your trepidation about how loosely it's worded, TJM.
I think exotic pets are part of the problem, too. The diseases they carry, etc. that our animals are dying for. People owning animals, just because they want to own a panther. No regard for the animal, just the ownership. I don't think we all have a right to own a tiger, but that's just me. Prairie Dogs..
Circuses.. Hmmmm...
I think it's typical political do-nothing-speak. Except take away more rights, from those who actually care about their rights, and WANT to abide by them. The NutBars will continue to own animals illegally "harvested" from the wild, or bred in captivity.
I hate that people find "regular pets" boring. That's just me, though.
But as far as the degradation of habitat for native animals/plants even in their own countries?
It's going to take more than "banning" it. It's already happened. Too late, already.
The invasives are already here. We brought them.
We should ban people, first.
Or maybe ban people with no natural history under their belts:)
It's the animal people against the other animal people against the non-animal people.
Too many frickin' People.
Hey, I love some people.
(waves)
Hi people:)
Really tough question, TJM.
I made no sense, but that's nothing new. Length is about average for me:)
PeTA is against animals for entertainment, or food.
I am still having a problem with that.
BiG problem.
(shivers)
Just wanted to clarify about this bill:
If you own a non-native animal that is targeted by the bill, you will NOT have to give it up. You just won't be able to acquire any more.
This bill isn't really about pet ownership, it's about preventing non-native species from escaping and wreaking havoc as an invasive species.
There are plenty of exclusions in the bill for domesticated species such as cats, dogs, horses, pigs, llamas, etc. While yeah, it will be detrimental to the ownership of exotic pets, working in the veterinary field I see a LOT of poor husbandry and neglect of exotics, much more so than with domesticated species. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing far fewer exotic animals kept as pets.
PURPLE LOOSTRIFE!! UGH!!!
Tree of heaven, Japanese honeysuckle, dandelions, rosa multiflora... UGH. The bane of my existence.
Esp. Tree of Heaven in my part of town.
I called it "stinktree" until I knew what it was.
I, too, would like to thoroughly regulate delicate exotic animals. I remember when I moved and got a new vet for my ferret, she was like, wow, it's not obese, nippy or scared of humans! Yeah... because she got plenty of exercise, love and discipline. Not rocket science.
I hate it when people get excited over the pets du jour like sugar gliders & hedgehogs!! Chinchillas are SO fragile, but people get 'em for their kids. It's like getting a yearling horse for your kindergartener. BAD IDEA.
Heck, we can't even keep feral housecat populations under control, and that wreaks havoc on plenty of songbird populations.
Australian Cane Toad problem, anyone??
Sorry for the rant... I guess that I'm FOR a certain amount of legislation, because of stupid irresponsible people.
As my friend Willie would say, "Let us have DONE with this motherfuckery!"
I just don't know if it's a slippery slope or not.
CP-
Once again, irresponsible animal owners fuck it up for everyone else.
Bravo!
Agreed!
Slippery slope indeed.
When they get the ball rolling, there's no telling when where or how to stop it.
It may allow folks who have them to keep them and not acquire more, but what is to stop them from breeding them in an attempt to skirt the issue?
Who is going to check each and every person, their facility and premisis on a continued basis? And who in the hell is going to pay for it?
"I, too, would like to thoroughly regulate delicate exotic animals. I remember when I moved and got a new vet for my ferret, she was like, wow, it's not obese, nippy or scared of humans! Yeah... because she got plenty of exercise, love and discipline. Not rocket science."
Well, given the way many people take care of their dogs, cats and horses, sometimes I wonder if animal care is rocket science.
Sigh.
It's just so challenge to come up with a fair (and not too expensive) way to regulate the idiots, while still allowing responsible citizens to have animals.
Mary H.
cattypex,
I am TOTALLY with you on the plants. I have horrible allergies, so most foreign plants set me into a frenzy until I get used to them.
"Who is going to check each and every person, their facility and premisis on a continued basis? And who in the hell is going to pay for it?"
I would hope that Border Patrol, Customs, etc. maintains vigilance. I've heard so many horror stories about the illegal importation of exotic species.
Heh... in the flawed but fun "Change" novels by SM Stirling, wherein all electricity, gunpowder and internal combustion suddenly doesn't work, he does some fun postulating what would happen when lions & tigers are freed from private reserves. He states in the novels that there are more tigers living in private reserves in North America than in the wild, total.
Is this true?
At any rate, of course there's no easy answer.....
Actually, it can be argued that the horse IS native. Remember, eohippus started here and then migrated before coming back as equus ...
Too bad natural selection hasn't eliminated PETA types ...
He states in the novels that there are more tigers living in private reserves in North America than in the wild, total.
Is this true?I have heard the same thing. Not through Mr. Sterling's books, though, but that sounds like a series my husband would enjoy. :) Anyway, I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was.
attafox, LOVE the PETA comment. *SIGH* If only....
It IS a fun series, but he gets a lot of horse stuff wrong or cheeeeeesy.
Like, how would a broke folk singer afford a "real" Gypsy caravan and the horses to pull it??
Or... hmmmm.... a big black warmblood mare somehow thrives in the wild and then ONLY lets a certain little boy be her friend. *choke*
Anyway.....
I remember learning in various sociology and history classes how movements that actually affect change often get started with super-outrageous acts (check out Iron Jawed Angels sometime) to get off the ground and then eventually go mainstream, though the mainstream groups want nothing to do with the extremists.
So by that logic, PETA has a necessary place in the animal welfare debate, though most "normal" folks would argue that they go WAY too far.
But since PETA is so wacked out, in contrast, a group like HSUS looks completely sane and doable to a sympathetic public.
cattypex,
Hmmm. Sounds like the Gypsy stuff was stolen! :) And the black Warmblood mare and the boy...hmmm, stealing from The Black Stallion a bit?
That's okay--I bet my husband will still enjoy them. :)
I LOVED Iron-Jawed Angels. That movie was wonderful. Made me cry, that's for sure!
But that logic makes sense, that's for sure. Besides, PETA wouldn't have survived this long if it hadn't made some progress and had the supporters it does have.
(That should've been "EFFECT change." Way to go, English Major Me!!!!)
Oh, and apparently after the grid goes down, we all become either Wiccan or Catholic. *snork* I had to just skip DOZENS of pages of "this is how you do Wicca worship & spellcasting, and these are the dorky songs I ripped off some pagan folksinger for my novel." ; )
____
I think that sometimes you NEED to propose outrageous legislation, because eventually it will go through a jillion committees and finally get watered down into something faintly helpful.
: P
I think I found a reliable local source for farm eggs today. Go me!
To Cattypex
Loved your original post on this topic. Why is it that you are always right on and are so articulate in making your point.
I wish I had your flair for putting words to pen and paper.
I for one am tired of the goofballs that want exotic snakes, monkeys and various odd pets and then get tired of them. Don't make pets of them, leave them in the wild in their place of origin. If you want to experience a weird animal, go to a zoo.
That's what me and my daughter do. We get together and go to the zoo and tease the monkeys. Mad monkeys make me laugh my butt off, they are a riot.
ha ha... my brother in law knows a guy who's computer handle is monkeythrowspoop
Thanks AQHALifer.... I had good teachers!!
I'm not paranoid about having pets banned... rather, I'm hopeful that the wrong people don't get to have the wrong animals... because usually it's the animals who suffer, and the lady who got her face ripped off by the chimp is the mediaworthy exception.
Don't get me wrong, sometimes even experts get unlucky, or drop their guard - reading M. Phyllis Lose's AMAZING autobiography "No Job FOr A Lady" has some great insight into big cats, for example - not only was she THE FIRST female large-animal vet in the U.S., but she was also the Ringling Bros. circus vet for awhile.
Ooo, cattypex, thanks for ANOTHER book suggestion! I have always dreamed about having a big cat sanctuary...but I think I'll need to stick with a horse rescue instead. :) I need to start writing your suggestions down and adding them to my To Read List!
I just wandered across your blog and want to say that if not for the show world (at least the hunter/jumper discipline) alot of good horses with so much to offer would have been slaughtered.
I got a 6 yr old ex-racer who had already been through 2 homes and then dumped at a low level auction and most likely on his way to slaughter.
The first trainer I hired for him told me to put him down as he was vicious and going to kill someone. We moved to a different trainer who had alot of experience with race horses. Even she thought that this horse was probably one of the 5% that are too damaged from their time at the track to ever be retrained.
But she gave him a chance. My then 13 year old daughter was the rider. They bonded- both had an unconventional way of going. There was nothing that he wouldn't jump, or try to, but only for my daughter. Many pros tried to ride him but gave up as all he did was bounce and spin.
Daughter and horse went on to win many awards in the jumpers both locally and nationally. They went all over the country to top level shows. People were all amazed that the little, ugly grey TB could beat their huge imported warmbloods.
The horse lived better than most people in the country. Had his own groom, got regular massage and acupuncture, three meals a day, has at least 5 different types of blankets and sheets.
We were offered $75,000 for him at one point. But he is the horse of a lifetime and we'd never sell him. He is now 18 and semi retired. Daughter rides him every day but lightly. I pay over $1000 a month to keep him in the style to which he has become accoustom.
I know people have said that the horse show world is cruel but I think that some ex-racers truly love the applause and the competition and would never be happy as a paddock potato.
I also have a young warmblood who constantly injures herself. I will have her for the rest of her life as well. I cannot imagine selling either one and wondering for the rest of my life what became of them.
This is just bizarre. I have been vegetarian for the bigger part of my life, and vegan more recently, and have always supported and promoted animal rights. But even I can't see the sense behind this Bill. It's too broad and general, and it will be near impossible to enforce.
I think it is sensible to:
1) ban the import/breeding of dangerous or rare animals for everyone except zoos with accredited welfare and breeding programs.
2) crack down on BYB.
But this is just a bit too far out there I think. People aren't allowed to have cattle any more? What will they do, farm buffalo instead? Odd stuff..
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