There is new legislation that is being considered in British Columbia that will ban the keeping of basically any large reptiles, including tegus, monitors, pythons, boas, tortoises, etc. on the basis that they are dangerous.
I know that there are some BC residents on this forum. I ask you to please read this email I received and please mail or email the following sample letter or your own letter to your MLA and to the Minister of the Environment, Barry Penner.
This is seriously bad news for any large reptile owners in BC.
Here is a website for CATAL:
http://aqua-terra-vita.com/ATVIIR/CATAL/catal.php
and one for the alert letter:
http://aqua-terra-vita.com/ATVIIR/CA...pijacAlert.pdf
and here's the email from CATAL that was sent to me yesterday:
Canadian Aquarium and Terrarium Animal Legislation (CATAL) Priority Alert!
Dear Dave McDonald,
Thank you for signing the "Keeping Amphibians and Reptiles as Pets Petition" on the Canadian Aquarium and Terrarium Animal Legislation (CATAL) website and for your support to oppose pending legislation which would prohibit all Boas, Pythons, Monitors, Turtles, Tortoises, and many other harmless aquarium and terrarium animals in the Province of British Columbia!
The public consultation phase for the Wildlife Act Review is now closed (July 2007) BC Wildlife Act Review. Unfortunately, aquarium and terrarium animal enthusiasts were not well represented to oppose submissions from organizations like the BC SPCA and the Vancouver Humane Society. It appears the only avenue left to prevent many harmless aquarium and terrarium animals from being banned, in the Province of British Columbia, is to send letters to The Honourable Barry Penner, BC Minister of Environment, and to Your MLA, seeking more co-operation between the Government of British Columbia and the Pet Trade.
A SAMPLE LETTER is enclosed below and also attached as an MS Word document, "alertLetterBC.doc", for you convenience and use. This letter was drafted and reviewed by Reptile Hobbyists, Breeders, Retailers, Manufacturers, Import/Exporters, and PIJAC Canada. For best results, please consider sending this letter by MAIL to both The Honourable Barry Penner and to Your MLA. The second best option would be to EMAIL this letter. Whichever option you choose, please do it right away.
Please also see the attachment, "alertSupport.html", for links to information on the proposed legislation in BC and to continue your support.
Best regards,
Web Wheeler, CATAL Website Administrator
enclosure: SAMPLE LETTER
February 12, 2008
The Honourable Barry Penner
BC Minister of the Environment
P.O. Box 9047, Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC, V8W 9E2
Subject: Possible changes to the BC Wildlife Act
Dear Minister Penner,
It has come to my attention that your ministry is looking at the possibility of making changes to the BC Wildlife Act, and that some of the potential changes might impact my present and future ability to keep an exotic pet. As a resident of British Columbia, I want to express my strong opposition to suggestions calling for the ownership of well established exotic pets to be prohibited in our province, as some of the proposed changes could severely affect me personally.
Like thousands of my fellow British Columbians, who share their lives with one or more exotic pets, I was unaware of last summer’s consultation exercise. Because I believe in having the proper information before making a decision, I respectfully request that you consult the appropriate stakeholder groups and obtain their information before taking any action on such an important issue.
I am sure that pet owners, hobby groups and associations, having hands-on experience with the keeping of exotic pets, would be very interested in sharing their knowledge and expertise with your staff and to assist your ministry in this decision making process. Access to these groups could easily be obtained through an association like PIJAC Canada for example.
Exotic pets are very important to me and my family. They pose no greater risk to public health, public safety and the environment than the more traditional pets. The fact that they happen to be something other than a dog or a cat doesn’t make them dangerous, it just makes them different. For many of us, they represent the best and sometimes the only alternative when it comes to owning a pet. I am asking you to take this information into consideration and I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Name
Address
c.c.: Your BC government elected official (MLA)
Contact information for BC Minister of the Environment:
The Honourable Barry Penner
BC Minister of the Environment
P.O. Box 9047, Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC, V8W 9E2
Email: env.minister@gov.bc.ca
Telephone: 250-356-0830
Fax: 250 -387-1356
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