27 April 2009

HR669 The Number of the Anti-Beast

On April 23 2009, the House of Representatives Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife had its first hearing on the Non-Native Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act, bill H.R.669 . Many of us made our voices heard prior to the first hearing, but this isn't over. Since I am uncertain how many people even know about this bill, I am using my part of the internet to pass information along. I urge all of you to check the link and read the bill for yourself. If you come to some of the conclusions that I do...

1) The USFWS will not be able to evaluate the tens of thousands of species involved by the deadline and so those not evaluated will simply go on the banned list and then a fee (who knows how much) would have to be paid to fund a study for each species to prove that it should be added to the approved list.

2) Proving a species as safe is impossible given the broad, often nebulous, criteria laid out. So if a species could become established in Guam, which has a tropical climate and not very diverse wildlife that has lived in isolation so long it is ripe for invasion, then you can't keep it in Alaska? Ferrets, a species domesticated since Egyptian times, might carry diseases transmittable to the endangered Black Footed Ferret, so they are out. Not just in the states where Black Footed Ferrets can be found, but all 50 states and all territories and holdings of the USA. The animals listed as exempt couldn't meet the listed criteria.

3) These concerns are already handled by the USFWS and States. Places like Guam and Hawaii already have strict rules on importation to avoid introduction of non-native species. The USFWS has previously banned importation of a number of species because of concerns about a species' invasive nature, its danger to humans, or its danger to the economy. For example: some Bont ticks were found on some imported Sulcata and the ticks tested positive for heartwater. Heartwater is lethal to hoofstock. It doesn't come from the tortoises, it isn't carried by the tortoises, nor do they suffer from it. They merely might harbor infected ticks. Fear of damage to the environment (deer) and the economy (beef) led to a ban on the importation of 3 tortoise species coming from the part of Africa where heartwater is common; Leopard, Bell's, and Sulcata Tortoises. However, you can still own them and breed them and transport them across state lines. So long as they are accompanied by a vet certificate stating they are tick free. OK, that is rational, reasonable, and workable. This bill, if made law, would ban the tortoises without an infected tick showing up, just because it might happen. In this instance you could keep your tortoises, but you couldn't breed them, sell them, trade them, give them away (unless it was to an agency to destroy them), or take them with you if you moved across state lines. That is, in my opinion, unadulterated bullshit.

...Then I would suggest you act. Check out these links below. Read more about the bill. Bookmark sites and join groups that represent your interests. Call, write, and email your representatives. Do the same for committee members, whether they are for or against the bill. Don't count on others or the government to look out for your interests. Be polite, but don't be placated when they tell you that this bill wont take away your pets. That is a half truth. If your pet is one of the species that gets banned, you will be grandfathered in, if you can prove you acquired it legally. However, you will not be able to breed it, sell it, trade it, give it away, or take it with you in the event you move across state lines. Even if this bill is defeated, another will likely take its place. Get involved and stay involved.