New legislation for animal owners

[sdmini]

I had a email sent to me talking about stopping HR 669. I hadn't heard nothing about it and don't swallow things in viral emails with out checking on them first. Granted I'm pushed for time so did not find the actual wording on the proposal but here is a link: http://www.capwiz.com/naiatrust/issues/ale...lertid=13098456 and another http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/111_HR_669.html

Basically the bill is aimed at exotic owners but there are those that are going to get caught in the crossfire as the bill. HSUS and PETA are behind this bill.

 

[Watcheye]

I saw that! I have guinea pigs! Its very upsetting!

 

[Shari]

I have not read through the whole bill but I have wished there was a school and licencing board for people that want to buy Wolves, panthers and so on, have to go through before buying these animals.

We have a black panther up here that someone dumped a few years ago... Fish and Game haven't been able to catch it... so they gave us the OK to shoot on sight. Same with the Wolves up here... Fish and Game told us they must of been dumped.

Problem is.. people get these animals and others like it and really have no idea how to handle them, how danergous they are and they get over whelmed or scared and dump them out in the country.

 

[sdmini]

Antelope, moose and cougars are not native to where I live yet those are all here, occasionally. We use to get blamed for cougar sightings as we must have "dumped ours". Umm no sorry we have (had) one and it's pretty hard to miss her.

Animals roam, get pushed out of territory and end up other places. Not saying someone may not have dumped one but it's far more likely with the money involved that they are not dumped pets. Back in the 90's when we had Tasha, regulations were getting pretty tough and I can not imagine they became any more relaxed.

The bill is presented as to preserve the native species by trying to keep potential harmful non-native species illegal to own. This is a bit like closing the barn door after the horse is not only out but has went over and bred the neighbors mare.

Our state bird, the Ringneck Pheasant is not a native bird and suffice to say our native birds like the Prairie Grouse would do much better with out the competition of the thousands of Ringneck Pheasants. Our state however may miss the millions (yes millions) that pheasant hunting brings in each year. Starlings, snakes & hogs are a huge issue in some areas but are so prolific in reproducing that making it illegal to own one would NOT stem the issue at this point.

I'm not against regulations (smart regulations anyways) but this bill will cost millions to execute and I'm not sure what good would actually come out of it. This bill is soooo ambiguous that while I hardly doubt that horses and cattle would be listed on the "can not have list" why not? They were not here when Christopher Columbus arrived and I would say both were harmful to the native species. The GF &P already has a say in what can and can not be had in some areas. Here there are certain types of sheep that can not be owned because if they got out they could cross bred with the native species so again what good would this bill do?

*On a side note the wolves in Yellowstone have flourished, packs are thriving and numbers are increasing and expanding outside the park. These were not "dumped" animals but rather the GF&P idea to release them back into the wild. While cougars/panthers are top predators their solitary hunting styles make them less likely to go for larger prey. Packs of wolves can and do run down and kill adult, healthy elk.*

 

[Shari]

I was told Wolves were not released in this area and they haven't gotten this far yet. At least the tagged ones. For the Panther.. I was told by Fish and Game.. it is one of the Black Panthers that come from South America. Shrug....

Though I do understand what you are saying.

As for the Wildlife... in this area it is not so much they are getting pushed out... is that their population is expanding due to all the "free fast food"... ie peoples pets and Livestock. There are 3,000 Cougars in the area the Head Fish & Game lady told me... even if there were NO people, Euro or Native American.. that is too many for the area to handle. Its because humans are giving them easy pickings are their numbers increasing.

It is sad these bills come about... normally because of a few bad owners... the good owners are punished too. I can name a number of Bills on the floor now.... that should really make people worry. From taking away your rights to grow your own food.. to taking our rights away as animals owners and so on.

 

[Minimor]

I wouldn't entirely take anyone's word for it that wolves couldn't have "gotten there yet" on their own. In 1991 when so many horse people(us included) in this area were having problems with cougars the local game wardens simply would not admit that there were any big cats in this area. They came up with the most ridiculous explanations for the things we were seeing and hearing...absolutely impossible explanations for how horses were getting injured or killed...now, years later, they will readily admit that there are cougars around here. When I asked one warden why they wouldn't admit years ago that the cats were here he replied that they just didn't believe us. They hadn't seen the cats for themselves, and so didn't believe they were in the area.

Now they know that we weren't imagining things and making up cat stories.

There's been a couple wolverines in this area in the past 10 years--they're far from the back country where most people expect them to be found, but they're here and that's an undisputed fact. They're not fishers--they're actual wolverines. Wild animals do get around.

 

[Shari]

Oh.. I do not totally believe what F&G says... but I know someone whos job is the find the Tagged Wovles and take them back where they are supposed to be. I trust his word much more....

Fish and Game here.. has always said we have a very active predator base.... Cougar, Bobcat, packs of coyote (yes..packs), the big male Wolf and so on, are seen quite often around here. And they are very active in this area... along with that dumped SA Panther.

They have never been like other areas of the country...pretending predators were not around.

 

[sdmini]

Darn it ladies you got me off on a ramble.

This bill has nothing to do with cougars, coyotes, wolves or any other native species. It only deals with non native species that pose an environmental threat to native species. In biology I learned that ALL non native animals (and plants) are detrimental to the native species so exactly what is going to get put on their "can not own" list and what will happen to all the ones that are currently owned. Is this going to be like the pit bull bans where you have a dead line to remove the "offender" which in most cases means death?

There are many non-native species that already are causing great determent to the native species, environment as well as the economy but they simply can not get them under control.

Zebra Mussels in the Great Lakes, Brown Snakes in Quam, Constrictors in Florida, Feral hogs in CA/TX & starting up in WI. The Everglades have shrunk in size over the years and now many non native fish are pushing out it's inhabitants. Some problems come from the government releasing certain species to control another issue. Many of the problems come from stowaways on ship, planes & cargo.

Here is what the bill reads at face value:

H.R. 669 would prevent the introduction and establishment of nonnative wildlife species that negatively impact the economy, environment, or other animal species' or human health.

Pretty vague as far as I can see but if you think it's just for importation nope:

Establishes prohibitions on: (1) importation or transportation between states of nonnative species that are not included in the list of approved species; (2) permit violations; and (3) possession, purchase, sale, barter, release, or breeding of such species.

Oh but good news if your choice of pet makes it on the "can not own list" you can petition to get it on the "approved" list on your nickel. Considering there was just a five year, 17 million dollar study (tax payer dollars here) on whether or not exotic mussels would be harmful to release in Chesapeake Bay I doubt many will take up this splendid offer.

In my home state besides the Ringneck we have non-native sheep that have destroyed the native Big Horn Sheep habitat to the extent of there being no season on them for 2-3 years now but I doubt that sheep will be on the can not own list.

I hate to sound like a government conspiracy nut job but with this bill being pushed by PETA & HSUS and it's vague wording I'm worried.

 

[Shari]

LOL glad to be of help Marlee.

SA Panthers are not native to the US.

OK going to ask more stupid questions.

Non native sheep.... you mean like Jacob, Welsh Mountain and the 100's of other sheep breeds? Do not see them competing with Big horns.

Then you have Alpacas and Llamas.....etc.

We are sadly getting Zebra Mussels here too. Not a good thing but unless they stop all human traffic coming and going from the US... it will be extremely hard to stop any of that from going on.

Oh,, I am going to just have to read through that silly bill.

 

[Miniv]

Whole thing is stupid.

If one gets down to it......just about the majority of our cattle, dogs, cats, horses, you NAME it, are "non-native"......

 

[Laura]

Oh.. I do not totally believe what F&G says... but I know someone whos job is the find the Tagged Wovles and take them back where they are supposed to be. I trust his word much more....
Fish and Game here.. has always said we have a very active predator base.... Cougar, Bobcat, packs of coyote (yes..packs), the big male Wolf and so on, are seen quite often around here. And they are very active in this area... along with that dumped SA Panther.

They have never been like other areas of the country...pretending predators were not around.

We have HUGE packs of coyotes around here, HUGE. They stripped a large yearling mini mare OVERNIGHT two years ago when she went down in a creek, apparently bogging down and breaking a hip. STRIPPED to large bones left only, OVERNIGHT a 250 horse....that's a BIG pack! She had gone top ten in halter at Nationals just a few months before

 

[muffntuf]

Well folks its not hard to figure out who your HR is. Send them an email or some type of correspondence citing this bill is fairly weak in verbage and cite that Ringneck Pheasants and Guinea Pigs are not native, what are we to do with them?

Thanks!

 

[sdmini]

Non native sheep.... you mean like Jacob, Welsh Mountain and the 100's of other sheep breeds? Do not see them competing with Big horns.

In my area you can not have Painted Deserts or Mouflan as they will cross bred with the Bighorns. The sheep that overgrazed the bighorn range was a run of the mill, joe blow sheep. That was management error (some of those are accidently on purpose

) on part of the rancher and GF & P for not catching it sooner.

Now no matter what they are saying the intent behind this bill is the fact is nothing was put in writing it's a pretty free rein for who ever gets to be in charge.