fatheadminnow
Fish Aficionado
Agree^^ with Mikaila31
-FHM
-FHM
Made something people can post on other forums:
This bill, the "Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act" is going to make nearly all pets illegal. The bill proposes creating a list of animals that may be kept, imported, moved interstate or breed, and anything not on the list is illegal to do so with.
The criterion for the list is:
- [li]Species identified to species level, and if possible information to subspecies level[/li]
[li]Native range of the species[/li]
[li]Whether species has established, spread, or caused harm to the economy, the environment, or other
animal species or human health in ecosystems in or ecosystems similar to those in the US[/li]
[li]Environmental conditions exist in the US that suitable for establishment of the species[/li]
[li]Likelihood of establishment in the US[/li]
[li]Likelihood of speared in the US[/li]
[li]Likelihood species would harm wildlife resources of the US[/li]
[li]Likelihood the species would harm native species that are “rare” (not defined) or listed under Endangered
Species Act[/li]
[li]Likelihood species would harm habitats or ecosystems of the US[/li]
[li]Likelihood “pathogenic species or parasitic species may accompany the species proposed for
importation;”[/li]
[li]Other factors “important to assessing the risk associated with the species”[/li]
A few of the major problems with this bill:
- [li]If something can damage the Hawaiian ecosystem, it will be illegal in every state. If something can damage the Alaskan ecosystem, it will be illegal in every state. All states are not created equally. What can damage ecosystems in one will die off in another. This is why there are state laws regarding this, such as the very strict Hawaiian laws.[/li]
[li]As said above, state laws already deal with this.[/li]
[li]It will absolutely destroy an entire industry overnight. Breeders will be out of jobs, pet stores will end up shutting down, companies that produce products that cater to pets will lose customers. Not exactly the best thing to do considering the economy.[/li]
[li]There are private breeders of species that are extinct in the wild or critically endangered. Many african cichlids are endangered, and there are organizations in the US that promote the breeding of these fish in captivity.[/li]
[li]It is impossible to prove that a species will or has not ever damaged native wildlife or established feral populations.[/li]
[li]Overly vague terms. What constitutes a 'rare' species?[/li]
[li]More here. And here.[/li]
Current 'legal' list:
any cat (Felis catus)
cattle or oxen (Bos taurus)
chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)
dog (Canis lupus familiaris)
donkey or ass (Equus asinus)
domesticated members of the family Anatidae (geese)
duck (domesticated Anas spp.)
goat (Capra aegagrus hircus)
goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus)
horse (Equus caballus)
llama (Lama glama)
mule or hinny (Equus caballus x E. asinus)
pig or hog (Sus scrofa domestica)
domesticated varieties of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
sheep (Ovis aries)
Things that will likely be illegal:
All tropical fish. Guppies, corydoras, plecostomii, marine fish, etc.
Hamsters and other domesticated rodents.
Ferrets.
Frogs, newts, salamanders, turtles and toads.
Insects and arachnids.
Hermit crabs and other crustaceans.
Many birds.