USARK has sponsored a bill that would remove all non native species from the ESA list. that means any species of reptile on the ESA list that is nonnative to the US, would be removed from the list. All native species will continue to be monitored for conservation which is the way it should be. Makes no sense why a species not native to the United States is listed when there is a global treaty recognized worldwide already in place. CITES appendix 1 takes care of that. This would means, you would not have to apply for a federal permit for ESA listed species. Please read the enclosed info and contact your US representative in Washington to support this bill.
http://www.usark.org/wp-content/uplo...R-2603-ESA.pdf
1. Enhances conservation of endangered species by allowing for improved genetic diversity among captive populations previously isolated by arbitrary geographic lines;
2.Decreases federal spending by millions of dollars through elimination of unnecessary regulation, petition responses, and litigation by profiteers;
3.Removes duplicate regulations as CITES will continue to regulate international movement and protection of endangered species;
4.Increases genetic strength of captive populations as private breeders are the ones successfully breeding many, if not most, of these species in greater numbers than zoos or societies;
5.Allows captive propagation to aid conservation by providing essential understanding of husbandry and biology of endangered species;
6.Saves additional millions of federal dollars by preventing exploitive NGO’s from profiting by misusing ESA to continually litigate against the USFWS;
7.Liberates precious USFWS resources by abolishing the pointless and costly 8.Captive Bred Wildlife permit system, as well as the five-year review process, for nonnative species;
9.Eliminates unintended conflict between federal and state law where bans on possession of these species destroy both conservation and American freedoms in 26 states;
10.Eradicates unintentional conflict between ESA and CITES;
11.Prevents criminalization of responsible Americans and animal owners whose species of interest are frequently being unjustly listed under ESA due to political pressure from pseudo-environmental groups;
12.Increases commerce and economic opportunity through deregulation of interstate movement;
13.Allows FWS to continue regulating nonnative invasive species and in no way impairs their ability to do so.