Alaska Alert for 2006 session

http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/g...ion=24&bill=HB 159

BILL ID: HB 159

00 HOUSE BILL NO. 159
01 "An Act relating to dangerous reptiles."
02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
03 * Section 1. AS 16.05.921(b) is amended to read:
04 (b) A permit required under (a) or (c) of this section may be granted only if, in
05 the determination of the commissioner, the applicant demonstrates a valid educational
06 purpose for seeking the permit. A valid educational purpose includes display in
07 educational institutions and in zoos.
08 * Sec. 2. AS 16.05.921 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:
09 (c) A person may not breed, sell, barter, or offer to sell or barter a dangerous
10 nonvenomous reptile, except in accordance with the terms of a permit issued under (b)
11 of this section. In this subsection, "dangerous nonvenomous reptile" means a reptile,
12 including hybrids, that is either
13 (1) designated by regulation by the commissioner as dangerous to
14 human beings due to its inherent nature; or
15 (2) a species of reptile of the
01 (A) family Varanidae that is commonly called a water monitor
02 or crocodile monitor;
03 (B) family Iguanidae that is commonly called a green iguana or
04 rock iguana;
05 C) family Boidae or Pythonidae that has the potential of
06 exceeding eight feet in length as an adult; or
07 (D) order Crocodilia.

They are trying to restrict alot with that!! We dont want this to be the beginning of the end. I cant believe Alaska is doing this. If these animals got loose they would be dead by fall! There is no risk of them starting any colonies. So they say it is purely to protect us! Any info on email addresses to start giving them our opinion!!

Every year there is a whole onslaught of these proposals. They were seen in Oregon, Washington, West Virginia, North Carolina, Iowa, Kentucky, and Maryland last year.

And what happened in those states?

The Kentucky ban was passed. The others were defeated, but will probably be reintroduced in the next session.

Originally Posted by Bill & Amy

They are trying to restrict alot with that!! We dont want this to be the beginning of the end. I cant believe Alaska is doing this. If these animals got loose they would be dead by fall! There is no risk of them starting any colonies. So they say it is purely to protect us! Any info on email addresses to start giving them our opinion!!

I doubt they would even go outside to begin with. The summertime temps in Alaska are way too low for any reptiles I know of except maybe some turtles. A boa, burm or monitor lizard wouldn't last a night, or day for that matter, outside.

it it really sad that people are either apathetic or uneducated enough to make politicians consider this stuff. it's annoying that peeople in places like florida do not keep their reptiles under control, because it is so easy for them to flourish... it is sad for all, the environment suffers, the snakes usually end up killed, and the police and authorities have to deal with it...

Originally Posted by DavidButton

I doubt they would even go outside to begin with. The summertime temps in Alaska are way too low for any reptiles I know of except maybe some turtles. A boa, burm or monitor lizard wouldn't last a night, or day for that matter, outside.

I guess you've never been to Alaska then. Especially up around Fairbanks it can get over 100 degrees in the summertime. In Anchorage it usually hangs between 70-80 during the day, although at night it drops to the 60s. They would most definitely last the night, and probably the whole of the summer, although by the middle of fall they wouldn't last long.

We had a loose Savannah Monitor (was set loose by it's owner who decided it was too large to keep) in Anchorage two summers ago that lasted the whole summer outside on it's own. It was spotted by Animal Control, and several neighborhood residents multiple times, and pictures were taken of it basking by a cloths dryer vent in the early fall. Several attempts were made by both Animal Control officers and Fish and Game biologists to capture it, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful, as they did not have the time to hang around and wait for it, and baiting it had not worked. The neighborhood residents would call occasionally when they saw it, but were to afraid of it to get near it, and by the time they would show up, it was long gone. I worked at Fish and Game at the time, and had offered to take it in if/when it was caught. I had already taken in a tortoise that was found wandering loose in Wasilla.

There are many cases where iguanas, larger snakes, and monitors are all set loose by their irresponsible owners when they get larger than they want. Most of them die come winter, or are caught and brought to animal control.

Unfortunately here in Alaska, there are many people who move here partially because there are no loose snakes, or large spiders in the wild. People with phobias concerning these animals seem to move here due to their seeming "nonexistance". This makes it tougher for the reptile community here, because even in the local pet stores there are often complaints made to the governor's office, and other agencies complaining that tarantulas, snakes, and other reptiles are allowed to be sold as pets here. There is also no active herp society here to help combat stupid laws such as that.

So far the law stands that the only reptiles that are banned are those that are venomous.