The Editor, My deepest condolences to the family in New Brunswick who lost two children due to the escape of an African rock python.
I am writing this letter to address the concerns and outcry to the government agencies to place outright bans on exotic pets. All a ban will do is create an underground market, it does not eliminate the trafficking.
B.C. has the Exotic Species Ban, I know due to the fact that I was a member who was involved in negotiating which animals be placed on the banned list.
The big seven snakes are banned in the province of B.C. and the only way to own such a snake would be to apply for a permit. With this permit, you are only allowed to keep it under strict guidelines and are not allowed to breed the animals.
The permit system is strictly for those who owned the snakes before the ban was put in place. There will be no further new animals from the ban big seven list that can be brought into this province legally. The permit system is there to grandfather in the
previous owners of these pets. In my opinion, there are laws in our legal system that should be enforced.
For example, the snake in New Brunswick escaped from an enclosure, which should never have happened, considering the species of the snake. The snake caused two deaths, the owner should be charged with either manslaughter or negligence causing death.
Speaking to an RCMP officer, the odds of charges being laid are quite slim, as he put it, there is no criminal intent.
The sad part of this story is that children were killed by an irresponsible snake owner, the snake gets euthanized for no good reason and the owner walks away scot-free.
The only true way to control what people own as pets is to make them responsible.
Bans take millions of dollars to implement. Why waste taxpayers' money on such a frivolous regulation when they're not willing to prosecute to the full extent of the law? David Chan Exoticserpents.com
David Chan
Richmond
