Newspaper Article for the FVHS show

[Leviathan]

This is an article from our Abbotsford Newspaper that I will be replying to. I can add 50 more words if anyone can think of anything the should be there.

The article

Reptiles not your average pet

I find it absurd that abbotsford has a bylaw preventing the city dwellers from owning an exotic pet, yet the reptile expo is allowed to host an event not only displaying exotic reptiles but selling them.

This event has nothing to do with the welfare and love of exotic animals: it's animal exploitation at it's best.

Not only are exotic pets potentially dangerous, but they can pose a serious risk to human health.

The reptile refuge in Surrey is overflowing with unwanted and abandoned reptiles and can no longer accept new animals. As a result, so many unwanted pets get dumped, as is the probable case with a potentially dangerous snake now on the loose in New Wesminster.

Many of the reptiles that were at the Reptile Expo will end up spending the rest of there lives in plastic containers, likely suffering from malnutrition, dehydration and illnesses because there owners do not know how to look after them. If reptile enthusiasts really appreciate and care for exotic animals, they wouldn't be selling them.

Allowing the reptile Expo to take place in Abbotsford only goes to show how weak and meaningless some bylaws actually are.

Jane Thomsing
Coquitlam


My Reply so far

Reply to ‘Reptiles not your average pet’

I found this article quite hurtful and offensive to myself and the rest of the reptile community. ‘Knowledge is power’ and it seems the people making these statements towards exotic animals just aren’t taking the time to research what they can so easily disregard and put down.

This event is everything to do with the love of these animals. If you go into a petstore and buy a lizard or snake you are given very little info on them and most of it isn’t correct. The majority of the people at that show, including myself, have spent most of our lives researching reptiles and are more than happy to share that knowledge with enthusiasts like ourselves. It is not our goal to sell reptiles to become unwanted pets but to share these amazing creatures. We can only give people the means to care for them properly and hope that they do.

Calling reptiles dangerous and harmful is so absurd and such a ridiculous reason to want them banned. I have held hundreds of snakes and lizards in my lifetime. Funny that I have not one single mark on my body from these dangerous animals I am in contact with everyday. I do, however, have bite marks from dogs, cats, rabbits and hamsters and my mom has been attacked twice in the last 3 years from dogs. Funny that we continue to welcome them into our homes and neighborhoods daily. Yes reptiles are known to carry salmonella but with precautions it is avoidable to transfer to people. Hamsters on the otherhand carry ecoli and are nasty biters but we have no problem giving them to our children. Reptiles also offer healthy, fun alternative to children with asthma or allergies that cannot enjoy life with a more ‘furry’ friend.

As for the over populated refuge center. There are two maybe three reptile refuge centers in all of the greater Vancouver area and the lower mainland. Yet there are hundreds of shelters overflowing with dogs and cats. People through bags of unwanted kittens and puppies into our rivers, or dump them off on doorsteps. Reptiles are not the problem, people are. All the same complaints people have with reptiles are, at least, 10 times worse in the household pet world. Should we ban dogs and cats for the EXACT same reasons that we have tried to strip exotics out of our communities?

Alecia Tennant
Abbotsford



Thanks guys

[munchy]

Sorry, I'm not the best with words and I'm very tired right now but what you have so far sounds great.
I really cound not believe that article when i just read it. Unreal to think that we still have this type of ignorance in our society..
Those guys really need to detach themselves from the reptile refuge's nuts. :shakefistinair:

Also what is the date of the paper?

[havenbounce]

Very well written.
Congrats
Ginnette

[annieb_mice]

I have to wonder if the person who wrote the original article even bothered to attend the sale. If they had, surely they would have seen the WSPCR's hands-on "educational" setup. There were caresheets available for a variety of different "exotics" right across from Henry's tables. I also noticed that most of the tables also had hand-wipes for people who handled any of the animals.
I suppose, if I were to play devil's advocate for a moment, the care sheets could have been placed in a more prominant position and the vendors could have been instructed to encourage the use of the hand-wipes and the WSPCR set up really wasn't all that well "advertised."
Alecia, it was a pleasure to meet up with you again at the show, and I think your reply to the "article" is great.
You know... it's really funny... the author of this article ranted about the sale, however, there was no mention of the various Abbotsford pet stores which ALSO sell reptiles, usually without giving ANY kind of information about the animals at all to new owners. In fact, when I was at the show, I was really interested in a young Sav. Monitor, but when my partner went over to buy it for me, it was already sold. He found out that there was a pet store who had several, and took me there immediately to buy one for me. Now... Bryant is a wonderful man and very intelligent... but he really isn't all that knowledgeable about reptiles in general, and when we got to the store he asked where the big lizards were kept. A store clerk waved a hand in the general direction to the back of the store. When we asked to see the two savvies, the ladies who went back to get them out of the tank obviously had NO clue what they were doing and one woman kept getting bit and actually asked US if we could get it to let go. At NO time was there any information given about how to care for these animals. Thankfully, I had done my research and already knew how to care for them... but I have to stop and wonder about how many people don't know what they are getting into. What about the next person who buys that "cute little lizard" in the window? Will they have any idea how large and potentially dangerous those animals could be? At the sale, the person who was originally selling the savvie that I wanted was more than willing to share his knowledge with me and did so without any prompting from me. I found that MOST of the vendors there, were more than willing to pass on their knowledge and took extra care over their animals. Two in particular, Jessica and Jordan with the spiders, were awesome and my partner and I spent a great deal of time at their table, handling some of the spiders and learning more about these incredible creatures. :)
Anyways... about the article... Alecia, your reply is excellent and if you could send me the contact email for the paper in question, I would love to send off a few comments of my own and I'm sure my partner would be happy to as well.
Take care
Annie B. <:3 )~~

[Leviathan]

Thanks everyone. Annie ot was nice seeing you again too :) The paper that the article was in was the Abbotsford News. They are just off of sumas way and I'm sure you can grab a paper and get the whole address and phone number.

Alecia

[Rikki]

Sounds like PETA to me. We do nothing but provide reptiles with loving and caring homes, where they receive the best care and treatment. I do not see what is bad about doing this.

[TPiorun]

To reply with your comment go here then to Letters and then to Feedback
:-)
http://www.abbynews.com/

here was my reply to the Abbotsford News

It is obvious that Ms. Thomsing is uninformed and did not attend the Reptile Show. If she was informed she would have known that Abbotsford does NOT have a bylaw making it illegal to own a reptile. She should try researching her opinion before she gives it. Most pet stores in Abbotsford sell reptiles, which is NOT illegal.

The event has everything to do with loving and displaying these exotic reptiles which pose no threat to their owners or anyone else, they are not a threat to society. These animals do not go home to a live in a deli cup. These animals go home to loving caring environments. Twenty five hundred people came and enjoyed the reptile show. It was a very successful show and everyone enjoyed getting up close and personal with these wonderful animals.

Ms. Thomsing states the Reptile Refuge in Surrey is overflowing with unwanted and abandoned reptiles. Let analyze this. The Reptile Refuge for a very long time had an ad in the Buy and Sell offering to take all unwanted reptiles. But the problem is they have a closed door policy. There is no adoption program. They will take in an animal but would never allow that animal to leave. Therefore overcrowding starts and there is no end to the mistreatment of these animals. Perhaps Ms. Thomsing should be spending her time trying to convince this Roadside Reptile Attraction (the reptile refuge) to allow adoption and save the animals in that refuge further mistreatment.

T. Piorun

[Serpens]

Hey

That 'article' engraged me, only because I've heard it before, and experienced similar ignorance when talking to people and mentioning that I love reptiles.

Your article is extremely well written, although I caught one small spelling mistake.

People THROUGH bags of unwanted kittens and puppies into our rivers
It should be THROW, I think that's what you're getting at:D

Again, great article, and I hope that in the future, people who want to try to rant against the reptile community should first spend time talking with experts and doing research before inciting uninformed discontent.

Serpens

[munchy]

...and lets not forget that this "refuge" is the same place where they keep adult afrocks and kill off an entire clutch of eggs from them every year when the whole situation can easily be avoided by exercising proper husbandry (cage them seperately.)

[kevyn]

Great letter Terry. Has there been any response?

[TPiorun]

Hi Kevyn,
thanks! I just sent it and have had no response yet.
will let you know if I do
T.

[Leviathan]

They published it guys! Not only that but they made it alot bigger and put a picture beside it! That should draw some attention and hopefully good attention!

Alecia

[Serpens]

AWESOME! Congrats!

Serpens

[Rikki]

Congrats man! :)

[munchy]

They published it guys! Not only that but they made it alot bigger and put a picture beside it! That should draw some attention and hopefully good attention!

Alecia
what is the date of the paper with your letter in it??

[Leviathan]

the day before yesterday, as in monday July 12th

[hhw]

Congrats on getting the letter published! Thanks for taking the time to defend and advocate reptiles on behalf of all us keepers out there.