Warning to Herpers in Colorado!

[backafter30]

A division of the Colorado Dept. of Agriculture has recently taken an existing law used to regulate puppy mills and rescue shelters and applied it to reptile enthusiasts at every level. The Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA) of 1995 outlines standards of care for animals raised for the pet trade, but they are now applying this to anyone who produces a clutch of corn snakes in their basement, or wants to sell a couple of leopard geckos. I called the PACFA office, to clarify their intent. I was told that it does not matter how many animals one has, or how much money you do or do not make from them. If it is for the "pet trade", it is not considered "unregulated wildlife". They want to license your "facility", license the right to sell at shows, and license the right to sell wholesale. These are separate licenses, and you need another to breed mice or rats. The license just for a couple of racks in my basement would run $400 a year, and I would need proof of U.S. citizenship and have to submit to inspections. I was also told that I needed a federal USDA license to ship across state lines! They claimed to be going to pet stores to insure that all are purchasing animals only from licensed breeders, will be attending shows to make sure all vendors are licensed, and are researching websites and online forums, looking for Coloradans actively trying to sell reptiles. They want everyone licensed, "for the good of the animals". On the brighter side, I was asked if I could specifically define the difference between the hobbyist and the person just in it for the money. I could not, and she admitted that they could not either. She actually asked for feedback from me and other hobbyists, and suggested that with enough input, they could modify the regulations in order to keep tabs on the businesses without hampering the basement breeders. I told her that hobbyists were not likely to contact them because they did not want to be on a list of future inspections. I said that the hobbyists needed an advocate to speak for them, and USARK came to mind. She was actually rather excited by that idea, and said that they would welcome a dialog with the hobbyists.

I see this simply as a power grab by the Dept of Ag, and an opportunity for them to make a ton of money for doing next to nothing. Fully implemented, PACFA could squash the reptile industry in Colorado without helping a single animal. I know of one prominent breeder with a web site who has already been contacted by them. Coloradan herpers need to work together to stop this.