PETITION UP: Reptile Keepers Against the Current "Justice of Wilbur Campaign"

[a1dzcannon]

Yay, keep signing guy's. Great idea!
Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:
Reptile Keepers Against the Current "Justice of Wilbur Campaign".

You are signer #177 [?]

Josh

[STRATJAZZTELE]

Originally Posted by angela__k__84

I'm confused.
Why are you against people who have lost their pet having justice?
They deserve justice. The snake should never have been left unattended.
By all means petition against restrictions on reptile keepers but if a pitbull was running around unattended and bit your kid - you'd want justice.

Oh dear, the cat was in his garden.

[Blackecho]

Signed - 183

[jasonkwong135]

No. 181! Hail reptile keeper!!!!!

[Carol]

I'm 178

[The Python Kid]

Originally Posted by Carol

I'm 178

D'you mean 188??
lol

[bbav]

Congratulations. You have successfully signed the petition:
Reptile Keepers Against the Current "Justice of Wilbur Campaign".

You are signer #188 [?]

[mitsy]

Having read the Wilbur site and everyone's comments here etc etc I just wondered what the problem was with having the DWA changed?? I'm not saying I'm either for or against, however, it would hopefully ensure that owners like the one in question didn't leave any type of animal that could do damage to another unattended. The guy was upstairs putting his clothes away while he left the snake in the garden. I'm sorry but how many of you would honestly do something like that?? We are not stupid people and we are all very awre that any large animal is capable of causing harm no matter how "tame" it is. I know I wouldn't leave any of mine unattended as I said on the other thread - it's not so much the damage any of my snakes could do to anything else (they're only yearlings and hatchlings), but they are by their nature escapologists. I couldn't live with myself if I took my eye off the ball and one of mine escaped, I'd have sleepless nights wondering if it was even still alive let alone what it could be doing.

Personally I would not have a problem with having to have a licence to keep my babies - I am a responsible owner as I'm sure everyone on this site who loves these beautiful creatures are. It may be a way of clamping down on these types of events. The one that happened with the python biting the teenager in a "racist attack" for instance - not so worried about the child tbh, but what the hell were those kids doing to the poor snake to make it bite him in the first place??!!

As much as I agree with your petition, I don't see what good it is for us to sign it. Personally I agree that owners should be responsible for their pets whether they are deemed dangerous or not. Cat's will wander, it's in their nature. Snakes will kill live prey, it's in their nature. Human's however have no excuse to allow things like these to happen. How many of you would leave your cat/dog/hamster/child alone in a room unsupervised with a 14foot python?? I know I wouldn't

[Antw23uk]

Why not put these large snakes on the DWA list? Regardless of what it ate its still a very large and potentially very dangerous snake in the wrong hands ...... playing devils advocate ... what if this had been a young child and not a moggy?

Specifics aside, what harm would it be to have them on the DWA list as long as the T's & C's are correct (not penalizing and making it impossible for responsible herp enthusiasts and keepers alike to continue keeping, breeding and shipping them around the country) surely it stops idiots like this keeping snakes who are clearly irresponsible because they leave a large boidae unsupervised! (isnt that animal neglect in itself?)

Im an animal lover, regardless of what it is (fur, feather, scale etc) and the knee jerk reaction of this couple is, in my opinion a little acceptable and also unacceptable (what if your neigbours dog/ child/ rabbit ... ate your snake, how would YOU react?) ....

Should we not be standing our ground as reptile keepers and saying, 'yes, we do have these animals and yes they can, in the wrong hands, be dangerous, and yes we hate irresponsible owners so we will work towards an acceptable way of regulating the keeping of them'

[Ssthisto]

Originally Posted by Glaurung

As for roaming, most cats are independent and most cats like to roam, who are you to command them? Their independence is their biggest attraction. Yes they can be a problem, but that doesn’t mean you can bar them from doing what is natural.

Of course you can - fenced garden (the cat owner's) or the inside of a house (again, the cat owner's).

There is no earthly reason why someone who wants to keep a cat shouldn't be willing and able to fence off their garden if they won't keep their cat indoors-only and allowed out only on a leash ... unless they are willing to take the RESPONSIBILITY for what happens if you let your pets roam around and go into other people's property or into the road.

I am hardly going to rail against car drivers (as a whole) if one of my cats gets hit by a car (although if the person who hits my cat doesn't stop and come find me - both of my cats have tags with our address - I will certainly bear a grudge against THAT person for failing to have common decency) ... because I chose to let my cats have access to the road.

As for why I object to the proposed wording that "Justice for Wilbur" suggests for the addition to the DWA...

"Pythons and constrictors".

Do I need a £90+ annually DWAL to keep a greybanded kingsnake, then?