Why spend thousands on tv advertising, when through unification with other societies, FBH, IHS, and local societies you could reach reptile enthusiasts specifically?
Why not join forces and put out leaflets to all members of these societies?
Approach manufacturers of reptile related products and publications and ask them if they would get involved.
If you want a tv audience then why not contact a tv personality who is passionate about reptiles and see if they can help?
If you want a bigger voice then other organisations being behind you, plus manufacturers and possible well known authors, researchers, personalities, politicians etc etc might just help give you more clout.
After all, all of the above could be adversely affected if reptile keeping ends up banned.
You could also approach shops and rescue centres, zoos etc and ask them to keep leaflets on the counter or place one in a bag for each customer. You could approach websites such as this one and the millions of other similar sites and ask admins if they would send out a mass email with pkl campaigns and details. Im sure there are many more ways to reach reptile keepers directly.

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My CrittersBoiga blandingiBoiga nigricepsBoiga cyaneaCrested GeckosUroplatus fimbriatusReed frogSnow spotted Bengal catSugar gliders

Hi Angi,

I will get flamed for my response here l know. But l will be flamed equally if l do not respond at all.

So okay lets look at the first lines of your suggestions.

Television advertising is ruinously expensive, yes, effective but only so far as its creation and construction goes, so this would not even be a considered medium with so little finances in availability.

Well unification is the key player here, but l also think that there is very little known about unification, but it is the overall way forwards. The EPS needed unification from all keepers, and here alone we had keepers with misgivings about showing their support for that, due to not owning any of the listed species themselves.

Right - societies, in the main are linked - affiliated via the FBH, and what has the FBH actually achieved of late for this?

The societies need to be linked together and act as one - which was the purpose of the FBH, and as said this does not happen.

Societies are struggling for memberships alone and with this loss of faith, memberships as a whole are decreasing in numbers and not increasing. If the FBH perhaps was to promote this, then this would be a very helpful start.

But this is not saying that your suggestion is worthless, for indeed it is valid, and we are curently working on the uniting of the societies themselves as we speak, but we have societies who do not want to be visibly linked to any kind of political activity stating that they will leave it to the likes of their Federation - the FBH?

Approaching manufacturers is part of the retail aid campaign and again we are reviewing this, we did have a view to pull REPTA on board this, but l think it will have to be done independantly.

Publication on board, l have approached several publications with a view to receiving free coresponding advertising , but even they wish to see a financial package presented. Other publications would possibly award us 'space' but only if we are writing in what is classed as an unbiased fashion, which is fair, what certain articles we have at present - an example would have been the EPS literature - was classed as biased. But then l would defend by saying that the legislation itself was and is extremely biased.

TV personalities have been approached and if you are lucky enough to get through their agents, you are then presented with the 'image' profilics for that personality. So the next step would be a B class celebrity.

But l agree whole heartily with your suggestive list, and it is not down to me being non receptive but a case of trying to find the right connections in many cases to begin with, and the ability to produce funding at the drop of a hat which is simply not present.

The two main federations can not support campaigns, for they are financialy inept, and the only way funding can be achieved is via the industry - retail and the private keeper - and as l have said we must make sure that all who donate to this must see a return on what they are financing.

So l hope that my response will not be treated as deliberately trying to not focus on the issues at hand, but it is more of a case of having to approach things differently with a view to over the long haul achieving the same results.

Rory Matier

Pro Keepers Lobby

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Okay you edited as l was penning my response:

"You could also approach shops and rescue centres, zoos etc and ask them to keep leaflets on the counter or place one in a bag for each customer. You could approach websites such as this one and the millions of other similar sites and ask admins if they would send out a mass email with pkl campaigns and details. Im sure there are many more ways to reach reptile keepers directly."

Right, further more these things have been done within the last three months.

First:

Shops, this is something we are working on now with a view to releasing a survey to 1000 by the end of this year.

2nd:

Rescue centres and zoos; We will look into, but to be fair to both, rescue centres are currently facing all sorts of difficult legislations that may shut many down in the next few years. And whilst it will be politics, it might be seen as adverse to what they support, for many rescue centres do not work that well with private keepers.

Zoos this year alone have undergone serious primary legislational moves, and would they support private keepers, well with so many against them at present this would be something that would have to be tested.

Websites such as this one, may well fear that sending out mass emails may be considered as coercion to their readership, and l have indeed approached a few forums to date with the idea of mass emailing their readerships - an example would be the EPS legislation, and we were met with declines, because of the reason provided.

Website support is already starting, but smaller, and for websites to support politics and legislation they must also believe in the problems the hobby faces.

The industry whilst may recognise the problems the hobbies face, but many of the larger players do not wish to be openly supporting politics for fear of a knock on affect on to their business. And sadly this is true, even for me, l receive a knock on affect of people slating me to the extreme of stating l do not care about animals, l only care for politics - they are both hand in hand - and as soon as this is accepted properly then and then will we be able to proceed properly.

Again good ideas, but whilst they have been tried, we must again try differently to hopefully achieve the same results.

R

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Rory, do you not have good links with the FBH? Surely you could work something out with them? You quoted speaking to Chris Newman up to three times daily, what is his stance on this? ( I am not talking about financial assistance here, but simply affiliating would surely help somewhat with raising awareness and becoming a louder voice so to speak).

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Stuff the diet, I NEEEED to eat my favourite foods for a while, lol.

My CrittersBoiga blandingiBoiga nigricepsBoiga cyaneaCrested GeckosUroplatus fimbriatusReed frogSnow spotted Bengal catSugar gliders

Hi Angi,

TSKA is affiliated with FOCAS, not the FBH.

PKL is affiliated to the TSKA brand.

PKL is to be seen as an independant support to FOCAS not the FBH.

Recently l decided not to campaign for the FBH seeing as our work would be concentrating on independant issues and eventually FOCAS.

Chris Newman is chair to both the FBH and FOCAS.

When l speak to Chris, l speak in FOCAS terms not FBH.

R

ps: His stance is that Chris Newman is a signed up keeper to the PKL/PKA.

We talk on a lot of different issues that PKL are working with, and l receive guidance and support to issues and topics that l am working with.

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