Please Help, This Is Important

[Vaimlune]

***Hey guys, there's something really important I need to address. Part of a bill that was passed recently is going to destroy the reptile community. And by that, I mean any animal that's not a cat, dog, or livestock. That means reptiles, amphibians, fish, rodents, bunnies, birds, insects, arachnids, and everything in between. You won't be able to take your animals across state lines, even if it's important. You need to move because your job requires it or you need to get away from an abusive family or whatever is going on? Too bad, you have to get rid of all your beloved animals. You need an exotic vet that's just across the state line? Nope, sorry. You can't do that. If you live in the states and you don't want anything bad to happen to all the animals, please consider sending an email to your senator. If you want to, there are templates for doing it, so don't worry. I know people always think they don't have to worry about something because other people will solve it. But if everyone thinks like that, then nothing gets done. Even if you aren't fond of animals outside of cats and dogs, please consider sending an email to the senate anyway because there are thousands of people who will be out of jobs, thousands who might have to give up their animals, animals that might end up endangered or worse because breeding efforts stay confined in one place, and for some people, their animals are all they have. Please don't let them take our freedom away.

[Vaimlune]

I should add, what would be a really good idea is introducing a program in schools and other places to educate people on basic but very important things, like don't release your pets into the wild, whether they're invasive or not. It's just not a good idea. And go about this in a stern but kind way. Most people respond best to kind, helpful, constructive criticism, not aggressive, forceful stuff.
I've noticed a lot of people who made bad mistakes with pets aren't necessarily bad people, just uneducated in their care. For example, betta fish need a heater, should be in at least a 5 gallon tank, though at least 10 is better, and be put in de-chlorinated, fish-safe water that's been cycled and has approximately the correct water parameters, like pH and temperature. The main reason so many people put bettas in little jars and either overfeed them, keep them too cold, or let the ammonia build up so much that it burns their gills and eventually kills them is because they were told by people who didn't know any better that it was okay to keep them in dirty water or a tiny container. Those "puddles" they live in in the wild are huge. Imagine rice paddies with several inches of water. That's where they live, and the water is not dirty but the mud is the substrate. And they have plenty of space to call their own territory and can get away from aggressive ones if they need to. So what I propose is a world wide education program, something that covers the basics but is easy to understand and follow. It doesn't need to list every single invasive species and where they're invasive, just tell people why it's a very bad idea to release pets into the wild. Aside from a lot of them just not being able to survive, some could become extremely damaging to the environment. One simple mistake can cause so much damage that it takes years to fix. So it's better to prevent the problem that try to fix it after it's already been caused.
Another one that has to do with not releasing pets, particularly fish, is that that will most likely kill them. I've heard of people releasing freshwater fish in to the ocean. That's just sentencing them to death. But they didn't know any better, which is why I'm saying we should make it a mandatory thing to educate both kids and adults in basic animal care and facts.

[aerithstrelitzia]

bumping bc this IS important!

[~Koi pond~]

bumping!

[jolynecujolol]

Bump

[ElloJelloMelloFello]

This is really important!
Bump!

[Dreamerdash]

Bump!

[pizzas and scream]

I think it's to late for me to call/sign. I put it off

it's more than reptiles. it can be feeder insects, it could be fish, exotic mammals, birds anything not classic domesticated animal and livestock

[huskyhiccups]

It would be appreciated if you could include reputable sources in your original post next time. Without it, it comes off a bit as "fear-mongering" in my opinion.

This is all I could really find on it, but I don't know how trustworthy this website is.
{ click }

Their last update on that article was from March 17th which says:
"Discussions are escalating regarding the reconciliation of S1260 and HR4521. The goal to strengthen the economy of the U.S. is a priority so the formal conference to reconcile the bills may begin in late March or early April. Please keep contacting your legislators to keep the Lacey Act amendments from being included in the final bill!"
So I don't think it's too late to call, sign, email, etc.

As for legitimate bills, these were all I could find by searching "Lacey Act"
{ 1 } & { 2 }

[Bitters]

The bills cited above lead me to believe that these are in place not to "prevent traveling with your pet" but to prevent one of the largest threats to exotic animal health and wellbeing--trafficking. Every day, exotic reptiles are being trafficked across state lines in droves to be sold on the ill-maintained exotic market.

The animals/eggs/etc being shuffled across state lines are often very unwell, and kept in horrible conditions. They're often riddled with underlying illnesses that can be spread among reptile populations.

Maybe I didn't look into it well enough but I do know that some legislation that exists to stop exotics from crossing state lines was put in place to stop trafficking.