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Arlington is lost
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by tigers9 on May 17, 2008
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/17/AR2008051701531.html
Arlington County Board Bans Poisonous Reptiles
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Saturday, May 17, 2008; 12:56 PM
The Arlington County Board today adopted an amendment to the county code that bans poisonous reptiles in the county. The ordinance will take effect in 30 days.
"The safety of our residents is our top priority," said J. Walter Tejada (D), chairman of the county board. "This limited ban enables us to prohibit those poisonous animals that pose the greatest potential danger to our community."
The new ordinance's prohibitions do not apply to licensed or permitted zoos or educational animal exhibitions, circuses, wildlife rehabilitators or researchers, animal shelters, or veterinary clinics.
There have been no reported fatalities from venomous reptiles in Arlington, but the board acted to protect the public after residents expressed concern about a number of venomous snakes -- some of them deadly -- that were being kept in a county residence.
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries regulates native wildlife in Virginia, but does not regulate venomous reptiles, officials said. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regulates pets and livestock, but has no regulations to prohibit the possession or sale of exotic animals, they said.
Before today's action, the county code limited the regulation of reptiles to requiring owners to confine them and prevent their escape.
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RE: Arlington is lost
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by tigers9 on May 17, 2008
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This story has picture, 2 snakes, the bright picture is Ball python, the other one is venomous, anyway, I hope whoever will be enforcing it knows balls are harmless
Z
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http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0508/520632.html
Arlington County Bans Poisonous Reptiles posted 1:48 pm Sat May 17, 2008 - ARLINGTON COUNTY
Arlington County has adopted an amendment that bans the possession of poisonous reptiles in the County.
As of June 15, 2008, the possession of poisonous reptiles will be prohibited in Arlington County and any existing poisonous reptiles currently in the county must be removed.
"The safety of our residents is our top priority," said J. Walter Tejada, Chairman of the Arlington County Board. "This limited ban enables us to prohibit those poisonous animals that pose the greatest potential danger to our community."
Although there have been no reported fatalities from poisonous reptiles in the county, officials have acted to protect the public after residents expressed deep concern about a number of venomous snakes--some of them deadly--that were being kept in a County residence.
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RE: Arlington is lost
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by Cro on May 17, 2008
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Ok, so that is one County in Virginia.
The real question is, will the residents of the remaining Counties band together before their County Commisioners play copy-cat ?
Perhaps even form a State wide group?
Perhaps get someone in Game and Fish interested in creating a good State Wide reptile law, similar to the one in Florida, that would over-ride the local laws ?
Just a thought.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Arlington is lost
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by tigers9 on May 17, 2008
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Local laws/ordinances are easier to change than state or federal laws. Also, if any affected owners can find any good cause to file injuction within 30 days before thsi goes into an effect, that would prevent or postpone implementation of this ordinance.
Laws wary, not sure what VA statutes say about what procedure has to be followed for a county to pass ban or ordinance, often in some araes impact study is needed, also, here they claim it is for public safety, but since there was no real hazard issue to begin with as nobody got injured or killed...what is next, peanut butter or dinosaur ban?
Z
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RE: Arlington is lost
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by JoeCrotalid on May 17, 2008
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Quick! Someone send a memo to the native species there that the residents don't want them either, and next will be going out on a venomous snake hunt (ie. witch hunt). If you look like a snake then you must be dangerous. What a freakin tragedy that the public is so ignorant, and then plays it as a "Public Safety Issue." Does this county also ban pitbulls, Rots, chows, german sheperds and the ever dangerous dobbie because of the bad reputations placed on them due to the Media frenzy regarding their viscious bites. To those in the Herp community in Arlington, I say fight this with tooth and nail.
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RE: Arlington is lost
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by Cro on May 17, 2008
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The time for the folks in Arlington to fight tooth and nail was before the vote.
How many venomous herpers are there in that County ?Just how organized did they get ?
Who represented them at the meetings ?
Did they hire an attorney ?
Were the dangers of pets like pitbull dogs brought up ?
How many of them showed up at the meetings ?
Any law that is passed is more difficult to change after the fact, than preventing it from passing in the first place.
Would be nice to hear from any herpers who were there about what kind of fight they put up.
Now that the law is passed, they are pretty much sunk, unless they can get a herper elected to the council.
Best Regards JohnZ
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