The "Sell Out" Mentality in Herpetoculture Must End

"First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me."

"We can be our own Worst Enemy".

I am sure that these verses are extremely familiar to most, if not all members of the online reptile community, and even its offline counterpart. There has long been somewhat of a self absorbent attitude amongst keepers of different animals amongst the herp and other exotics keeping communities, as well as even amongst the general "pet owning industry", which is one which I have noticed on many occasions and often irk me. In other words, there is too often a tendency for people to only care about, represent, and consider their own interests and their own animals. "Why should I get involved in the fight when MY animals are not affected? Besides, who needs, or wants to keep THOSE animals anyway, right?" These are all too common mentalities that must be laid to rest.

This is a mindset and a trap that that we all need to avoid if we are to ultimately be successful in preserving our rights and freedoms to own and work with all herps, or any other species of animals that we love and are fascinated by. This should occur regardless of the species and/or taxa we choose to keep, or whether we are a simple pet owner, rescuer, or professional hobbyist or propagator. All facets of the reptile industry and community are connected and intertwined in some way or another.

One case in point in which I would like to have serve as a classic example, was the federal legislation HR 669, which would have effectively added ALL exotic or non indigenous species to the Lacey Act, prohibiting their import and interstate transport. S373 and HR2811 which would have added all species of boas and pythons to the Injurious Wildlife listing of the Lacey Act therefore making their importation, and all interstate movement a felony, were also introduced as predecessors to HR 669. During these times, we as a reptile and exotics community, under the guidance of USARK, PIJAC, and NatPet, mobilized a tremendous and effective grassroots strategy and campaign to defeat these three bills. The federal senate bill S373 was then subsequently amended to include only the nine species of boas and pythons (Burmese python, the two species of Afrocks, Reticulated python, the four Anacondas, and Boa constrictor as a brief recap).

Following this point in history of the reptile community with regards to the amendments of S373, I have personally known and heard of several keepers and breeders with species such as colubrids, ball pythons, and other species (I am by no means pointing the finger at all though), who sat idly during that time and did nothing to combat the bills, or even worse, even advocated for the listing of the "nine" species since "it no longer affected them or their business" or because it "seemed like a reasonable compromise/idea".

The purpose of these examples is not to bash or to lump all who may operate within a particular niche in the reptile industry, but rather to bring to light this self serving, and sometimes even subversive mindsets that unfortunately exists from within the reptile industry. As with all walks of life, different people in the herp hobby have different interests and preferences, and even different capabilities and living situations. Individuals should be allowed the right to keep whichever species they wish provided that that animal was obtained legally, and can be properly mintained and provided for. As I have stated elsewhere, I encourage everyone to spend some time conducting research on the species they truly like or are interested in, and ultimately decide for themselves whether a species is truly suitable for them to maintain.

The "Divide and Conquer" is a dangerous mindset to fall into. The Humane Society of the United States (H.S.U.S) and the rest of the Animal Rights (AR) industry, which seeks to eliminate all use and ownership of exotics in captivity, as well as other entities who despise us and our hobby/industry, are well organized and well oiled in how to use this strategy to their advantage, and through the use of slick and cleverly crafted PR exercises and dialogue, have been successful to at least some degree in convincing the public and even some members of the pet industry to voluntarily agree to "sell out" other sectors of the industry or to support what are "reasonable measures that will not affect your pets".

In conclusion,  the moment individuals in our hobby begin to fall into this "sell out" mentality, the concern simply becomes no longer about  the animal's welfare or an objective look into whether a given individual can properly provide for the species in question, but rather simply becomes an assertion of personal preference and opinion over others. That is simply counterproductive in this hobby. We as the reptile and other exotics keeping community must be able to recognize, and overcome this dangerous mindset whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head, and put aside petty differences if we are to be successful in preserving the rights of everyone in the community, regardless of whether they keep venomous, large constrictors, big cats, colubrids, geckos, or ball pythons. And regardless of their level and nature of interest and involvement in the community.

"United We Stand, Divided We Fall."

Everyone should keep these six words in mind.