Exotic pet ban wouldn't stop animal abuse
One reader argues abuse can occur with any pet and that exotic species, such as this veiled chameleon from Madagascar, should not be the target of a ban proposed in Vancouver.

Published: Monday, March 06, 2006
As an executive member of the WestCoast Society for the Protection and Conservation of Reptiles, I disapprove of Vancouver's proposed ban of exotic animals.

These bans serve only to appease animal-rights extremists and are often a quick fix to a complicated issue.

I am a good and conscientious reptile keeper. I have a few iguanas and a few large snakes, and they are my babies.

Just because some people can't understand how a person can develop a bond with a reptile doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

Iguanas are phenomenal pets and very intelligent.

There are people who neglect and abuse reptiles, just as there are those who neglect and abuse dogs and cats.

The solution for all of this does not lie with a ban.

If you prevent people from abusing an animal by banning it, they will simply move on to other animals they can keep and start the abuse all over again.

Amanda Fenrick,

Pitt Meadows