United States Association of Reptile Keepers, Florida

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  • Friday, December 29, 2023 12:00 PM | USARK FL (Administrator)

    Photo of Cuban Rock Iguana (Cyclura nubila) by Travis deLagerheim @travisaurusrex60 

    HB1033 seeks to expand the ban on Green iguanas (Iguana iguana) to include all Iguana species (assumedly all genera of the family Iguanidae: Amblyrhynchus, Brachylophus, Cachryx, Conolophus, Ctenosaura, Cyclura, Dipsosaurus, Iguana, and Sauromalus.)

    This would mean that rock iguanas, spiny-tailed iguanas, rhinoceros iguanas, chuckwallas, and all other Iguanids would become Prohibited Species. It does this by changing statute from reading “Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)” to just “Iguana.” 

    Florida is the world center of conservation for imperiled iguana species. Some of the largest assurance colonies of endangered Iguanas are found at Florida facilities. The reptile industry has contributed to raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Iguana conservation through IguanaFest and coordination with conservationists. In addition to its negative conservation impacts, this bill further degrades the freedoms of reptile keepers and small businesses within Florida.

    HB1033 also bans the sales of dog and cats in pet shops. HB1033 was introduced by State Representative Sam Killebrew of Winter Haven (District 48)


    Read the bill : https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2024/1033/BillText/Filed/PDF

    The bill has been profiled and has not yet been assigned to a committee. The Florida legislative session begins on January 9, 2024. The bill would take effect on take effect July 1, 2024.


    Call to Action:

    Contact Representative Killebrew and tell him this bill is a threat to pet owners, small businesses, farmers, and conservation.

    sam.killebrew@myfloridahouse.gov

    Capitol Office

    300 House Office Building

    402 South Monroe Street

    Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300

    (850) 717-5048


    District office

    337 Avenue C Southwest

    Winter Haven, FL 33880-3262

    (863) 291-5254


    Continue to follow @usarkflorida and @usark for more information. 

  • Wednesday, May 10, 2023 5:00 AM | USARK FL (Administrator)

    Florida Reptile Keepers to Demand Change at

    FWC Commission Meeting in Miami in Wake of FWC Pet Massacre


    Above: FWC Officer Lex Corteguera poses with “Sweetie” the Burmese python before throwing her in a trash can. (Photo still from FWC Body Camera Video)

     

    In the wake of the “Holy Thursday Massacre” on April 6 a now world famous event in which Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Law Enforcement Officers unnecessarily and inhumanely slaughtered over 30 pet snakes in Broward County, Florida, reptile keepers are expected to demand a change in the direction of the agency at the FWC Commission Meeting on Thursday, May 11 in Miami, FL. Item 10.A. on the agenda of the meeting, which is currently scheduled for the morning of Thursday, May 11, will include a draft rule to further crack down on imports of pet and food animals to supposedly address nonnative species issues in Florida. In addition to that item, reptile keepers will voice their comments on the FWC snake massacre in the “Items not on the Agenda” item at the end of the meeting on Thursday afternoon. This meeting may be viewed live and replayed at thefloridachannel.org.

     

    The agenda for the FWC Commission Meeting May 10-11 in Miami, Florida may be viewed here:

    https://myfwc.com/about/commission/commission-meetings/may-2023/

     

    In addition to the “Holy Thursday Massacre,” reptile keepers and members of all of Florida’s animal industries are expected to vehemently oppose FWC’s draconian “Whitelist” regulatory proposals to restrict import of nonnative animals into Florida. This is agenda item 10.A., which is expected to be heard on Thursday morning at 8:30AM. Whitelist regulatory systems allow a certain list of approved species to be imported or sold and ban all others by default. At the recent FWC Technical Assistance Group (TAG) meeting, members of Florida zoos as well as aquaculture and pet industries decried the ill-conceived proposals as “industry killers.” The “options” for regulatory systems being presented by FWC staff are based on interpretations of FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto’s words from the February FWC Meeting in which he said, “I have no qualms worth of saying we’re shutting Florida down,” in reference to nonnative animal species entering Florida. Animal industry leaders believe that Barreto’s words were ill-informed and ill-conceived, as the results of such an action would likely be the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to family farms and small businesses dealing in livestock.

     

    USARK FL Representative Joe Hiduke suggested a Blacklist approach which bans only certain species proven to be problematic, since a Whitelist system would require the evaluation of tens of thousands of species and the identification of those species by law enforcement. Hiduke said, “We’ve seen in the last month the pretty significant problems that law enforcement can have identification: things like boas and pythons.” Art Roybal, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) representative on the TAG, opposed FWC’s Whitelist system, saying, “I do know that blacklists work. Whitelists have some problems.” In the wake of FWC’s slaughter of pet snakes, FWC’s further crackdown on pets seems especially egregious. 

    A video on the last FWC Nonnative Species TAG webinar may be seen here:

    https://youtu.be/kTNFkq2JiHg

     

    One of the pet snakes killed by FWC officers on April 6 was a pregnant pet Boa constrictor named “Big Shirl,” which was owned by Bill McAdam and kept at his facility in Sunrise, Florida. Boas are among the most popular pet snakes and are legal to own in Florida. Video of the incident shows the animal writhing on the floor for more than 20 minutes after the FWC officers administered a single bolt charge to its head. During the Holy Thursday Massacre, FWC officers also killed 29 Reticulated pythons and five Burmese pythons owned by Chris Coffee and housed at McAdam’s facility. One of these snakes was a Burmese python named “Sweetie.” FWC Officer Lex Corteguera called that snake “the puppy dog” before pulling it out of the cage and administering the bolt gun charge to its head. After this Corteguera could be seen directing Officer Jonathan Wright to take a cell phone photo of him holding “Sweetie,” as if it was a trophy kill, before throwing it into a trash can. USARK FL has requested that photo from FWC, but FWC has not provided it.

     

    FWC considers those python species to be “Prohibited” under rules passed in 2021. Coffee was unable to rehome some of his snakes within the arbitrary 90-day time period allowed by FWC after the ban passed in 2021. After contacting FWC to ask for help, officers executed a constructive seizure on the snakes in February 2022 which forced Coffee to feed and care for the animals until FWC took final action, which did not occur until April 6, 2023 when the animals were killed by officers.

     

    Video footage shot by Chris Coffee documenting the FWC massacre may be viewed on the USARK FL YouTube channel here:

    https://youtu.be/BuimdwINSzk

    (Please note that the location of this incident was initially incorrectly reported as Palm Beach County rather than Sunrise in Broward County.)

     

    USARK FL maintains that none of the pythons in this case should have been killed because they were legally owned prior to the administrative rule change. As a matter of law, they should have been grandfathered without condition. USARK FL is currently in a lawsuit with FWC challenging validity and constitutionality of these rules and has asked for FWC to stop seizing and euthanizing captive animals until this legal challenge is resolved. Contrary to some media reports, the Reticulated python is not an invasive species in Florida. USARK FL’s Motion for Summary Judgment in their lawsuit against FWC may be viewed here:

    https://usarkfl.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/Filed%20Motion%20for%20Summary%20Judgment.pdf  

     

    In addition to the snakes owned by McAdam and Coffee, USARK FL recently learned that on April 5, Officer Wright confiscated a tame Reticulated python from Daniel Golightly. This snake was caught by his daughter, 16-year old snake enthusiast Onya Golightly, after a neighbor requested that the snake be removed from his yard. Onya Golightly found the snake to be very friendly and named it “Frederick.” Officer Wright told Onya’s father, Daniel Golightly, that the snake would be “rehomed.” According the FWC’s Incident Report, on the morning of April 6, “Frederick” was killed with a bolt gun by Officer Wright. Daniel and Onya Golightly were shocked to find out that “Frederick” had been killed by Officer Wright after that fact was revealed to them by USARK FL President Elizabeth Wisneski at the recent Boyton Beach Reptiday. Onya Golightly caught “Frederick” in Pembroke Pines, over 13 miles from McAdam’s facility in Sunrise. Despite the crawl from Sunrise to Pembroke Pines being an impossible journey for a large and slow moving reptile, FWC used the capture of “Frederick” as cause to initiate contact with Coffee about his pythons, which were also killed by bolt gun later the same day.  

     


    Above: FWC Daniel Golightly, Onya Golightly, and USARK FL President Elizabeth Wisneski at Reptiday Boyton Beach  (Photo by Elizabeth Wisneski, who has granted permission for this photo to be distributed and published)

     

    USARK FL’s video detailing the story of Onya Golightly and “Frederick” the Python may be viewed here:

    https://youtu.be/p9yZi2A7HkI

    Many have questioned FWC’s dispatching technique on these snakes. FWC’s own website describes a two-step euthanasia process for wild pythons. This process involves applying the bolt charge to the head, followed by the complete destruction of the brain by pithing. The officers in this case followed only one of two of those steps.

    https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/python/humane-killing-methods/

    According to veterinarian Dr. Ivan Alfonso DVM, even the field methods FWC describes on its website were not adequate in this case. “Euthanasia guidelines provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) clearly distinguish between ‘in the field’ euthanasia methods versus pet euthanasia methods. These snakes were not wild. Even if they had been wild, using just the bolt gun was only one step in the euthanasia method. If actually necessary, this should have been conducted by a licensed veterinarian or properly-trained veterinary health professional,” said Alfonso. He added, “There is no excuse for using the bolt gun method on pet snakes or pets of any species. The AVMA lists bolt guns and pithing as a secondary method when nothing else is safe or possible on captive reptiles. This was not the case here.”

    Dr. Alfonso referred us to page 92 of the AVMA Euthanasia Guidelines:

    https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/Guidelines-on-Euthanasia-2020.pdf

    For background on this story, see original press release at: www.usarkfl.net/news


    For additional photos or information on this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call or text Daniel Parker, Director of Media for USARK FL, at 863-441-5067 or email media@usarkfl.net. Also contact USARK FL Legal Advisor Curt Harbsmeier 863-640-7484 charbsmeier@hdlaw.com. Media outlets are given permission by Chris Nettles, Chris Coffee, and Elizabeth Wisneski to publish photos and video contained in this press release. 

  • Monday, May 01, 2023 9:30 AM | USARK FL (Administrator)

    Reptile Enthusiasts and Environmental Advocates to Crash FWC Day at the Capitol


    Though FWC has not put out a press release on the event, this flyer was seen on a bulletin board in the Florida Capitol Building

     

    In the wake of the “Holy Thursday Massacre” on April 6, 2023, a date on which FWC officers killed around three dozen pet snakes including a pregnant Boa constrictor, FWC has quietly announced “FWC Day” at the Capitol for May 2, 2023. The FWC snake slaughter has garnered worldwide media attention and the outrage of animal keepers the world over. Reptile enthusiasts and environmental advocates plan to attend FWC’s lobbying event on Tuesday to inform legislators of FWC’s egregious overreach, killing of animals, and environmental mismanagement.

     

    In addition to Chris Coffee’s cherished pet python “Sweetie” and his other 30 some odd pythons, and Bill McAdam’s Boa “Big Shirl,” we now know that on April 6 FWC officers also killed a tame pet Reticulated python, which was caught in Pembroke Pines by 16-year old Onya Golightly. Golightly, who is known as a budding young snake enthusiast, was called in by a neighbor to wrangle the 10 foot snake, which seemed to be lost. She named the python “Frederick.” This capture was covered by local and national media. What was not covered was the follow-up visit by FWC officers, who seized the snake and promised to “kind the snake a good home” while citing Onya’s father Daniel Golightly with a warning violation for possessing a Prohibited Species. According to FWC’s incident report, this python was killed via bolt gun by Officer Jonathon Wright on the morning of April 6, just hours before Wright joined Officer Lex Corteguera at Bill McAdam’s facility with the bolt gun to dispatch Chris Coffee’s pythons. 

     

    FWC has made a statement claiming that the facility owner requested that they euthanize his pythons. Coffee, who was the owner of the pythons, disputes this statement, saying that he was threatened with arrest and that FWC gave him no other choice other than to allow the snakes to be killed. McAdam, who was the owner of the facility, but not the owner of the pythons, also says that he did not request that FWC euthanize the pythons. The body camera footage that FWC has released does not seem to be complete, but it does not back up the claim of FWC in their statement. 

    Above: Onya Golightly (with her pet Ball pythons) and her father Daniel Golightly recently met USARK FL President Elizabeth Wisneski at Repticon in Boyton Beach, FL. Onya caught “Frederick” the tame Reticulated python, which was killed with a bolt gun by FWC officer Jonathon Wright.  (Photo by Elizabeth Wisneski, who has granted permission for this photo to be published and disseminated.)

    Regardless of how you may feel about the types of animals involved, none of the Holy Thursday Massacre was necessary and there was no urgency surrounding this event. Big Shirl was a beloved pet Boa constrictor, a species of snake that is docile under human care and commonly kept as pets. A necropsy has revealed that Big Shirl was carrying 32 babies which were only a few weeks away from being born. Boas give birth to live young rather than laying eggs like many other snakes. USARK FL maintains that none of Coffee’s pythons should have been killed because they were legally owned prior to the administrative rule change. As a matter of law, they should have been grandfathered without condition. USARK FL is currently in a lawsuit with FWC challenging validity and constitutionality of these rules and has asked for FWC to stop seizing and euthanizing captive animals until this legal challenge is resolved. Contrary to some media reports, the Reticulated python is not an invasive species in Florida. 

    Above: The cause of death for Bill McAdam’s 10-year old female boa was a penetrating wound caused by a bolt gun charge, which passed entirely through the snake’s head and exited through the lower jaw. (Photo by Chris Nettles, who has granted permission for this photo to be published and disseminated.)

    FWC’s killing technique has been condemned as cruel and inhumane. In the video of the incident recorded by Coffee, officers can be seen yanking snakes out of cages, administering a bolt charge to the head, and then leaving the snakes writhing on the floor or throwing them into trash cans. FWC’s own website describes a two-step euthanasia process for wild pythons. This process involves applying the bolt charge to the head, followed by the complete destruction of the brain by pithing. The officers in this case followed only one of two of those steps.

    https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/python/humane-killing-methods/

     

    According to veterinarian Dr. Ivan Alfonso DVM, even the field methods FWC describes on its website were not adequate in this case. “Euthanasia guidelines provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) clearly distinguish between ‘in the field’ euthanasia methods versus pet euthanasia methods. These snakes were not wild. Even if they had been wild, using just the bolt gun was only one step in the euthanasia method. Being pets, these animals should have been afforded the pet euthanasia method which involves chemical immobilization or sedation and then chemical euthanasia. There was no urgency in this case. If actually necessary, this should have been conducted by a licensed veterinarian or properly-trained veterinary health professional,” said Alfonso. He added, “There is no excuse for using the bolt gun method on pet snakes or pets of any species. The AVMA lists bolt guns and pithing as a secondary method when nothing else is safe or possible on captive reptiles. This was not the case here.”

     

    Dr. Alfonso referred us to page 92 of the AVMA Euthanasia Guidelines:

    https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/Guidelines-on-Euthanasia-2020.pdf 


    Above: The USARK recently made this post about “FWC Day” on social media

    The United States Association of Reptile Keepers Florida (USARK FL) has posted on social media asking citizens to attend FWC Day at the Capitol and carry their own message to Florida lawmakers. USARK FL hopes to emphasize the following points.

     

    Holy Thursday Massacre

    -On April 6, 2023, FWC Officers killed over 30 pet snakes via bolt gun.

    -FWC Officers carried out orders that they claimed came from Tallahassee.

    -FWC killed a tame pet python named “Frederick,” which had been caught several days prior by 16-yearold Onya Golightly. Officers cited her father for possession of the snake and told them that the snake would go to a good home before killing it via bolt gun.

    -FWC killed over 30 pythons, which were previously possessed legally by Chris Coffee under a permit from FWC before they ended that program.

    -Coffee cried after FWC officers had him hold the head of his pet snake as they stuck a bolt through its head.

    -In the course of killing Coffee’s pythons, including his cherished “Big Sweetie,” FWC officers “inadvertently” killed the facility owner Bill McAdam’s legal pet Boa constrictor named “Big Shirl,” which was pregnant with 32 babies.  

    -FWC killed all of these snakes by a single bolt gun blow to the head. Many writhed on the floor for a long period of time before being thrown into a trash can in front of their owner.

    -The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends a two or three step process for euthanasia, depending on circumstances, which FWC did not follow.

    -Vets have condemned FWC’s action as cruel and inhumane to animals.

    -At no time did FWC officers mention FWC’s “Amnesty Program,” which FWC markets as a “judgement free” way to rehome pets.

    -The Holy Thursday Massacre has received extensive media coverage, which has sparked worldwide outrage.

    -FWC has shown little accountability for its egregious actions and has responded to outrage on social media by deleting thousands of negative comments, in violation of the 1st Amendment.

     

    Video footage shot by Chris Coffee documenting the FWC massacre may be viewed on the USARK FL YouTube channel here:

    https://youtu.be/BuimdwINSzk

    (Please note that the location of this incident was initially incorrectly reported as Palm Beach County rather than Sunrise in Broward County.)

     

    FWC-Big Government Killing Pets

    -FWC has confiscated and killed pets, which are cherished family members.

    -FWC law enforcement uses brutal and inhumane killing methods to euthanize pets, in violation of American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines.

    -FWC has punished pet owners and businesses with draconian regulation.

    -FWC has failed to provide reasonable grandfathering provisions for legally owned pets.

    -FWC's crackdown on pet owners has done nothing to address invasive species issues.

    -FWC’s shut down of iguana and tegu exports has led to increased wild populations.

    -FWC has threatened Florida's animal industries, including the farmers of food animals.

    -FWC is moving ahead with regulations without consent of the industries they will damage and the companies they will put out of business.

    -FWC's current "Whitelist" regulatory proposals do not have the support of any of Florida's animal industries.

    -FWC’s “Whitelist” places a huge burden on law enforcement, which will likely lead to more killing of animals.

     

    FWC-Destroying Florida’s Natural Environment

    -FWC has managed Florida's wildlife and natural environments poorly.

    -FWC's policies benefit developers and chemical companies, to the detriment of Florida's wildlife and environment.

    -FWC's excessive herbicide spraying kills native animals and plants.

    -FWC's spraying of aquatic plants kills the foods of manatees and turtles, destroys habitat, and contributes to polluted water.

    -FWC continues to starve manatees by spraying their preferred foods.

    -FWC spraying leads to excessive nutrient loads, which cause algae blooms, red tide, loss of seagrass, and loss of marine life.

    -FWC's contributions to red tide and toxic algae blooms threaten Florida's fish populations, fishing industries, and coastal recreation.

    -FWC policies are leading to the deaths of Endangered birds, manatees, panthers, bears, sea turtles, and gopher tortoises.

     

    Above: An FWC officer smiles as he surveys the scene after the killing of 34 pythons and a pregnant pet boa by FWC officers. (Photo by Chris Coffee, who has granted permission for this photo to be published and disseminated.)

    For background on this story, see press releases at: www.usarkfl.net/news

     

    For additional photos or information on this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call or text Daniel Parker, Director of Media for USARK FL, at 863-441-5067 or email media@usarkfl.net. Media outlets are given permission by Elizabeth Wisneski and Chris Coffee to publish photos and video contained in this press release. 


  • Wednesday, April 19, 2023 9:00 AM | USARK FL (Administrator)

    Pet Slaughtered by FWC Officers, Necropsy Reveals Unborn Babies

    (WARNING: Graphic images!)

    The value of offspring contained by this pet, a legally owned animal, may have been over $100,000 if they had not been killed by FWC.

    A pregnant pet named Big Shirl was inhumanely and unnecessarily slaughtered by Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Law Enforcement Officers on April 6. Big Shirl was raised from birth for over ten years by Bill McAdam. This butchery was part of an event which has become known as the “Holy Thursday Massacre” and it happened at Bill McAdam’s animal facility in Sunrise, FL in Broward County. Video of the incident shows the animal writhing on the floor for more than 20 minutes after the FWC officers administered a single bolt charge to the head. Before reading on, take pause and let it sink in that a healthy, legally owned pet was carelessly destroyed.

    Regardless of how you may feel about the types of animals involved, none of the Holy Thursday Massacre was necessary and there was no urgency surrounding this event. Big Shirl was a beloved pet Boa constrictor, a species of snake that is docile under human care and commonly kept as pets. A necropsy has revealed that Big Shirl was carrying 32 babies which were only a few weeks away from being born. Boas give birth to live young rather than laying eggs like many other snakes. In addition to slaying Big Shirl, 34 pythons were executed.

    The necropsy, performed by Dr. Dale Porcher DVM, found the cause of death of the adult female Boa to be the penetrating wound caused by a bolt gun charge, which passed entirely through the snake’s head and exited through the lower jaw. Dr. Porcher confirmed that the Boa appeared very healthy and the babies were developing normally.

    Above: A necropsy has revealed that a pregnant Boa constrictor slaughtered by FWC officers in the “Holy Thursday Massacre” on April 6 contained 32 babies, some of which were valuable “Red Dragon” and “Blood Albino” color varieties. (Photo by Chris Nettles, who has granted permission for this photo to be published and disseminated.)

    During the Holy Thursday Massacre, FWC officers also killed 29 Reticulated pythons and five Burmese pythons owned by Chris Coffee. FWC considers those python species to be “Prohibited” under rules passed in 2021. Coffee was unable to rehome some of his snakes within the arbitrary 90-day time period allowed by FWC after the ban passed in 2021. After contacting FWC to ask for help, officers executed a constructive seizure on the snakes in February 2022 which forced Coffee to feed and care for the animals until FWC took final action, which did not occur until April 6, 2023 when the animals were killed by officers.

    USARK FL maintains that none of the pythons in this case should have been killed because they were legally owned prior to the administrative rule change. As a matter of law, they should have been grandfathered without condition. USARK FL is currently in a lawsuit with FWC challenging validity and constitutionality of these rules and has asked for FWC to stop seizing and euthanizing captive animals until this legal challenge is resolved. Contrary to some media reports, the Reticulated python is not an invasive species in Florida. 


    Above: The cause of death for Bill McAdam’s 10-year old female boa was a penetrating wound caused by a bolt gun charge, which passed entirely through the snake’s head and exited through the lower jaw. (Photo by Chris Nettles, who has granted permission for this photo to be published and disseminated.)

    See video on the killing of Big Shirl the Boa and her subsequent necropsy of the USARK FL YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Gxkga_ZPas

    Above: FWC officers misidentified McAdam’s pet Boa constrictor as a python and killed it. This 10-year old female boa was raised from a baby by McAdam and was pregnant at the time of her death at the hands of FWC officers. The officers tried to take the carcass of this snake along with those of Coffee’s pythons, but Coffee insisted that they leave it in the freezer at McAdam’s facility for necropsy. (Photos by Chris Coffee, who has granted permission for this photo to be published and disseminated.) 

    Many have questioned FWC’s dispatching technique on these snakes. In the video of the incident recorded by Coffee, officers can be seen yanking snakes out of cages, administering a bolt charge to the head, and then leaving the snakes writhing on the floor or throwing them into trash cans. FWC’s own website describes a two-step euthanasia process for wild pythons. This process involves applying the bolt charge to the head, followed by the complete destruction of the brain by pithing. The officers in this case followed only one of two of those steps.

    https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/python/humane-killing-methods/

    According to veterinarian Dr. Ivan Alfonso DVM, even the field methods FWC describes on its website were not adequate in this case. “Euthanasia guidelines provided by theAmerican Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) clearly distinguish between ‘in the field’ euthanasia methods versus pet euthanasia methods. These snakes were not wild. Even if they had been wild, using just the bolt gun was only one step in the euthanasia method. Being pets, these animals should have been afforded the pet euthanasia method which involves chemical immobilization or sedation and then chemical euthanasia. There was no urgency in this case. If actually necessary, this should have been conducted by a licensed veterinarian or properly-trained veterinary health professional,” said Alfonso. He added, “There is no excuse for using the bolt gun method on pet snakes or pets of any species. The AVMA lists bolt guns and pithing as a secondary method when nothing else is safe or possible on captive reptiles. This was not the case here.”

    Dr. Alfonso referred us to page 92 of the AVMA Euthanasia Guidelines: https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/Guidelines-on-Euthanasia-2020.pdf

    The value of the baby boas in the reptile hobby is estimated at potentially over $100,000. The litter of babies likely included rare color morphs known as “Red Dragon” and “Blood Albino,” some of which are known to sell for $5000 to $7500 each. Aside from just the value of this litter, the long-term value of the female boa as a breeder over the course of her lifetime must be considered. Regardless of the snake’s monetary value or the value of her offspring, owner Bill McAdam just misses his pet, Big Shirl. “It was heart wrenching,” said Bill McAdam in a media interview. “That’s one snake that had a name because she was special,” he added. 

    Above: An FWC officer smiles as he surveys the scene after the killing of 34 pythons and a pregnant pet boa by FWC officers. (Photo by Chris Coffee, who has granted permission for this photo to be published and disseminated.)

    Undeniable Facts Regarding the April 6 Killing of 35 Snakes

    1. A Boa constrictor was misidentified and killed. This boa was completely legal to own in Florida as Boa constrictors are not on the FWC Prohibited Species list in Florida. The snake was 10-years-old and had been raised by the owner, Bill McAdam, since it was a baby. The boa was gravid (pregnant) with 32 fully-developed babies.

    2. 29 reticulated pythons and 5 Burmese pythons were also killed. All appeared healthy. All snakes were in locked cages. All snakes were microchipped, registered, and on documented inventory with FWC as the owner was in full compliance with the Conditional Species Permit rules before that program was terminated by FWC for these species in 2021.

    3. On February 7, 2022 (14 months prior to this incident), FWC visited Chris Coffee (owner of the 34 pythons that were killed) and cited him with several dozen counts for violations to the new Prohibited Species rules passed by FWC in 2021. During this February 2022 visit, FWC informed Coffee that he had to keep all of the snakes. He was not allowed to sell, rehome, or euthanize them.

    4. On February 7, 2022, FWC executed a constructive seizure. This FWC-issued constructive seizure meant the agency seized the property (snakes) but the property was left in the control of the owner (Coffee). Coffee had to keep and maintain, with no other option, the animals until FWC took final action (which was not until 14 months later). Basically, a constructive seizure means that property has been officially seized by law enforcement but they will come back to take physical possession at a later date.

    5. Chris Coffee fed, maintained, and humanely kept all of these pythons from February 2022 until April 6, 2023 (as ordered by FWC in February 2022). On April 6, FWC officers killed 34 of Coffee’s animals, many of which he hatched and raised, along with the misidentified boa constrictor.

    6. 29 of the snakes killed were reticulated pythons. Reticulated pythons ARE NOT an invasive species in Florida and this has been misreported in many media articles.

    7. These pythons were killed because FWC moved the species from Conditional Species to Prohibited Species. Licensed individuals who had been raising, breeding and selling (only to out-of-state buyers or other Florida Conditional Species Permit holders) for many years were not grandfathered. FWC did not allow snake breeders and sellers to keep any of the snakes, even as non-breeding pets. These Conditional Species owners had only 90 days to sell, euthanize, or rehome all of their animals. Coffee had sold most of his snakes within the 90 days but not all of them. When the Prohibited Species rules passed, some exhibitors and zoos were allowed to keep some animals now listed as Prohibited Species, but snake keepers and breeders were NOT allowed to be grandfathered.

    8. The 34 pythons owned by Chris Coffee were being kept at a facility owned by Bill McAdam (owner of the killed boa constrictor). Coffee informed FWC that this is where the snakes were housed.

    9. On April 6, the one-step process utilized was inhumane and unlawful. The officers failed to complete a two-step process but even this two-step process is intended only for emergency and “in the wild” purposes. This situation did not require the snakes to be killed in this manner, or at all.

    10. The FWC officers did not follow the two-step process for humanely killing reptiles as stipulated by FWC that is even publicly posted on its own website. The officers only performed Step 1 and never completed the humane process by carrying out Step 2.

    This protocol is posted at: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/python/humane-killing-methods/

    11. The camera that filmed the killing of the snakes was not a hidden camera and the FWC officers were made aware that the camera was filming.

    Video footage shot by Chris Coffee documenting the FWC massacre may be viewed on the USARK FL YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/BuimdwINSzk

    (Please note that the location of this incident was initially incorrectly reported as Palm Beach County rather than Sunrise in Broward County.)

    For background on this story, see original press release at: www.usarkfl.net/news


    For additional photos or information on this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call or text Daniel Parker, Director of Media for USARK FL, at 863-441-5067 or email media@usarkfl.net. Also contact USARK FL Legal Advisor Curt Harbsmeier 863-640-7484 charbsmeier@hdlaw.com. Media outlets are given permission by Chris Nettles, and Chris Coffee to publish photos and video contained in this press release. 


  • Monday, April 10, 2023 7:35 AM | USARK FL (Administrator)

    FWC Officers Slaughter Pet Boa and 34 other Snakes on Holy Thursday

    USARK Florida Calls on Governor DeSantis to ask for resignation of FWC leaders and the immediate end to forced euthanasia of captive animals by FWC 

    Above: An FWC officer smiles as he surveys the scene after the killing of 34 pythons and a pregnant pet boa by FWC officers (Photo by Chris Coffee, who has granted permission for this photo to be published and disseminated)

    Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Law Enforcement Officers showed up at a reptile facility in Sunrise and slaughtered 34 pythons and one pregnant boa constrictor. The pet Boa constrictor was misidentified as a python and, according to its owner Bill McAdam, executed via "nail gun to the head" by four FWC officers. The FWC officers also killed 29 Reticulated pythons and five Burmese pythons owned by Chris Coffee. Under prior directive from FWC, Coffee was forced to maintain the snakes in captivity for over a year since an arbitrary deadline had passed to rehome the animals.

    Coffee had a large collection of both Reticulated and Burmese pythons, which were possessed legally with a "Conditional Species Permit," before FWC made that permit obsolete by passing "Prohibited Species" rules in 2021. Therefore, his animals should have been grandfathered in and exempt from the new regulations. Nonetheless, after the rules banning the snakes were passed, Coffee chose to rehome 120 of his pythons, but he was unable to disperse all of his collection before an arbitrary FWC deadline. In an effort to remain on good terms with FWC, Coffee notified FWC in good faith about a year ago that he was having difficulties rehoming his animals in the short amount of time allowed by FWC. He asked FWC for more time, believing that he had no choice.

    FWC responded by raiding Coffee's facility, arresting him, and issuing him two charges for each Reticulated and Burmese python possessed, for a total of 72 criminal charges. However, rather than seize the animals, FWC officers told Coffee that he had to continue to keep the snakes in captivity and that he could not rehome or euthanize them or he would be arrested again. Coffee's life has been turned upside down and he is still on probation as a result of the charges that never should have been issued against him.

    Above: FWC Officer poses for picture with a freshly-killed captive bred Hypomelanistic Burmese python named “Sweetie,” before the snake’s carcass is unceremoniously thrown into a trash can. (Photo by Chris Coffee, who has granted permission for this photo to be published and disseminated)

    Coffee's pythons were maintained at the facility of Bill McAdam with FWC's full knowledge of their whereabouts for approximately a year, until FWC's raid and subsequent massacre on Thursday, April 6, 2023. On that date, coinciding with the observance of Passover and Holy Thursday, FWC officers Lex Corteguera, Jonathon Wright, Zach Beppel, and Christopher Ryan showed up to McAdams' facility, alleging that they had a report of an escaped Reticulated python in the area.

    The officers said that they wanted to check to see if it was one of Coffee's snakes that had escaped. This turned out to not be the real reason for their visit. After Coffee allowed them into the facility, the officers began pulling snakes out of their enclosures and killing them, with what Coffee described as a sort of nail gun, on the floor of McAdam's facility. The device used to kill the snakes was likely a device called a "penetrating captive bolt gun." The FWC officers spent around four hours killing snakes, firing multiple shots to the heads of some snakes when it appeared that the first shots failed to kill them. When it was all done, they had killed 29 Reticulated pythons and five Burmese pythons, in addition to the misidentified Boa constrictor. The reptile community is calling this event the “Holy Thursday Massacre.” Social media posts on this horrific story have received tens of thousands of views.

     

    Above: FWC officers misidentified McAdam’s pet Boa constrictor as a python and killed it. This 10-year old female boa was raised from a baby by McAdam and was pregnant at the time of her death at the hands of FWC officers. The officers tried to take the carcass of this snake along with those of Coffee’s pythons, but Coffee insisted that they leave it in the freezer at McAdam’s facility for future necropsy. (Photos by Chris Coffee, who has granted permission for this photo to be published and disseminated)


    Boas are legal to own in Florida and are among the most popular pet snakes. This Boa was ten years old, and gravid (the term for pregnant in snakes).  According to McAdam, this Boa was a cherished pet that he had raised from a baby. Regardless of how you may feel about snakes, these were innocent, healthy animals and there were many alternatives to this unwarranted butchery. Imagine if these were dogs, goats, or horses. Would you be infuriated then?

    This is not the first instance where FWC has either seized or killed animals which were legally possessed before the Prohibited Species rules took effect. Though FWC Commissioners promised animal owners that they would be able to keep their pets when the rules were passed, that has turned out not to be true. Last year, FWC officer Bob O'Horo confiscated 87 iguanas from Ty Park, the owner of IguanaLand. Over 30 of those iguanas were reportedly euthanized by FWC, while the others eventually found homes out of state. In yet another case, FWC officer Mia Ruggiero threatened to seize and euthanize "Green Day the Iguana," the mascot of Rotary Park in Cape Coral, before embarrassing media coverage caused FWC to backtrack and eventually permit the park to continue to keep "Green Day" and other "Prohibited" lizards on display. FWC has not made such accommodations for Steve Tishfield, who voluntarily microchipped and registered his 23-year old and 16-year old pet iguanas as suggested by former FWC Nonnative Species Biologist Kristen Penney Sommers, who has since resigned from the agency. FWC officer Damon Saunders, who recently investigated Tishfield and his iguanas, admitted on camera that the Tishfield's caging was secure, but said that he had missed “the deadline” to apply for a permit and he therefore would not be able to continue to keep his pet iguanas. Tishfield now fears for his longtime pets' lives.

    USARK Florida questions how FWC officers who are not competent enough to identify animals properly are empowered by the state to kill them. We believe that in instances where euthanasia is absolutely necessary, the animals should be identified by an expert and only euthanized by a qualified veterinarian using the most humane methods possible.

     

    Above: Blood, feces, and urates cover the floor of Bill McAdam’s facility after what reptile keepers are calling the “Holy Thursday Massacre.” (Photo by Chris Coffee, who has granted permission for this photo to be published and disseminated)


    USARK FL is calling for a full investigation into the killing of McAdam's Boa constrictor and Coffee’s Pythons by the officers Corteguera, Wright, Beppel, and Ryan by new FWC Inspector General (IG) Percy Griffin. Griffin was appointed earlier this year after previous Inspector General Michael Troelstrup resigned in disgrace with the revelation of a scandal involving his "inappropriate relationship" with the wife of an FWC officer whom he was investigating.

    https://localtoday.news/fl/states-top-investigator-resigns-over-conflict-of-interest-orlando-sentinel-219698.html

    Before that scandal became public, controversy surrounded the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in the aftermath of the shooting of an individual named Adam Bounds in 2019. Bounds was shot three times by FWC officer David Dipre on his own houseboat off Key West. The shooting happened less than two hours after Bounds had called the FWC OIG to ask that local FWC officers be investigated because they continually entered his home without permission and he feared for his life. After surviving three Glock 9mm bullet wounds from FWC officer Dipre, Bounds was charged with, among other things, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. A jury subsequently found him NOT GUILTY following trial. We hope that IG Griffin will be better equipped to handle an investigation than the previous Inspector General.

    https://thebluepaper.com/police-shooting-jury-doesnt-buy-fwcs-story/

    USARK Florida is also calling on Governor DeSantis to hold FWC accountable by asking for the resignation of the FWC employee who gave the unjust order for these snakes to be brutally killed without cause. Further, USARK Florida respectfully requests that the Governor replace current staff leadership with new leadership, capable of focusing agency resources on Florida’s true wildlife issues, including but not limited to excessive mortality of wild Manatees, Florida panthers, Gopher tortoises, and Diamondback terrapins, as well as address water and habitat quality issues caused by FWC's extensive herbicide spraying program.

    Furthermore, we ask that FWC suspend its seizure and killing of animals as well as prosecution of animal owners for "Prohibited Species," until USARK Florida's lawsuit challenging the validity and constitutionality of these draconian rules is resolved. FWC Commissioners and staff promised that animal owners would be able to continue to keep their pets, which has proven over and over to not be true.

    Below: Boa constrictors, like this Albino specimen, are among the most popular pet snakes. Just like all pet keepers, reptile keepers consider their pets to be valued members of the family. (Photo by Daniel Parker, who has granted permission for this photo to be published and disseminated)

    Video footage shot by Chris Coffee documenting the FWC massacre may be viewed on the USARK FL YouTube channel here:https://youtu.be/BuimdwINSzk

    For additional photos or information on this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call Daniel Parker, Director of Media for USARK FL at 863-441-5067 or email media@usarkfl.net. Also contact USARK FL Legal Advisor Curt Harbsmeier 863-640-7484 charbsmeier@hdlaw.com Media outlets are given permission by Daniel Parker and Chris Coffee to publish the photos contained in this press release. 

  • Thursday, March 30, 2023 11:45 AM | USARK FL (Administrator)

    Venomous Reptiles Bill Amended to Exclude Native Species

    Conservation advocates had expressed concern over far-reaching impacts, believe additional action still necessary

    Above: This juvenile Florida Cottonmouth was captured, tagged, and released as part of a UCF research project. (Photo by Daniel Parker)

    Animal welfare advocates, scientists, nuisance wildlife trappers, and snake enthusiasts are pleased with an amendment that exempts native venomous snake species from the Venomous Reptiles bill moving through the Florida legislature. The original language of the bill would have made it a felony to release live, native venomous snakes for research, conservation, or humane relocation purposes.

    The sponsor of HB1161, Representative Shane Abbott (R), reported to a representative of the United States Association of Reptile Keepers Florida (USARK FL) that he amended the bill after receiving a flurry of phone calls from concerned citizens late last week. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) staff present at the hearing also said that they were in favor of the amendment. Daniel Parker, currently an Environmental Scientist for DRMP and Director of Media for USARK FL said, “I am very pleased with Representative Abbott’s amendment. His response to public outcry proves that government can effectively work with stakeholders to improve the conservation value of legislation. FWC’s involvement on this is also very encouraging.”

    Stakeholders from Florida Gulf Coast University, University of Central Florida, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, Ashton Biodiversity Research and Preservation Institute, The Rattlesnake Conservancy, Bear Warriors United, and USARK FL raised concerns on the original language of the bill.

    Above: Daniel Parker captured, tagged, and released this juvenile Florida cottonmouth as part of research project for UCF. (Photo by Adam Casavant)

    FWC drafted the text for HB1161 and the accompanying Senate version SB1266 and has lobbied their progress under the pretext of preventing the illegal sale and release of venomous reptiles, especially nonnative species. However, the broad wording of the original text of the bill also imposed felony penalties for the release of native venomous snakes, with no exceptions for research or humane relocation. The amended version of the bill will apply only to nonnative venomous reptile species. Release of nonnative venomous snakes is already illegal under current FWC rules. This bill will increase penalties. Under the provisions of this bill, a violation will be punishable by up to five years prison, five years probation, and a $5,000 fine.

    Above: Florida Gulf Coast University graduate student Ella Guedouar appeared on NBC2 to discuss the bill before the amendment exempting native species was madel. See NBC2/ABC7 story here: https://abc--7-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/abc-7.com/news/science/2023/03/23/new-venomous-snake-bill-could-jeopardize-swfl-ecosystem/amp/?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9

    Native venomous snakes are frequently captured and released in scientific research projects. “We capture snakes,” said FGCU graduate student and member of the “snake team,” Ella Guedouar, speaking to NBC News 2. Guedouar catches and releases native venomous snakes to keep them from being killed by home owners. “A lot of time, we get calls from the community members around FGCU – there might be snakes in the yard. We capture the snake, take measurements of it, and then release it in an area where it might be safe from people, and people will be safe from them.”

    Venomous License holders must adhere to strict facility standards, such as maintaining a Florida Building Commission data plate documenting the structural soundness of the facility. They must maintain locked and sealed rooms and build a double entrance to provide secondary containment in the case of an escape. These requirements are enforced by regular FWC inspections. Though these strict facility requirements may be helpful in preventing escapes of captive nonnative snakes, they are not applicable to instances of native snakes being relocated. Stakeholders have asked FWC to consider separate licensing requirements for relocators.

    Above: Screenshot from FWC’s website giving their interpretation that nuisance wildlife trappers who do not have FWC’s Venomous Reptiles license may kill venomous snakes, but may not relocate them alive. (https://myfwc.com/license/captive-wildlife/faq/)

    Tony Daly-Crews of The Rattlesnake Conservancy released this statement:

    We are happy to see the State Legislature moving in the right direction for Florida's wildlife. However, a longstanding position of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is to the detriment of our native venomous reptiles - such as the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, a species being considered for listing under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Nuisance wildlife trappers that often respond to venomous and non-venomous snakes in people's backyards are required to have a state permit to possess venomous reptiles in order to legally relocate a snake; this permit has onerous requirements and under 5% of nuisance wildlife trappers in the state have it. Instead, the position of FWCC is that if a nuisance wildlife trapper does not have a permit to possess venomous reptiles, the trapper's only options are to either kill the animal on-site or leave the homeowner to fend for themselves; both options generally result in death of our native wildlife.

    Parker also believes that other facets of venomous snake research, rescue, and relocation still need to be addressed. “Now that the conservation of Florida’s snakes has the public’s attention, this would be an ideal time to discuss the legal requirements for live capture, transport, and release of native venomous snakes." Parker continued. “FWC’s venomous rules were written with the intent to regulate those who keep venomous snakes in captivity at a physical facility. They discourage qualified people who have no interest in keeping snakes in captivity, but would humanely relocate native snakes if the licensing requirements were more reasonable. FWC’s current policy actually encourages people to kill venomous snakes, which also puts people at risk because they are sometimes bitten while trying to kill the snakes.”

    USARK FL President Elizabeth Wisneski said, “This amendment is a good thing for native venomous snakes.” She added, “We are still looking for clear definitions on terms like ‘gross negligence’ and how they apply to reptile keepers. The language of the bill needs to be very clear. We are concerned about how broad interpretation by law enforcement could cause hardship for people in our industry, as it has on other issues. We will continue to communicate our concerns to our elected representatives.”

    View the bills at these links: 

    For additional photos or information on this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call Daniel Parker, Director of Media for USARK FL at 863-441-5067 or email media@usarkfl.netMedia outlets are given permission by Daniel Parker and Adam Casavant to print the photos contained in this press release. 


  • Wednesday, March 22, 2023 12:30 PM | USARK FL (Administrator)

    Venomous Reptiles Bill to Make Release a Felony Offense 

    Snake lovers express concern over far-reaching impacts

    Above: Eastern coral snake, one of six venomous snakes native to Florida (Photo by Daniel Parker)

    Animal welfare advocates, scientists, nuisance wildlife trappers, and snake enthusiasts are concerned that a bill moving through the Florida legislature will make it a felony to release a live, native venomous snake for research, conservation, or humane relocation purposes. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) drafted the text for SB1164 and the accompanying HB1161 and has lobbied their progress under the pretext of preventing the illegal sale and release of venomous reptiles, especially nonnative species. However, the broad wording of the text of the bill seems to prohibit the humane relocation and release of native venomous snakes.

    Florida is home to six native species of venomous snakes. These include the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake, Canebrake (Timber) rattlesnake, Dusky pygmy rattlesnake, Florida cottonmouth (“Water moccasin”), Southern copperhead, and Eastern coral snake. Two of those species, the Canebrake rattlesnake and Southern copperhead, are only found in small areas of Northern Florida. The Eastern diamonback rattlesnake is a candidate species for Federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. Despite the prevalence of these species in Florida, bites are relatively rare. The majority of snake bites in Florida involve people intentionally handling or trying to kill the snakes.

    Above: Dusky pygmy rattlesnake, the smallest of Florida’s venomous snakes (Photo by Daniel Parker)


     Above: Canebrake rattlesnake, a species only occurring in northeastern Florida (Photo by Daniel Parker)

    The concerning text of the bill is as follows: "A person who knowingly releases a venomous reptile or who through gross negligence allows a venomous reptile to escape commits a Level 4 violation, punishable as provided in 379.4015." The text of the bill does not specify that it applies to nonnative venomous species.

    Under the provisions of this bill, a violation of this law will be punishable by up to five years prison, five years probation, and a $5,000 fine. Data does not support the claim that increased penalties reduce violations. However, such punitive measures are often politically popular.

    Native venomous snakes are frequently captured and released in scientific research projects. Stetson University is well known for its decades of research on biology and habitats of Dusky pygmy rattlesnakes in Central Florida. University of Central Florida has conducted several studies on the impacts of roads on wildlife which have necessitated the capture, tagging, and recapture of native venomous snakes. "Venomous snakes play a valuable role in the ecology of Florida's last remaining wild regions," said Daniel Parker, an environmental scientist with DRMP and formerly of University of Central Florida. "Research on the ecology of native venomous snake species is necessary to understand the ecosystem as a whole. Without exceptions in the language of the bill, that valuable research is threatened," said Parker.

    Above: Eastern diamondback rattlesnake trapped for research by University of Central Florida  (Photo by Adam Casavant) 


     Above: Eastern diamondback rattlesnake captured for research by Daniel Parker of University of Central Florida before being tagged and released (Photo by Adam Casavant) 

    Above: Eastern diamondback rattlesnake captured, tagged, and released as part of a University of Central Florida research project (Photo by Daniel Parker)

    Tony Daly-Crews, founder of the Rattlesnake Conservancy, said of the bill, “If applied in the way it is read, any permittee would not be able to legally capture and relocate or release captured study animals.” Daly-Crews is not alone in his concern. Chase Pirtle, biologist and Manager of the Ashton Biological Preserve, said, "This bill has the potential to hinder conservation efforts, community education, as well as vital field research. FWC continues to focus on issues that are not addressing Florida's true conservation threats."

    Nuisance wildlife trappers have also expressed concern that this bill would eliminate humane relocation of native venomous snakes. Most of these trappers prefer to relocate live venomous snakes away from residential areas and release them in areas where they pose little risk to people. Reptile enthusiast Marisa Ai Ishimatsu commented, “Basically they want all venomous snakes to be killed? That seems to be the only way to deal with a nuisance snake that’s been removed.”

    Above: Southern Copperhead, a species only found in some areas of the Florida panhandle (Photo by Daniel Parker)

      

     Above: Florida cottonmouth (or “Water moccasin”) showing white interior of the mouth (Photo by Daniel Parker)

    Glenn Bartolotti, the founder of Project Simus Florida, an organization which promotes conservation of native snakes and protection of habitat, said, "This bill doesn't fix any problems with our environment or conservation of our wildlife; it complicates things and creates more problems." Bartolotti added, "They're making too many rules that can't be followed in any kind of logical manner. The only thing that is really going to help Florida's environment is to stop destroying it."

    Katrina Shadix of Bear Warriors United released a statement on her Facebook page addressing the bill: "With 1000 new people moving to Florida every day, it is unfortunate that some of them have trouble accepting and peacefully coexisting with our native wildlife, be that bears or snakes. I'm constantly seeing people post on social media about killing snakes and other animals. By failing to provide a humane option for live relocation of venomous snakes, this bill is encouraging people to kill snakes. This law could make the assault on our native wildlife even worse than it is now. I hope that this bill will be reconsidered so that it does not discourage those who might relocate native snakes for humane or conservation purposes."

    Out of concern for the potential for overreach by FWC, the United States Association of Reptile Keepers Florida (USARK FL) requested the text of the bill after it was announced as a legislative initiative at the December 2022 FWC meeting. FWC did not comply with this request. "We are not against reasonable regulation," said USARK FL President Elizabeth Wisneski. She added, "Unfortunately, as with other FWC rules and legislation created without stakeholder input, this bill will likely have unintended consequences."

    To obtain a permit from FWC to keep venomous reptiles in captivity, permittees must document 1000 hours of experience working with the family of the venomous reptile they intend to keep. They must also adhere to strict facility and caging standards, which are enforced by regular FWC inspections. Florida is one of the top producers in the world of venom to support the production of antivenin to treat snake bite. 

    FWC has indicated that the primary intent of this legislation is to enhance penalties for violations of existing law. Statistics do not support the need for that. Historically, there have been relatively few citations issued for activities involving venomous reptiles, because the vast majority of individuals who work with venomous reptiles comply with the law.

    Central Florida attorney and noted conservationist Curt Harbsmeier said, "They are turning law abiding citizens, most of whom have no criminal record whatsoever, into criminals in many cases. Absent malice aforethought, none of this stuff should be a felony."

    View the bills at these links: 

    https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1164 

    https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=77947&SessionId=99


    For additional photos or information on this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call 863-441-5067 or email media@usarkfl.net.

  • Tuesday, March 07, 2023 8:00 AM | USARK FL (Administrator)

    USARK FL FILES MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN LAWSUIT AGAINST FWC ON BEHALF OF REPTILE KEEPERS

     

    Above: Various captive color morphs of Green Iguana, a common pet species banned in 2021 by FWC’s “Prohibited Species” rules (Photo by Travis deLagerheim, who has granted permission for his photo to be reprinted for release)

    The United States Association of Reptile Keepers Florida (USARK FL) has filed a Motion for Summary Judgment in their lawsuit against the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in case number 2021-CA-977 in Leon County Circuit Court. USARK FL and several individual USARK FL members are challenging FWC's 2021 rule amendments that moved several species, including Green iguanas and Tegus, to a newly-created "Prohibited Species" list, essentially ending the live animal trade in these species in Florida. 

    An excerpt from USARK FL’s Summary of Argument in the Motion for Summary Judgment is copied here:

    The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (“FWC”) is constitutionally endowed with the regulatory and executive power of the state with respect to “wild animal life.” Art. IV, § 9, Fla. Const. (emphasis added). With this provision as its exclusive authority, FWC amended chapter 68-5, Florida Administrative Code (“Amended Rules”), in February 2021 with the goal of prohibiting the commercial breeding of certain caged animals including Plaintiffs’.

    FWC plays a critical role in protecting, preserving, and promoting Florida’s wild animal life, but like every other executive agency, FWC must stay within its constitutional lane and observe due process when rulemaking. FWC has done neither in adopting the Amended Rules. This is a facial and as applied challenge to the Amended Rules asking this Court to declare whether they have the unconstitutional purpose and effect of prohibiting commercial breeding of caged animals that are not “wild animal life” and have no adverse impacts on wild animal life.

    Plaintiffs also ask this Court to declare whether FWC has violated procedural due process under state law by virtue of: failing to notice the actual purpose of the Amended Rules to shutter the breeding industry; failing to consider statements of lower cost regulatory alternative (“LCRAs”) proposed by Plaintiff USARK Florida on behalf of its members due to the unnoticed purpose; failing to prepare an adequate statement of estimated regulatory costs (“SERC”); failing to enact the Amended Rules on a credible biological basis; and biasing the final rule adoption hearing.

    In 2010, FWC created the Conditional Species list and associated regulations with the input of reptile keepers. Conditional Species rules allowed keepers to obtain a permit to work with certain nonnative species of reptiles, such as Burmese pythons, under a system that required microchipping of animals, adherence to strict caging standards, and regular inspections by FWC. Conditional Species regulations were successful in preventing escapes and releases of the nonnative species they regulated. During the rule making process that resulted in the 2021 rule changes, USARK FL asked that FWC maintain the Conditional Species framework and even suggested that FWC could place Green iguanas and Tegus on the Conditional Species list, as those species were previously subject to less stringent regulation. FWC rejected this input and instead moved all of the impacted species to the “Prohibited Species” list, which prompted this lawsuit.

    USARK FL’s Motion for Summary Judgement may be viewed here:

    https://usarkfl.wildapricot.org/resources/Documents/Filed%20Motion%20for%20Summary%20Judgment.pdf  

     

    For the most up-to-date case docket, use the search function on the Leon County Circuit Court website and input case number 2021 CA 977. Be sure to disable pop-up blockers on your browser to allow the site to function properly. 

    https://cvweb.leonclerk.com/public/online_services/search_courts/search_by_name.asp

     

    For additional photos or information on this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call 863-441-5067 or email media@usarkfl.net.


  • Wednesday, March 01, 2023 9:00 AM | USARK FL (Administrator)

    FWC Continues to Fall Short on Diamondback Terrapin Conservation

    Poaching of Diamondback terrapins continues. Commercial crab traps may continue to drown terrapins, despite new requirements for by-catch reduction devices on recreational traps.


    Above: Carolina Diamondback terrapins drowned in crab trap in Northeast FL (Photo courtesy of Holland Incitti)

    There are many challenges facing Diamondback terrapins in the wild. The biggest of these may be drowning in crab traps. As FWC’s new requirement of “by-catch reduction devices” (BRD) on recreational crab traps goes into effect today, March 1, 2023, commercial crab traps are likely to continue to drown terrapins. By favoring commercial crabbers over recreational crabbers, FWC is violating the spirit of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. Road mortality and predation by subsidized predators like raccoons continues. Threats to terrapin habitats from coastal development still persist. With high demand and market values, the motives for poaching still exist. 

    Above: Shell of dead adult female Ornate diamondback terrapin found at a known nesting site in Hernando County, FL, likely the result of predation by a raccoon. (Photo by Daniel Parker)

    Above: Roadkill hatchling Ornate diamondback terrapin in Hernando County, FL (Photo by Daniel Parker)

    Florida’s turtle breeders believed that they could help address at least one of those threat as they supported a program allowing for captive breeding of terrapins and the sale of captive bred offspring. The result would be the availability of a captive bred alternative to poached wild caught animals in the market and an assurance colony of terrapins as a backup to wild populations. Terrapins reproduce readily in captivity. Florida turtle breeders already produce millions of captive bred turtles annually. A single facility in Okeechobee County produces 500,000 turtles per year. Several other breeders report producing many thousands of captive bred turtles per year.  

    Above: Female Diamondback Terrapin nesting in captivity (Photo by Ed Komara Jr.)

    The Diamondback terrapin is a unique species of turtle that inhabits Florida’s salt marshes and mangrove swamps. Due to their beauty and personable nature, people all over the world like to keep terrapins as pets. The high demand for terrapins in Asia, especially China, has driven illegal wild collection to dangerous and potentially unsustainable levels. USARK FL (United States Association of Reptile Keepers Florida) proposed a program to FWC to allow the legal captive breeding of terrapins in Florida to supply the trade with captive bred animals, which it believed would discourage illegal collection of wild terrapins. That proposal may be seen here:

    A Proposal for the Captive Breeding of Diamondback Terrapins.pdf

    Founder of the Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group (TTPG), Russ Gurley, has offered positive comments on captive breeding to FWC. “Captive breeding of threatened species not only alleviates the need for people to remove turtles from nature, but it assures that future hobbyists have access to healthy, stress-free, parasite-free animals,” said Gurley. He added, “Captive breeding helps create assurance colonies across the country in case a need arises to repopulate areas that have been wiped out by manmade or natural disasters. We strongly believe that legal captive breeding of Diamondback Terrapins in Florida could supply the reptile trade with these healthy, captive-bred offspring and remove great pressure placed on wild populations.”

     Colette Adams, Deputy Director of Gladys Porter Zoo, and a noted expert on the breeding and conservation of turtles, has supported USARK FL’s proposal. Adams said, “As a member of the IUCN Crocodilian Specialists Group, I can say as a matter of fact, that there are a number of species that have been saved from extinction by sustained utilization, by breeding them in captivity and preventing their capture from the wild.” 

    Ashton Biodiversity Research and Preservation Institute, an organization that was instrumental in convincing FWC to end legal entombment of gopher tortoises over a decade ago, now supports the implementation of a captive breeding program for terrapins. “We believe that allowing turtle breeders in Florida to breed this species in captivity would provide a source of animals for commerce. The availability of healthy, captive bred terrapins would provide an alternative to terrapins illegally collected from the wild. This in turn will significantly help the Diamondback terrapins and the ecosystems they inhabit. A captive breeding population of Diamondback terrapins could also serve as a source to help restore wild populations with genetic diversity if the terrapin’s population continues to decline in the wild,” said Pat Ashton, Director of the Institute. 

    Chase Pirtle, Manager of Ashton Biological Preserve, stated that “due to the current threats terrapins are facing, as well as the challenges they will be confronted with in the foreseen future, a captive breeding program for the Diamondback terrapin is essential for the future of this species.”

    Respected herpetologists Dirk Stevenson (Altamaha Environmental Consulting, The Orianne Society), and Dr. David Rostral (Georgia Southwestern University) have also offered their endorsements of USARK FL’s captive breeding proposal.  

    The remarkable recovery of the American alligator through farming efforts has proven that captive breeding of reptiles can be effective in reducing poaching by supplying the market with captive-produced products. Brendan J. Moyle of Massey University documents this occurrence in Conservation that’s more than skin-deep: Alligator farming here:

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257538487_Conservation_that's_more_than_skin-deep_Alligator_farming

    National Geographic reported that after the Colombian government permitted a captive breeding program of Poison dart frogs to supply the international pet trade, the price of the most highly-demanded species fell from $150 to $35, thus making it economically impractical for illegal traffickers to risk collecting and smuggling them. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/poison-dart-frogs-breeding-colombia-wildlife 

    The BBC recently reported that scientists at the University of Durham in the UK have advocated for captive breeding and commercialization as a strategy to recover songbird populations which have been impacted by over collection for the Asian pet trade.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-62918776#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16633863476153&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fnews%2Fscience-environment-62918776 

    Dr. Whit Gibbons of University of Georgia and founder of Southeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (SEPARC) supports the captive breeding proposal for Diamondback terrapins. “The availability of captive-bred animals removes pressure on wild populations,” said Gibbons. He continues, “USFWS (United States Fish and Wildlife Service) has given a positive statement about alligator snappers being raised in captivity.”  Gibbons refers to a recent USFWS document proposing the Federal listing of the Alligator Snapping turtle, which states: “The service recognizes that turtle farming can alleviate harvest of wild stock and provides a means to serve international markets without affecting wild populations in the future.”

    Gibbons added, “The examples of other species of animals where captive breeding has been implemented as a solution to reduce pressure on wild populations are encouraging. Diamondback terrapins mature quickly and breed easily in captivity. They produce many offspring, ensuring that breeders would be able to impact markets fairly quickly.”

      

    Above: Dr. Whit Gibbons of University of Georgia and Daniel Parker of USARK FL at the International Herpetological Symposium in Atlanta, GA 6-13-22 (Photo by Parker Gibbons)

    Stephen Chew, the author of the book Diamondback Terrapins: Gems of the Turtle World said, “Prohibiting the collection of wild animals increase their black market value if the demand is not met with captive bred specimens. This in turn incentivizes

    illegal activity such as animal trafficking.”

    Daniel Parker, a Spokesperson for USARK FL, said, “Our goal should be to keep wild terrapins in the wild. Unfortunately, banning terrapins as pets or for breeding has not really accomplished that goal.” Parker, who is also a conservation biologist and turtle breeder, added, “Prohibition has only increased the value of these animals in the trade, especially in Asia. Prices are sometimes in the thousands of dollars per terrapin, depending on the subspecies. This provides ample motivation for people to poach them out of the wild.”

    “A captive breeding program should be regulated to ensure that any turtles sold can be verified as captive bred offspring and that adult breeder animals are not replaced with wild caught animals,” added Parker. 

    Portia Sapp, the Aquaculture Director for FDACS (Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) said that her department is willing to administer a terrapin breeding program, as they already do with other turtle farmers, so the program would not require FWC to incur additional administrative costs.

    Despite widespread support from conservation groups, scientists, and turtle breeders, at the FWC Commission Meeting November 1, 2022, the FWC Commissioners decided to not consider captive breeding as a conservation solution. USARK FL’s proposal for the captive breeding of terrapins was not allowed to be presented to the Commissioners, despite requests from USARK FL to FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto and FWC biologist Melissa Tucker. During the meeting, Melissa Tucker presented an incorrect timeline of the history of regulations to the Commission, stating that terrapin breeding had been banned in 2006, when in fact captive breeding was not effectively banned until FWC banned possession of terrapins in 2021. Despite Tucker’s claim, no new rule concerning Diamondback terrapins was made in 2006. The majority of public stakeholder comments, including at the meeting and in FWC webinars leading up to the meeting, was in favor of a captive breeding program. A notable exception was the Center for Biological Diversity, which consistently supports all bans of reptiles in captivity. 

    Recent seizures of poached wild caught Mangrove Diamondback terrapins by FWC have proven that poaching of wild terrapins will continue to be a problem unless the supply of legal captive bred animals increases. The Mangrove terrapin subspecies, which is found only in Florida, fetches prices of over $10,000 per animal in the trade. Threats to wild Diamondback terrapins in Florida will continue to include mortality from drowning in crab traps, habitat destruction, sea level rise, road mortality, predation, and poaching. 

    Below: Ornate diamondback terrapin in Hernando County, FL (Photo by Daniel Parker)

    For additional photos or information on this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call 863-441-5067 or email media@usarkfl.net.

  • Tuesday, February 28, 2023 9:30 AM | USARK FL (Administrator)


    FWC Interim Executive Director Thomas Eason and Chairman Rodney Barreto at the FWC Commission Meeting 2-21-23, Photo by Daniel Parker

     

    FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto's call for immediate action to restrict nonnative species was stunning to pet keepers, small businesses, and farmers who have been working with FWC staff on a "Technical Assistance Group" (TAG) to address nonnative species issues within Florida. At the last TAG meeting on February 9, 2023, FWC Biologist Sarah Funck told the members of the group that they could expect to see a new regulatory framework take shape by the end of the year. In calling for staff to rush to take action by the next Commission meeting in May, FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto has once again chosen to bypass due process and stakeholder input in favor of creating rash, poorly-informed policies. 

     

    “I have no qualms about saying that we are shutting down Florida to invasive species,” said Barreto at the FWC Commission meeting on February 21, 2023. The definition of “Invasive Species” was standardized by Executive Order 13112 signed by US President Bill Clinton on February 3, 1999. “Invasive Species” means an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. By that definition, very few of the nonnative species that have become established in Florida actually qualify as “Invasive Species.” Before implementing “Prohibited Species” rules in 2021, FWC failed to perform a scientific risk analysis to determine if Green iguanas or Tegu lizards even met the definition of “Invasive,” opting instead for a public relations campaign to demonize the lizards.


    A Meeting of the FWC Nonnative Fish and Wildlife TAG was held 2-9-23, Photo by Daniel Parker

     

    The pet industry is heavily regulated within Florida and has been for many decades. Florida has some of the most stringent permitting requirements of any state. Businesses that breed, import, or sell reptiles have to apply for import permits, submit inventories, and maintain receipts documenting sources of all animals, down to the smallest, most inoffensive lizard and tortoise. Strict caging requirements and animal welfare standards are enforced. Burmese pythons have been off limits to pet keepers for over a decade. Chairman Barreto's assertion that we have "open borders" on nonnative species displays not only his ignorance of his own agency's rules, but also prejudice and political opportunism.

     

    Chairman Barreto has been in power at FWC for the better part of two decades. His apparent misunderstanding of the regulations that FWC has already implemented and the amount of data they possess on nonnative species being kept within the state is surprising, given the length of time he has been there. The discussions on “Invasive Species” by the Commissioners at the recent meeting displayed their ignorance on the species they were discussing. The agama lizard that they were treating as a "new problem" has been established in Florida for around a half a century and does not meet the definition of “Invasive.” Sadly, it appears that Chairman Barreto wants to use Florida's pet keepers and small businesses as a political punching bag. FWC has chosen to stir hysteria and ignore science when it has suited their purposes. 

     

    FWC’s internal documents have acknowledged that their regulations would hurt small business. The “Notice of Proposed Rule” for rule 68A-6.003, which was passed in May of 2022, said, “The Agency has determined that this will have an adverse impact on small business or likely increase directly or indirectly regulatory costs in excess of $200,000 in the aggregate within one year after the implementation of the rule.” According to reptile keepers, that rule does not give them the same due process and private property rights as other small businesses in Florida.

     

    FWC's “Prohibited Species” rules have already damaged many small businesses and hurt families with cherished pets and companion animals. Many animals have been confiscated and needlessly euthanized by FWC. Moreover, these restrictive rules have done nothing to reduce the Burmese python population in the Everglades, Green iguanas in South Florida, or Tegu populations where they exist. In fact, just as animal industry experts predicted, all of these populations continue to grow under these regulations.

     

    Baby Green Iguana from Broward County, FL- Photo by Daniel Parker

     

    Green iguanas were first reported in Florida around 70 years ago. There is no conclusive evidence linking their introduction to the pet industry. In fact, many have speculated that they were transported on cargo ships bound for Florida from Latin America. These vegetarian lizards have established themselves throughout much of coastal South Florida, especially in heavily developed areas, but are very cold sensitive and unable to survive even subtropical winters further north in Florida.  

     

    Up until FWC passed “Prohibited Species” rules three years ago, collectors and small businesses were removing and exporting around one million live iguanas from Florida per year. Since FWC's ill-conceived rules were implemented, most of that wild collection and export has ceased, and the wild iguana population in South Florida has exploded. FWC's statements encouraging citizens to kill iguanas have led to numerous conflicts and injuries to people as well as animal abuse. Public backlash against the FWC iguana killing spree has led to iguanas being treated as a protected species in Miami-Dade County. Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation biologist Jennifer Stern has told iguana collectors that they may not remove iguanas from parks or even sidewalks within the county. 

     

    Combined, Florida's reptile and tropical fish industries generate at least $500 million annually within Florida. These industries provide jobs for thousands of people. Fish keeper and member of the Florida Tropical Fish Farmers Association (FTFFA) Joe Hiduke said, "There is no practical way to evaluate all of the species of fish in the trade (let alone mollusks, crustaceans, reptiles, birds, etc). Hobbyists are terrified that we'll end up with a list of allowed species that only includes the most basic types that are traded in high volume. This essentially eliminates the hobby from the state that has been at the forefront of raising ornamental fish for decades.”

     

    Florida’s reptile keepers believe that the actions of FWC have threatened their ability to continue to operate as small businesses. In 2022, President of the United States Association of Reptile Keepers Florida (USARK Florida), Elizabeth Wisneski, wrote a letter to Governor Ron DeSantis asking him to protect the small businesses of reptile keepers. “Our businesses are threatened by regulations being imposed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Conservatively, the reptile industry in Florida generates at least $225 million annually, and we are an industry comprised entirely of small businesses,” said Wisneski. “We contribute significantly to the economy of the state and we rely on the incomes of our businesses to support our families and our employees.” She asked that Governor DeSantis, “stand up for our small businesses, as you have for other businesses in Florida.” 

     

    By continuing to ignore the input of Florida's farmers and small businesses in the creation of sensible regulations, Chairman Barreto and FWC are ensuring that the Commission's policies will continue to be not only unpopular, but ineffective.  As an appointee of a Governor who is a defender of small business and against shut downs, Chairman Barreto's insistence on shut downs and policies that hurt small business is surprising. These poorly thought out policies are resulting in the deaths of many animals and are doing very little to actually address the issue of invasive species in a meaningful way. 

     

    A Change.org petition asking Governor Ron DeSantis to address stakeholder complaints and reign in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has received around 18,000 signatures. The petition has garnered widespread support from keepers of fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, and invertebrates. See the petition here:

    https://www.change.org/p/fwc-mandates-threaten-pet-owners-and-small-business-fl-animal-owners-ask-gov-to-intervene?redirect=false

     

    For more information on this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call 863-441-5067 or email media@usarkfl.net. Media outlets are given permission by Daniel Parker to print the photos contained in this press release. 


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