By Letter to the Editor
Published October 10, 2003
Re: Enter the dragons, Sept. 26.
Okay, all of you "exotic" pet lovers, enough is enough! I was unaware that we had such things as "Nile monitor lizards" in this state, including the zoos. It was a shock to find that we now have as many as 1,000 or more of these highly dangerous reptiles running loose in our wild! It's time to put a halt to bringing these "exotic" pets into the country - with exceptions for zoos.
Who is stupid enough to try and make a pet out of one of these reptiles anyway? Where are the bureaucrats that run our federal (and state) importation laws in this country? Importing these so-called exotic pets has got to be stopped.
A few of these exotic pets will escape from their careless owners sooner or later and, unfortunately, they have no predators to eradicate or control them. If it's not the "walking catfish" or "Frankenfish" that's running unchecked, it is a 15-foot boa constrictor! Personally, if I had been the one to discover a 15-foot boa on my back stoop I would have dispatched it with all deliberate speed instead of calling the police or animal control. What if the thing got away again before they arrived?
All of you exotic pet lovers should go out and adopt an alligator instead of snakes and lizards! At least when they eventually get away from you they will be in their natural habitat!
