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NY DEC License
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by KaouthiaKeeper on June 6, 2012
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Hey guys - I don�t post often but I would just like to bring up some problems I am having with my DEC license to see if anyone else from NY is having similar issues. I got my license a few years back (I believe I was about 23 when I got it) and would just like to say that I thank NY for giving me the privilege to work with my animals. However, I think the license has a few flawed provisions that put the animals, owners, and general public at risk.
First, the license bans you from selling venomous reptiles to other licensed keepers. To many, including myself, this initially sounds like a smart provision. However, what this provision really does in ban the sale of all venomous reptiles in the state of NY. Again, this may sound appealing to many, but I believe that this puts the animals, owners, and general public at an increased and unnecessary risk of danger. Why? Because now this forces all licensed DEC members to import their animals from another state or country. This causes many problems. For instance, I can�t look at the animals I am buying. People can send me pictures of a perfectly healthy specimen and then send me a sickly snake � a snake that could be carrying diseases, parasites, or illness. This risk also greatly increases when members start importing snakes from their indigenous countries like Zimbabwe. Additionally, this increases the cost for the owners because now licensed DEC members have to pay to have their animals shipped to NY which can be quite costly. We also have to worry about scam artist trying to rip us off from every which way. Furthermore, many of us are buying are animals from states that have no regulations on venomous reptiles. This means that we can be buying are snakes from just about anyone � and have to trust just about anyone to properly package the animals and send them to us. If the shipper packages the animals incorrectly then the receiver or a member of the general public can be injured. This problem intertwines with the second major flaw of the license.
The second major flaw with the NY DEC license is that it requires you to amend your license for the specific animal that you intend to buy. This means that I have to report that I want to buy an animal, and then wait to have my license amended before I buy it. Yet, if I buy a snake from someone in Florida and the animal is DOA or dies shortly after then I have to report that animal as deceased and wait to have my license re-amended again before I can buy another. This causes serious aggravation and frustration especially since I can�t actually see how healthy the animal I am buying is since I can�t buy it from NY.
Third, you do not need to demonstrate any talent when it comes to working with hot herpes to receive the license. This bothers me because if some kid goes and applies for the license, and receives one, then goes out the next day and buys a cobra with 0 experiences and gets bit or the snakes escapes he will ruin it for the rest of us. In fact, it would probably look ten times as bad if a licensed person gets bit or someone else gets injured as a result of their incompetence because then it will just look like licensed members are too irresponsible to keep the animals. Meanwhile, all the people who really enjoy working with their snakes and take the time to do things the right way and learn the right way suffer because some idiot ruins it for the rest of us.
Still, all of this can be avoided. If licensed members were able to propagate their animals and buy and trade amongst themselves everyone would benefit � including the animals. Members would not have to import their animals, they would make money instead of spend money, all of the animals would be captive breed so they would be clean, and we would be able to see what it is that we are buying. Additionally, only licensed individuals would be in contact with the snakes at any given time. This would also help clear up the problems with the amendment issue because we would not have to worry about having are licenses amended and then receiving a dead snake. Finally, I think it would just be common sense to have a newly appointed licensee do some basic training with a licensed individual who has experience before he gets his animals. I am glad NY lets me keep my snakes but I also think they could improve their licensing provisions a lot. Anyone else have these issues?
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RE: NY DEC License
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by ChunkHead on June 7, 2012
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I'm more surprised that the NYDEC has given out permits in recent years for private ownership (you didn't mention if you were affiliated with a university, zoo, lab or exhibit). I agree with your assertions though.
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RE: NY DEC License
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by KaouthiaKeeper on June 7, 2012
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I didn’t list any of my affiliations on the permit. It is my understanding that accredited zoos, labs, and the like do not even have to apply for this permit they are authorized to posse’s venomous reptiles from a different authority. I believe that this permit is just for private citizens who want to posses venomous reptiles. In order for a private citizen to get the permit you have to apply for it under the precept that you are using it to exhibit or educate. However, you do not need to have any affiliations to get the permit. Anyone can apply for one. I was actually going to list the fact that you can’t just file for the permit as a collector as the 4th floor in the permit but after reading between the lines a little, and without making an overgeneralizations, I think what the DEC is trying to say is that if they are going to give us permission to keep these animals they at least want us to be productive with them; and I don’t mind that at all so I left that one out.
Additionally, the DEC is giving out permits. I think that they just stopped giving them out to make a few amendments. A friend of mine who is about the same age as me just got one as well. He is not affiliated with any professional institutions but he is a very serious keeper and does a good job with the animals that he does have.
Furthermore, anyone who has received a license and who is inexperienced is more than welcome to contact me for some help before they get their animals. I think for the most part NY has an excellent system that is probably as close to the ideal as it gets when it comes to regulating the private possession of venomous reptiles. It my opinion it just needs some tweaks to get the kinks out of the system. I plan on writing them a letter addressing my concerns. I want to get some signatures of licensed individuals on it before I send it out however. So any one licensed from NY who shares my concerns is more than welcome to contact me.
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