Bryan Christy

I’m in a PETA frame of mind because PETA coordinated the investigation and raid of U.S. Global Exotics, of Arlington, Texas, the largest exotic wildlife seizure in U.S. history.  Saturday, a judge upheld PETA on appeal.  Now, in the reptile world PETA is hated.  At my first Daytona Show python breeder Bob Clark was wearing a t-shirt that read People Eating Tasty Animals, and I was often accused of being a Peta-mole, a bunny hugger, and other nasties, until people got to know me.  Then they just called me an asshole.  In a nice way.

PETA is using the USGE case to urge a ban on imports from Malaysia and to advocate a ban on pet shops in the United States:  “Please don’t shop at PETCO or PetSmart and tell your friends not to either, and to never support any pet store that sells live animals,” was posted on its blog.  

Without a pet shop, I never would have developed my love for wildlife so I can’t agree with that latter proposal.  What surprises me is that no one is using the USGE case to call for minimum standards of care for the sale of exotics.  From the time I was a boy, I have gone in every pet store I have ever seen.  This applies anywhere in the world.  If I see a pet store I have to go in it.  I don’t know why.  For years, that meant seeing alot of reptiles in poor conditions.  Lately that has changed.  Many pet stores recognize the value of well cared for reptiles.  Still, others treat their reptiles as trash pets.  There ought to be minimum standards of cleanliness, space, food and water for those animals and there ought to be better standards among breeders and keepers, too. 

In the small world category, USGE, owned by Jasen and Vanessa Shaw of New Zealand, is a customer of Anson Wong’s companies, as reported by Hilary Chiew of Malaysia’s The Star and by Mongabay.com, which kindly mentions my book, The Lizard King.