Why are tegus still for sale in Florida?

According to a recent article in the New York Times, biologists in Florida consider the tegu to be the “most troublesome invasive species in the Everglades.” The lizards arrived in Florida through the pet trade. The tegus in the Everglades are descended from released or escaped pets.

The National Reptile Breeders’ Expo concluded on Sunday in Daytona Beach. It’s one of the largest reptile industry shows in the country. Many of the vendors at the show, including Snakes at Sunset (Miami) and Underground Reptiles (Deerfield Beach), offer tegus for sale.

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is negligent in allowing the breeding and sale of tegus.

You Can Help
It is illegal to buy or sell Burmese pythons as pets in Florida. The FWC has proposed a ban on the breeding of lionfish, another animal of concern (it is already prohibited to import lionfish into Florida). Please ask the FWC to also act to stop the breeding and sale of tegus as pets in Florida.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Email: Commissioners@MyFWC.com
Online comment form.

Activists to protest Florida’s cruel alligator hunt

For Immediate Release: August 15, 2014

(Boca Raton, FL) – On opening day of Florida’s alligator hunting season, activists with the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) will protest the sport hunting of alligators at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.

In 2014, for the first time, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will allow sport hunting of alligators at the refuge. The hunt is the only alligator hunt in the entire National Wildlife Refuge system.

WHAT:     Alligator hunting protest
WHEN:     Friday, August 15 at 6:00pm
WHERE:     Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, southern entrance; 6 miles west of the junction of Loxahatchee Road (US 827) and US 441

“The Refuge should be a place where alligators and other animals are protected from harm, not hunted for sport or profit,” said ARFF Communications Director Don Anthony. “The suffering of alligators during public hunts in Florida is undeniable. Alligators are snagged with barbed hooks, pierced with arrows, and stabbed with harpoons. Death is rarely quick and alligators may be left to suffer long after being pulled from the water. It is disgusting that someone would enjoy inflicting pain and causing suffering to an animal.”

Visit ARFF’s website for more information about Florida’s alligator hunt: www.arff.org/alligators

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