Georgia Legislature Rushes to Regulate Reptiles; Hasty Move Could Cost Jobs

/PRNewswire/ -- Senate Bill 303, a bill that seeks to regulate the ownership and trade of certain reptiles is being rushed through committee. The bill introduced by Senator Douglas (District 17) would require a cost prohibitive permit system and micro chipping provision that could put reptile farmers out of business and take away the ability of people to own animals that are currently legal to own in Georgia. Penalties for violations of the statute could bring fines of up to $1000 and a year in jail.

Herpetoculture is a non traditional agricultural pursuit that represents a $3 Billion trade in the United States. Similar legislation at the federal level, although pushed aggressively by the Animal Rights Industry, has stalled do to severe impacts to small business and poor quality of underlying science being used as justification to shut down trade. The US Chamber of Commerce opposes the federal proposal citing, "this legislation would adversely impact tens of thousands of businesses". A group of top scientists from University of Florida, Georgia Southwestern State, The National Geographic Society commented in regards to "evidence" being used to condemn the industry, "It is a misrepresentation to call the document 'scientific,'" and further stated, "As written, this document is not suitable as the basis for legislative or regulatory policies."

The United States Association of Reptile Keepers, a reptile industry advocate, suggests a more balanced approach such as the law just recently passed in NC requiring caging standards and escape prevention protocols. Andrew Wyatt, President of USARK, insists that what is being proposed in GA will not add any level of secure containment. Wyatt says, "the bill we wrote and helped pass in NC addresses specific concerns with secure containment, safety and escape prevention that are not addressed in S303. Additionally it costs nothing and does not require state Dept of Natural Resources to administer. It is written into criminal statute." The USARK proposal actually provides a framework of best industry management standards that protects the public and the environment while allowing responsible ownership and trade to continue.

Georgia bill S303 will go to hearing for the second time before the Senate Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday, February 3rd at 2pm in the State Capitol.

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Zoo Atlanta Celebrates 120 Years

It’s been 120 years since the circus came to town – and never left.

Zoo Atlanta celebrated its 120th birthday on March 28, 2009, recalling the date
when one visionary entrepreneur backed the beginnings of one of
Georgia’s most beloved attractions.

In March 1889, a traveling circus – Colonel G.W. Hall’s Railroad Show
Bingley’s Monster European Menagerie, by name – went bankrupt just
south of Atlanta. Disgruntled circus employees deserted the show, leaving
a ragtag collection of caged wildlife behind. The homeless motley crew,
which included a jaguar, a hyena, a black bear, a raccoon and several
lionesses, pumas, camels and snakes, had already drawn scores of
curious Victorian gawkers by the time it was announced that the erstwhile
circus stars would be placed at public auction.

On March 28, 1889, businessman George Valentine Gress purchased the entire
collection, donating the wildlife to the city of Atlanta. One of only 13 zoos in the
U.S. at the time, the Gress Zoological Gardens opened that April, with Grant Park
streetcars straining to accommodate an opening weekend attendance of nearly
12,000.

Now home to more than 1,300 mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians
and the locus of numerous international conservation programs, Zoo Atlanta remains
one of the top 10 oldest zoos in continuous operation in America. “Reaching this
milestone is exciting especially as we embark on an amazing 20 year master plan that will
transform and take Zoo Atlanta into the next 120 years,” said Zoo Atlanta President and
CEO Dennis Kelly.

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Gas Chamber Legislation Bill in Georgia

GFP Note: This story was recently covered by the Georgia Front Page on February 15, 2009. Within that article are the Georgia counties and cities who still use the gas chamber for euthanizing animals.

This plea was sent to the Georgia Front Page by the Georgia Heartland Humane Society. Time to act is of the essence as next week is slated to be the "drop dead" date for this bill.

This concerns banning the use of the remaining gas chambers in Georgia animal shelters as a method of euthanizing animals. The more humane method is lethal injection. This is an issue that you can have a direct hand in changing. You can help put an end to this inhumane, cruel treatment of the least fortunate animals. PLEASE read the message and instructions below then make those calls and send those emails. We only have until Monday! Thank you so much.

PLEASE CROSS POST TO PUSH "GRACE'S BILL" THROUGH!

We now have a bill in the House (HB 606) and the same bill in the Senate (SB 232). Two opportunities is better than one!

We have only until next Thursday the 12th for either bill to make its way "out of committee" and through a vote of the full House (or Senate). In other words, the bill (on either side) has to make it to the other side on or before the "crossover" date, which is the 12th. For example, if HB 606 doesn't make it out of the Agriculture Committee, it's dead. If it makes it out of the Ag Committee but doesn't pass a vote of the full House, it's dead. Same scenario on the other side, in the Senate.

The bill has to make through one side (before crossover date), then the other, then the Governor's approval to become a law.

A hearing of the Livestock, Poultry and Aquaculture Subcommittee (subcommittee of the House Committee on Agriculture and Consumer Affairs) is set for HB 606 Monday 8:00 a.m. in room 403 of the Capitol.!

The Chairman of that subcommittee is Ellis Black.

We've been informed by lobbyists and legislative aides that phone calls are the most effective method of communicating your support of a bill to a legislator. So please help us start a campaign of phone calls to the offices of members of both Agriculture Committees (House and Senate).

Here's the link to the General Assembly with all legislators' contact information, bios, etc.:

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/

Here's the link to the House Committee on Agriculture:

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/Committees/agriculture/agIndex.htm

Here's the link to the Senate Committee on Agriculture:

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/senate/agriculture.php


Please call these individuals to express your support of HB 606 [leave messages with their assistants or interns]:

Subcommittee Chair, Ellis Black: (404) 656-0287

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/blackEllis/blackEllis.htm

Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture, Tom McCall: (404) 656-5115

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/mccallTom/mccallTom.htm

Vice Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture, Terry England: (404) 656-0183

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/englandTerry/englandTerry.htm

Secretary, House Committee on Agriculture, Dr. Gene Maddox DVM (supports gassing!!): (404) 656-0152

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/house/bios/maddoxGene/maddoxGene.htm

Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, John Bulloch: (404) 656-0040

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/senate/bullochbio.php

Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Ralph Hudgens: (404) 656-4700

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/senate/hudgensbio.php

Secretary, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Lee Hawkins: (404) 656-6578

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/senate/hawkinsbio.php

If you prefer to email any or all of these folks, please do so. It's your choice. Their email addresses are on these hyperlinks.

What you can do also, in regards to the Senate bill, which is newer than the House bill, is thank Senator Steve Henson (D-Dekalb County) for his sponsorship of the bill [stevehenson@mindspring.com] and ask your own Senator to co-sponsor the bill.

Please take into consideration that the time and resources of the handful (10) of individuals (myself included) who are "heading" this campaign for the passage of this legislation are limited, as are your own. If you have ideas of how to further the campaign... if you want to draft and cross post something else... if you want to contact the media.... PLEASE DO! There is no proprietary interest in this campaign. It belongs to every resident of the State of Georgia. If you want to see this bill passed, then you do whatever you are able and willing to do to ensure its passage. There are no rules. You don't need anyone's consent. Each and every one of us is a free-thinking, tax-paying registered voter. You don't need anyone's permission or instructions on how to contact our State elected officials to express your opinions and make your requests. Just go for it! There's no time to waste.

Thank you for your active participation in this important and historic campaign for the welfare of Georgia's homeless pets.

Chamblee Abernethy in Dekalb County (678) 640-1177

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Gas Chambers Still an Option in Several Georgia Counties

Georgia Voters for Animal Welfare is trying to reintroduce to our state lawmakers last year's bill (House Bill 1060) to shut down the remaining carbon monoxide gas chambers used to kill homeless dogs, cats, puppies and kittens in Georgia shelters. The law, if passed, would make lethal injection the only approved method of killing homeless pets.

See, at bottom, a list of the Georgia counties and cities still using gas chambers.

We need to act quickly and effectively to garner support among our state legislators. A peaceful demonstration on the front lawn/stairs of the State Capitol is one way to draw attention to our bill and to the barely-known issue of gas chambers.

DETAILS OF THE DEMONSTRATION

Date: Thursday, February 26th (rain or shine!)
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Location: State Capitol (the gold dome) main entrance on Washington Street downtown Atlanta
Directions: Exit 248A off I-75/85. Take MLK toward the gold dome, cross over Washington Street and through the next light to parking garage on right
Bring: posters saying "Ban Gas Chambers" or whatever you'd like to say, so long as you do not use profanity or say anything that will get us thrown out. No sticks/stakes, just poster board or foam core, hand-held.

Our goal is 100 people. That should be easy! We have 100x that many animal advocates in Georgia! We need to show our state lawmakers that the humane treatment of homeless pets is a high priority for many Georgia voters. Please don't use work as an excuse to not attend. We all work, but we all take a day off now and then. What better use of a personal day, a vacation day or a sick day will you ever have than this? Make your plans today and ask your boss for the day off. What does it say to the animals and to our legislators if this issue isn't worth one day off work to many, if not all of, Georgia's animal advocates? One day off to possibly end the torture of gas chambers. How can you say no? Please don't. Please be part of this important movement!

The State of Tennessee banned gas chambers a few years ago because a shelter worker died of co2 poisoning. The State of Virginia passed a ban on its gas chambers last year. "Davie's Bill" is pending in North Carolina at this moment. But Grace's Bill hasn't even been introduced to Georgia's General Assembly yet. We need your help to make it happen!

To learn more about gas chambers, visit the website of Animal Law Coalition:

http://www.animallawcoalition.com/gas-chambers

Here's what Animal Control Officer, Linda Cordry, in Liberty County had to say about the gas chamber she used before her local elected officials made the humane decision to switch to lethal injection:

"The gas chamber is simply a torture device for both animal and human alike. I hate that thing with a passion. It is NOT a humane way to put animals to sleep. It is not humane for those of us that have to witness its use! To hear the piteous cries that come from within that monstrous machine is unnerving at best. At least with lethal injections, you get to hold and wish these animals a safe journey to the bridge. You get to apologize for all the horrors they've had to endure at human hands. After all it is OUR fault they were born, not theirs. I wish I could make everyone understand the pain and sorrow I live with for having done my job (being made to use the gas chamber for so long). I still have nightmares about all the innocents lost over the years."

Whether or not you can attend the demonstration, PLEASE CALL OR WRITE TO YOUR STATE SENATOR AND HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE TO EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT OF THE PROPOSED BAN ON GAS CHAMBERS! Here's how to find out who are your Senator and Representative and how to contact them:

http://www.congress.org/congressorg /dbq/officials/?lvl=L

Input your zip code. Then click on 'State' elected officials. Then input your full address. Then you'll see, under Sonny Perdue's name, the names of your Senator and House Representative. Then go to this website to get their contact information, bios, etc.:

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/

List of Counties and Cities still using gas chambers (to the best of our knowledge... there may be others):

Ashburn, GA
Barnesville, GA
Bulloch County
Butts County
Cordele, GA
Cuthbert, GA
Vienna, GA
Haralson County
Lanier County
Lowndes County
Macon, GA (City Council voted June 2008 to stop using its chamber July 1, 2009)
Mitchell County
Pulaski County
Spalding County
Sumter County
Warner Robins, GA

Thank you for reading and for joining the cause to spare our homeless pets prolonged and painful death by suffocation.



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Comment Sought on New Invasives Species Plan

A draft plan that targets more than 180 invasive species threatening Georgia’s rich variety of native wildlife is available for public comment.

The Georgia Invasive Species Strategy describes the complex scope of problems posed by non-native plants, animals and disease-causing organisms and proposes ways to lessen the impacts in a state ranked sixth in the nation in biological diversity.

Jon Ambrose, assistant chief of the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section, said the strategy provides a framework that will help communicate and coordinate invasive species management priorities.

“There are a lot of organizations that are active in this area. The Invasive Species Strategy is intended to provide a picture of where we are now and where we want to go in the future,” Ambrose said.

Copies are available at www.georgiawildlife.com (click the “Conservation” tab to reach the link) or from the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division office in Social Circle (770-761-3035). A public comment meeting is set for 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Wildlife Resources Division’s Conservation Center in Social Circle. For directions, go to www.georgiawildlife.com.

The deadline to submit comments is Feb. 16. Send written comments to jon.ambrose@gadnr.org or Jon Ambrose, Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, 2070 U.S. Highway 278 S.E., Social Circle, Ga.30025.

Invasives are plants and animals accidentally or intentionally introduced outside their natural ranges and which cause harm to the environment, economy or even human health. For example, laurel wilt, a fungal disease spread by an ambrosia beetle that is not native to the U.S., is killing redbay trees and related species in the Southeastern Coastal Plain. Redbays are a food source for birds and deer, and a critical host plant for the Palamedes swallowtail butterfly.

Cogongrass, another priority invasive species, is an aggressive, colony-forming grass that chokes out native plants and is spreading across the region. The Georgia Forestry Commission has established a statewide Cooperative Weed Management Area and Task Force to help control cogongrass.

The draft Invasive Species Strategy, compiled by an advisory committee representing about 30 public agencies and non-governmental organizations, summarizes what is being done to combat invaders, identifies gaps in current programs, and recommends improvements. Objectives are aimed at guarding against the influx of more non-native species and minimizing the threat of those already here.

The Georgia Invasive Species Advisory Committee listed 51 invasive or potentially invasive plant species, 107 animals and 30 disease-causing organisms.

Next steps could include funding for an invasive species coordinator, development of new educational materials and formation of a rapid response plan for priority species.

The overriding goal of the work started in August 2007 is enhancing collaboration among invasive species efforts statewide, which will increase effectiveness and options for funding.

The Invasive Species Strategy follows on the heels of a related document that deals with aquatic exotics and was also compiled by the advisory committee. The Georgia Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan is being reviewed by a federal task force before being finalized.

Both plans build on current efforts of groups such as the Georgia Invasive Species Task Force to identify high-priority species, assess impacts and threats, implement control methods, and educate the public about the environmental and economic impacts of invasive species.

Georgia’s Wildlife Action Plan, the conservation blueprint for the state Department of Natural Resources, rates invasive species a major threat to biodiversity and lists development of a statewide plan to monitor and control them as a high priority. On a national scale, the economic losses and environmental damage caused by exotic species total approximately $120 billion a year.

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FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Regulating Genetically Engineered Animals

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, today released for public comment draft guidance on the regulation of genetically engineered (GE) animals. The guidance document is intended to clarify the FDA's regulatory authority in this field, as well as the requirements and recommendations for producers of GE animals and products derived from GE animals.

The comment period for the draft guidance, titled "The Regulation of Genetically Engineered Animals Containing Heritable rDNA Constructs," runs for 60 days and closes Nov. 18, 2008. The 25-page document is available online at http://www.fda.gov/cvm/GEAnimals.htm.

"Genetically engineered animals hold great promise for improving human medicine, agriculture, the environment, and the production of new materials, and the FDA has long been involved in their scientific evaluation," said Randall Lutter, Ph.D., deputy commissioner for policy. "Our guidance provides a framework for both GE animals and products made from them to reach the market."

Genetic engineering generally refers to the use of recombinant DNA (rDNA) techniques to introduce new characteristics or traits into an organism. When scientists splice together pieces of DNA and introduce a spliced DNA segment into an organism to give the organism new properties, it's called rDNA technology. The spliced piece of DNA is called the rDNA construct. A GE animal is one that contains an rDNA construct intended to give the animal new characteristics or traits.

GE animals can be divided into several classes, based on their intended use. They include animals that produce human or animal pharmaceuticals (biopharm animals); animals that serve as models for human diseases; animals that produce high-value industrial or consumer products, such as fibers; and food-use animals with new traits such as improved nutrition, faster growth or lower emission levels of environmentally harmful substances (such as phosphate in their manure).

Genetic engineering already is widely used in agriculture to make crops resistant to pests or herbicides. In medicine, genetic engineering is used to develop microbes that produce drugs and other therapeutic products for use in humans. In food, genetic engineering is used to produce microorganisms that aid in baking, brewing, and cheese-making.

Using the animal drug provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) has been working with developers of GE animals to make them aware of their responsibilities to ensure that food from these animals does not enter the U.S. food supply unless the FDA has authorized such use.

The FD&C Act classifies "articles (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals" as drugs. An rDNA construct that is in a GE animal and intended to affect the animal's structure or function meets the definition of a new animal drug, whether the animal is intended for food, or used to produce another substance. Developers of these animals must demonstrate that the construct and/or any new products expressed from the inserted construct are safe for the health of the GE animal.

Under the draft guidance, in those cases in which the GE animal is intended for food use, producers will have to demonstrate that food from the GE animal is safe to eat. The FDA will review this information as part of its food safety assessment, consistent with that recommended in the recently adopted Codex Alimentarius Guideline for the Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Animals. Codex is a worldwide food safety organization sponsored by the United Nations.

The draft guidance also describes a sponsor's responsibility in meeting the requirements for environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Depending on the species of animal and its intended use, the FDA will coordinate with agencies in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and with other federal departments and agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, in regulating GE animals. The draft guidance indicates the areas in which the FDA will be working with those agencies to develop a coherent policy under the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology. USDA has published in the same issue of the Federal Register a "Request for Information" that seeks input on what types of actions and approaches it should consider under the Animal Health Protection Act (AHPA) that would complement FDA's guidance. The AHPA gives the Secretary of Agriculture authority to take specific actions to prevent the spread of diseases and pests of livestock.

"This is a cutting-edge technology that has significant implications, including real benefits, not just for human health, but also for animal health, such as developing disease-resistant animals," said CVM Director Bernadette Dunham, D.V.M., Ph.D. "We look forward to the public comments to help refine our thinking and approach."

The draft guidance describes how the FDA may exercise enforcement discretion, that is, not require premarket approval, for some GE animals depending on potential risk, as we did after reviewing information about Zebra danio, aquarium fish genetically engineered to glow in the dark. For example, the draft guidance states the FDA's intent to exercise enforcement discretion for laboratory animals used for research and kept in confined conditions. The agency does not expect to exercise enforcement discretion for animal species traditionally consumed as food and expects to require approval of all GE animals intended to go into the human food supply.

The draft guidance describes how the FDA regulates heritable rDNA constructs, that is, constructs inherited from one generation to the next. Non-heritable constructs, such as those used for gene therapy to treat individual animals, may be the subject of a subsequent guidance.

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