LOUISIANA — A proposed ban on certain reptiles in the state was heard during a public meeting this month in the capital.
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said the ban is needed "to further protect native reptile and amphibian resources in the state as well as improve governance and regulation of non-native and native species."
The ban could prohibit a couple hundred species, many of which are common household pets, like iguanas, snakes and lizards.
Advocates told KATC that some animals on the prohibited list are already regulated and that those who support the ban are worried that certain species could take over the state after similar incidents happened in Florida.
Yet, Phil Goss, President of the Unites States Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK) said this would not happen since Louisiana experiences colder weather than Florida, and certain species on the list would not survive the colder temperatures, so they were not sure how the outright ban would be necessary.
"That is one concern that the department has stated, but you need to compare apples and apples, especially when you're talking about climate. So, southern Florida is still much warmer than even southernmost Louisiana," Goss told KATC. "You can see how much warmer southern Florida is, where the invasive species issues with non-native reptiles are.”
The ban will not affect those who currently have the animals in their possession but could affect anyone attempting to buy, keep or invest in these animals in the future.
Goss said the ban could open up more sales of unregulated reptiles.
"It can be regulated. It doesn’t need to be banned. So, as long as the department regulates it, its not going to be an issue," said Goss. "So, sometimes you actually create a problem because, rather than regulating it and knowing where the animals are, you ban it and get a black market."
To read USARK's petition against the ban, click here.
KATC contacted the LDWF and Keri Lejeune, the State Herpetologist, for a comment to clarify the proposed ban:
"Most of the species proposed in the ban are highly venomous snakes that pose a risk to public safety and the safety of Department staff during confiscations. The Department has received multiple sighting reports of several nonnative species on the proposed list. This allows us to be proactive to deter the risk of establishment in the wild in Louisiana, which would have a detrimental impact to our native species. One tropical species on the list, the Argentine black and white tegu, is already established in the wild and reproducing in Georgia and has been documented in multiple counties in South Carolina. Both of those states experience a colder climate than Louisiana and therefore these species would be able to survive our mild Louisiana winters."
To read the full list of reptiles and amphibians that could be affected, see below:
Individuals in possession of the species listed in Subparagraph K.2.a herein shall have 365 days from the effective date of this Rule to register those animals with the department and acquire a permit.
i. All crocodilians;
ii. All species in the Genera Salvator and Tupinambis, including the Argentine Black and White Tegu (Salvator merianae);
iii. Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus);
iv. Savannah Monitor (Varanus exanthematicus);
v. Green Iguana (Iguana iguana); vi. Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei);
vii. Burmese Python (Python bivittatus);
viii. Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis);
ix. All Genera in the Family Atractaspididae (stiletto snakes);
x. All species in the Genera Dispholidus (boomslangs), Thelotornis (twig snakes), and Rhabdophis (keelback snakes) of the Family Colubridae;
xi. All species in the Genera Naja, Ophiophagus, Pseudohaje, Aspidelaps, and Walterinnesia (cobras); Dendroaspis (mambas), Oxyuranus (taipans), and Bungarus (kraits) of the Family Elapidae;
xii. Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis);
xiii. Cane Toad (Rhinella marina);
xiv. African Clawed Frog (Xenopus laevis)
