Help us SAVE the Priarie Dog!!!!

[melonie]

Please put this on your website, e-mail to friends, relatives, coworkers, clients! Contact me if you need help or info...

PLEASE READ

Prairie Dogs and Misc. African Rodents Banned for Good informs the FDA, Written by Ken Walker

Due to the Monkey Pox outbreak in late Spring 2003 it will no longer be legal to purchase or offer for sale or trade any Prairie Dogs or miscillanious african rodent species.

Ok, lets look at the facts here. You have Prairie dogs bound for the pet trade that are housed too close to an imported Gambian Pouched Rat that happened to be infected with Monkey Pox. The Prairie Dogs went to their new homes, many harboring the Monkey Pox virus. Well, you guys don't really need me to go into the details on who had what and when.... so lets go back to where the virus came from.

The Monkey Pox virus was brought into the country via a shipment of animals from Africa that was delivered to a broker in Texas. One of the infected animals found it's way into the hands of a Chicago area breeder/broker which infected his Prairie Dog livestock. By the end of this ordeal a few domestic rabbits had aquired the virus as well.

This brings us to the now.. which has the FDA and CDC now enacting a permanent ban on the sale of all Prairie Dogs and misc. African rodent species as well as the importation of these african rodents. Doesn't this seem a tid bit extreeme, all things considered? Why would you ban Prairie Dogs due to their ability to transmit Money Pox if expossed to it such as rabbits and other animals not covered by this ban if you are cutting off the source of possible infection by prohibiting the importation of african rodents capable of harboring this disease? Further more, why would the FDA ban Prairie Dogs but not the other KNOWN animals such as rabbits that are also known to be suseptable to this disease?

These are interesting questions. First of all, if you ban the importation of the animals that would be the only means of the Monkey Pox virus to enter the states then why would you need to ban Prairie Dogs? You wouldn't would you!

I'm going to jump straight to the chase. Pet Prairie Dogs should NOT be banned! If the FDA is banning Prairie Dogs because of Monkey Pox why are they not banning domestic rabbits that also are capable of transmitting this disease to humans "IF" exposed to it. In addition, I feel that the banning of importing potential Monkey Pox carriers are adequate measures to ensure that this disease does not make a reappearance into the USA. The sale of domestic bred African rodent species does not pose a threat to pet owners....so why go to the extremes that the FDA has enacted?

The FDA is taking comments from the public until January 20, 2004. This is our last chance to prevent these animals, specifically Prairie Dogs from being banned from the pet trade. You can go to the following website to leave a comment with the FDA.

MORE AND MORE EXOTICS ARE BEING BANNED ALL OF THE TIME, ACT NOW OR LOOSE YOUR RIGHT TO OWN PETS. FERRET OWNERS KNOW THIS BETTER THAN ALL OF US! PLEASE HELP!

OUR RIGHTS ARE BEING VIOLATED! TIME TO FIGHT BACK! TELL THE CDC WHERE THEY CAN STICK THEIR NEW LAW! IF YOU DON"T FIGHT BACK THEN DON'T COMPLAIN WHEN THE NEXT ANIMAL THAT THE FEDS BAN ARE HAMSTERS, FERRETS OR REPTILES (don't laugh, in 2003 Chicago proposed an ordinence that would ban reptiles, fish, amphibians, ferrets, hedgehogs, sugargliders and so much more from being kept as pets... with no grandfather clause).

Download a preformated Letter that can be sent to the Presidentand your State Representative (with modification) Here

To Sign Petition #3626, to protest this ruling, Click HERE

Thanks for letting us know Melonie. I will be adding this information to my site come tomorrow, and urge each and everyone of us to sign it!

[Jade]

If you can do anything, please send the letters rather than sign. Online petitions are legally useless as there's no way to confirm the signatures. Letters to the proper places will do much more good.

[Scarlette]

Quote: The FDA is taking comments from the public until January 20, 2004.

Hmmm, I wonder if our letters to the FDA would still do any good??? Should we write our congressmen or senators now instead?

What makes it worse is that more farmers will resort to poisoning instead of allowing people to come in and do live captures to reduce the population.

[tyler]

wow mel i just posted a forum with email adresses to give opinions to the fda. here it isJune 11th the FDA and CDC imposed a temporary ban on the sale/movement of Prairie Dogs throughout the US due to the outbreak of MonkeyPox Virus which caught National attention. These two agencies of the Federal Government are now inviting comments from the public for a 75 day period regarding making that temporary ban PERMANENT. A copy of the rule can be read at http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/03-27557.htm If you wish to let the Federal Government know your feelings regarding Prairie Dogs as pets then send your comments to http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/script...mentdocket.cfm. The FDA will cease taking comments on Janurary,20 2004. If the permanent rule is enacted, then no more Prairie Dogs will be allowed to be kept as pets. please send comments i have always wanted a prarie dog for years....when i finally had the time and money this happend. i am only 14yrs old but im trying to make a difference in the exotic animal trade....so please tell all your custemors with prarie dogs & all your friends in the buissnes because their opinions count!!!! -Tyler harvey

go mel lets kick some fda BUTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!