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USARK – United States Association of Reptile Keepers

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Message History

2025 CITES Recap

The CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP) was held from November 24 to December 5 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. David Garcia represented USARK as an observer, and Art Parola attended on behalf of the National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA). Both coordinated closely throughout the meeting. During the CoP, David and Art worked with allied organizations such as the European Pet Org...


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Orangeburg has proposed a ban on “exotic creatures” that includes a vague definition, leaving it open to interpretation. It specifically bans all monitor lizards (including dwarf species that fit in your hand as adults), along with many others. Also, there is no provision allowing current owners to keep their animals. For the majority of people who are unfamiliar with reptile...


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ESA amendments

Amendments to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) have been proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) through rulemaking.

There are four proposed changes:

Listing and critical habitat (50 CFR part 424): Restore the 2019 regulatory text governing listing, delisting, and critical habitat determinations. The proposal ensures that decisions ...


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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has proposed to list the southern hognose snake (Heterodon simus), as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). FWS has found that the southern hognose faces serious threats from habitat loss and degradation as a result of land conversion and fragmentation causing loss of connectivity between popula...


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