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I'm no longer a volunteer at the SPCA.

v_various

v_various

secretly normal
Ya, it's come up before. I've always said I don't agree with everything they do, but they do good work with the dogs and cats for the most part. And I stand by that opinion even now.

Some of you may know that up here in BC, Canada the BC SPCA has made a submission the the Ministry of Environment to ban a bunch of animals, pythons and boas included. Of course, a lot of reptile savvy people have been doing whatever we can to fight that silly idea. I've been writing letters to anyone I can find an address for, and a few days ago I wrote one to the BC SPCA manager of wildlife services. I didn't feel the need to hide, and mentioned my name and that I've been volunteering at the SPCA for over 4 years.

I get a reply from the director of my SPCA, here is an excerpt:

"As a result [[of me disagreeing with the ban]], because you have violated the Code of Ethics for a volunteer with BC SPCA, there will have to be a meeting with me before you are able to resume your volunteering at the shelter. Just to inform you, the meeting will involve disciplinary action, which will be carried out at that time. Please let me know when you are able to meet."

I told him to shove it, and that "I doubt you're crying in your beer about the fact it will be a cold day in heck* before I let anyone "take action" because I called them out on their uneducated intentions."

What would the "disciplinary action" have been, I wonder? I clean dog poop for free, the only thing they could even do that would be considered punishment would be to make me do it more often!

Anyway, I'm in good company. Only the really awesome people who care about the animals get burned out or driven away, a trend I noticed since I first started there. And I can always find somewhere else to volunteer, but I might just limit myself to the WSPCR and reptile educational shows for this summer (well, until the SPCA shuts us down. They'd love too, I believe they think we're like a reptile circus or something. But that's another story...)

*edited for language.
 
v_various said:
"As a result [[of me disagreeing with the ban]], because you have violated the Code of Ethics for a volunteer with BC SPCA, there will have to be a meeting with me before you are able to resume your volunteering at the shelter. Just to inform you, the meeting will involve disciplinary action, which will be carried out at that time. Please let me know when you are able to meet."
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I am stunned that you have to subscribe to all their positions in order to VOLUNTEER for them. I'm sure there are other organizations that will appreciate your DONATED work. I am also puzzled at how you could be "disciplined" for this, because you're not an employee. Sounds like someone banged out a form letter for employees and didn't think about how ridiculous it was to apply it to a volunteer.
 
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Where I live in Florida there are no shelters for reptiles unless someone privately adopts them. If they are turned in to the animal shelter they are sent to/picked up by animal control, and in most instances euthanized.

Its such a shame, and I wonder how many high end animals let alone animals in total have been put down by uneducated people.
 
diamondlil said:
What will they do with rescued reptiles that are banned? Automatically euthanise them?
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ah, yes, that's tricky.

there is one really bad reptile rescue near Vancouver, there has been a lot of drama and they are not well respected. Some things they do include keeping different sexed pairs together, so they constantly breed (they just get rid of the eggs), bad treatment of feeder animals, keeping the whole place humid so desert animals are SOL, not adopting out anything (even though there have been reasonable offers to take some animals off their hands - they believe no one is able to properly care for a leopard gecko/beardies/corns ect. Insane, I know). And yet for some reason this "rescue" is popular with the public, and anyone who doesn't know better. This "rescue" has claimed they are full, and there are no other places for unwanted reptiles to go.

There are two other WONDERFUL reptile rescues in the greater vancouver area, the bad rescue is well aware of that.

I have a feeling the SPCA listens to the bad rescue, I know some of them do. They like to believe the misinformation that reptiles are hard to care for, wild, disease carrying exotics that are better off banned.

It's...a mess down here, basically.

And the e-mail wasn't a form e-mail, there were other parts that obviously were about me specifically.
 
Maybe you should write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Probably most people are on the side of banning the snakes, but if it is interesting enough, it might get published.
 
Nanci said:
Maybe you should write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Probably most people are on the side of banning the snakes, but if it is interesting enough, it might get published.
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I've written the paper before with no result, they tend to only publish letter that relate to previous articles they published. Besides, most people I've talked to who know nothing about snakes (my friends, my mom) think pythons and boas are dangerous. When I told my mom I got a corn, she told me to "be careful, snakes retain their instinct so don't let you're guard down, and don't be bringing home any pythons!" (later I told her when I got the spotted python just to freak her out, didn't tell they only get 4 feet. haha). Most people have no idea and think they are dangerous. And that idiot getting bit by his pet cobra a few months ago didn't help, he was blaming everyone but himself and sounding like a...well I have a strong word for lets leave it at that. Poor public perception about snakes and their keepers right now.

*sigh* at least there is an educational event in two weeks, it'll help me feel better.
 
I'd of been tempted to go to the meetng, then shoot down his points in person.
 
Mr.AJ said:
I'd of been tempted to go to the meetng, then shoot down his points in person.
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I would go to the meeting as well. I'm sorry to hear about the situation - if you can't volunteer any more it can't hurt to go to the meeting - other then you may get upset.
 
Hey, you can come scoop snake and mouse poop for free for me anytime, and you don't even have to agree with everything I say and think, lol!

"Maybe you should write a letter to the editor of your local paper."

Exactly what I thought! Only don't play up the snake ban as much as the fact that this organization expects everyone to think exactly like they do just to do free work. Question their ethics about the whole thing, and their agenda in pushing for the ban. Word it in such a way that people might agree (even if they don't like snakes), the SPCA might be suspect in their motives, and warrant a second thought about blindly following them. Maybe that would get you noticed more than trying to push a "snake lover's" agenda.
 
Aw man, I'm sorry to hear about this :( BCSPCA does use Mr. Springate at Rainforest (ie. herp hell, and yes I'll name him, I can't stand the guy) as their main sounding-board for all things reptile, along with the HSUS. I also was a volunteer at a local SPCA shelter until I got my Animal Sense magazine (SPCA publication) containing an article regarding the evils of herpkeeping, quoting Springate. I haven't been back since.
 
aameenah said:
Aw man, I'm sorry to hear about this :( BCSPCA does use Mr. Springate at Rainforest (ie. herp hell, and yes I'll name him, I can't stand the guy) as their main sounding-board for all things reptile, along with the HSUS. I also was a volunteer at a local SPCA shelter until I got my Animal Sense magazine (SPCA publication) containing an article regarding the evils of herpkeeping, quoting Springate. I haven't been back since.
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holy, are you serious? Can I get a copy?! Even a photo copy, gawd, I'd buy you cookies or draw you anything or something for a copy of that! My reptile club would love it. And I see you know of him too, eh? There aren't words. Actually, I'll quote from my local reptile board: "the rrr is a great rescue i heard it has the finest collection of reptiles anywhere just bring a shovel to dig them up in the back." No wonder he thinks snake keeping is evil, he's doing it wrong : 0


In other news, I did get a reply on the last letter I sent, and made a reply. See them by clicking the original link, if you're interested in more of the same. They had the gall to "dismiss" me! I thought I made it pretty clear when I told him to shove it, but some people just can't take a hint, lol.
 
Who asks someone to meet with them so they can dole out "disciplinary action"? Your not a 1st grade child getting called to the principles office. As you said, you donate your time. It sounds like a huge empty threat. Maybe its his way of getting you to leave without firing you. Can he fire you? That's a very odd situation. I might have gone just to see what would happen. He'd probably be unprepared and hide under his desk.
 
V, here's the PDF, and my memory is faulty. They don't quote him outright, but list the RRR as a rescue (along with a bird sanctuary)

http://www.spca.bc.ca/AnimalSense/BCSPCAAnimalSenseMag_SpringSummer2007_Complete.pdf

Here's another article from their site quoting Miss Schramm from the RRR:

http://www.spca.bc.ca/AnimalCare/froggy.asp

Interestingly enough, the BCSPCA has posted a 'clarification' on the website regarding the ban...

http://www.spca.bc.ca/WildlifeAct/PIJAC_Response.pdf

First line from which is "The BCSPCA is not leading a ban on exotic animals" They only want to ban all venomous reptiles and invertebrates, crocodiles, boas, pythons, turtles and tortoises, monitor lizards. For health reasons. Yeah. *eyeroll*
 
aameenah said:
http://www.spca.bc.ca/WildlifeAct/PIJAC_Response.pdf

First line from which is "The BCSPCA is not leading a ban on exotic animals" They only want to ban all venomous reptiles and invertebrates, crocodiles, boas, pythons, turtles and tortoises, monitor lizards. For health reasons. Yeah. *eyeroll*
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yup, that's the document that got me in trouble. I e-mailed the address at the bottom, [email protected] about the ban. I wasn't hiding anything, gave my name and that volunteered with the SPCA, and she (or someone else) figured I should be kicked out for disagreeing, I guess.

Such is the way of the SPCA. I've already had a few of my walking buddies e-mail me and tell me they're sorry to see me go, and that the SPCA is being idiotic and stuff. It's just to bad it had to come to this, I will miss them.
 
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around how they consider it 'unethical' for a volunteer to not be in lockstep with their ambitions.
 
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