The board of the SC Department of Natural Resources wants to ban black and white tegu lizards from entering the state and breeding. Agency officials said South America’s invading reptile could be problematic in South Carolina.
A regulation, already approved by the DNR and being voted on by the General Assembly, would add tegus to the state’s restricted non-native wildlife list.
Reptile collectors prefer the lizard, and some think the proposal is premature.
At least 11 sightings of tegu were confirmed in the state by DNR last year. Predators living on the ground can weigh up to 4.5 kilos; vary in length; and eating a diet that includes plants, eggs and birds that nest in the soil.
If the regulation is approved, the possession, sale, import, release and reproduction of the species would be prohibited in the state.
The grandfather proposal in tegus that is already here.
“Nobody could bring additional animals or breed them, but if people already had them, they could register them and then they would be authorized and allowed to keep them for the rest of the animal’s life,” said Will Dillman, assistant chief from wildlife to DNR.
If the proposal becomes law, companies and individuals will have 120 days to register their tegus with DNR and obtain a license at no cost. The animals would also have to be microchipped.
Elise Bennett, a lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity, said it is comforting to see South Carolina taking bold steps to protect its native wildlife from the highly invasive lizard.
“Tegus and other non-native reptiles are already wreaking havoc on Florida’s ecosystems, largely because of the uncontrolled commercial trade in these animals,” said Bennett. “The new South Carolina rule attacks the problem at its source.”
On February 25, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the final rules that would eliminate the commercial breeding and personal property of several invading reptiles, including the black and white Argentine tegu. Florida would allow the animals to be exported to other states.
“And most likely, they will send these animals to nearby markets, and the closest market now would be Georgia and South Carolina until the South Carolina rule goes into effect,” said Bennett.
Adonis Broadway, owner of a tegu in Moncks Corner, said a ban in South Carolina would be devastating for companies that depend on education and reptile breeders.
Adonis Broadway of Moncks Corner has several reptiles, including a pet tegu. Adonis Broadway / Provided
“And it’s just a devastating blow to the pet trade,” said Broadway. “And the question is, why go after pet owners?”
Broadway said it believed there was a bad stigma around reptiles that made it easier for an agency like DNR to ban the animal trade without almost any opposition. But this species can be trained to have the same temperament as a dog, he said.
Tegu lizards can cost up to $ 1,000, Broadway said, and certain equipment is needed to responsibly house them. And if a person spends so much money on a pet, he said, it can be safely assumed that the owner will not release it into the wild, but take steps to ensure that it does not go out.
Broadway does not want pet owners to get involved in the state’s proposed ban.
“Tegus coming to South Carolina has nothing to do with South Carolina’s pet owners,” said Broadway. “It may have been a situation with pet owners in Florida or Georgia, but they did not get into nature through the owners of South Carolina.”
He said he believed a good alternative would be to apply a “sterilization-capture-release” rule or allow people to kill reptiles found in the wild.
Broadway said it takes a certain level of reasoning even to consider a reptile as a pet, so most owners will care for the animals responsibly.
The DNR proposal aims to prevent the establishment of non-native fauna that poses a threat to the state’s resources. The regulation will now go through the subcommittee and committee process of the General Assembly.
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