| GAWLL |
| Georgians Against WildLife Laws |
| Gawll- 1. (n) A name given to the non-profit organization started in November of 2006 that fights for the rights of all Georgians to own pets native to the land, such as corn snakes, rat snakes, and the like. ex: GAWLL hopes to give all future environmentalists a chance to own, love, and respect the native wildlife of Georgia as it is done in other states in the nation. 2. (n) the trait of being rude and impertinent; inclined to take liberties, audacious, inconsiderate, unconcerned with the liberties of others sacrificed for their own privileges and opinions ex: The lawmaking bodies in the state of Georgia have the gawll (gall) to deny us the right to own the majority of harmless pets native to the forests, rivers, streams, and fields all around us. |
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| Hello there and welcome to the website for GAWLL, Georgians Against WildLife Laws. My name is Megan Kennebrew, spokesperson and coordinator of this non-profit organization. I want to start off by saying that in no way are we against all the Wildlife Laws in the state of Georgia. I have to admit and give props to the state for protecting the endangered and rare species of our state. The agricultural societes, game wardens, and the like to an incredible job of preserving our wildlife. Mainly, our issue rests with this: Section Code 27-1-28: 27-1-28. (a) Except as otherwise provided by law, rule, or regulation, it shall be unlawful to hunt, trap, fish, take, possess, or transport any nongame species of wildlife, except that the following species may be taken by any method except those specifically prohibited by law or regulation: (1) Rats; (2) Mice; (3) Coyotes; (4) Armadillos; (5) Groundhogs; (6) Beaver; (7) Fresh-water turtles; (8) Poisonous snakes; (9) Frogs; (10) Spring lizards; (11) Fiddler crabs; (12) Fresh-water crayfish; (13) Fresh-water mussels; and (14) Nutria. (b) The nongame species enumerated in subsection (a) of this Code section may be taken by any method except those specifically prohibited by law or regulation. (c) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to authorize the taking of any species which is protected under the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, P.L. 93-205, as amended, or under any state law which has as its purpose the protection of endangered or threatened species. It seems ridiculous and utterly unsupportable to deny the natives a Georgia a chance to own animals, just because the state declares them endangered. If they were legalized, people would not seek them out in the wild to be kept as pets. They would not be discarded because of the laws and the worry that builds in peoples' minds from owning a forbidden pet and it would be much easier to convince the people that the steereotypes associated with snakes, lizards, and the like are often wrong and unfounded. Instead, the state ALLOWS us to handle, by any means, the animals listed above. Poisonous snakes, people! Also, imports such as red-tail boas, burmese pythons, ball pythons, and anacondas are not outlawed in this state. In fact, they are sold in nearly every pet store! These animals reach amazing sizes, sometimes ranging from 12 to 24 feet long, and yet, they are easily bought. Their sheer size is often an impossible factor for most families and often, they are released into the wild. Snakes are carnivores and will eat meat, obviously, and that includes other snakes. Now, releasing a snake twice to three times the size of our native snakes surely doesn't aid in the conservation of our local wildlife, does it? A simple corn or rat snake with a maximum length of eight feet and a light weight are not allowed to be kept as pets. Where's the logic in that? Perhaps if our citizens were offered more options of animals that required easier care and posed less of a threat and nuisance, reptile owners would not be portrayed in such a responsible light. Give us a chance! Many species of animals in this state are treated as forbidden fruit. If they were legal to be bred in this state, I highly doubt they would be so endangered, as they have been labeled. Outlawing this denies all of our responsible future environmentalists and conservationalists the opportunity to delve into their passion and become such an amazing asset to society. It takes away from our state. The number of people that have moved away from here simply because of our laws against pets, unlike other states, is quite surprising. Now, what does that say about our state? It surely doesn't put us into a positive light when we can keep imported snakes, but cannot own our own native snakes. The mission of GAWL is to have this problem properly addressed and let the people know of the restrictions put on the passions of all herpetologists, animals lovers, and the free people. If you support this, I ask that you sign the petition already in motion by Mr. John Campbell of Georgia. Please, if you support us and our efforts, sign this petition. The link is below. Peition to change Section 27-1-28: Here |
| I'd like to take this time to thank you all for visiting this site. Perhaps together, with a multitude of voices, we can be heard. Thanks again. -Megan Kennebrew |
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| Welcome |
| A non-profit website |
| Webmistress: Megan Kennebrew |
| Launched: November 18, 2006 |
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| Testimonials |
| The Site |
| Letter to Congress |
| Link to Us |