I know there may be some grammatical problems, I'll smooth them over with the editor tomorrow. Any feedback and suggestions are more than welcome.
Dear Governor Rell,
Im writing this letter to you to express my extreme discontent as a resident of Roxbury, Connecticut, with the current carpet ban on exotic pets, particularly the Red Bellied Piranha (Pygocentrus natteren). The state statute 26-55-1 states The importation or possession of piranha of the subfamily: Serrasalminae, genera Serrasalmus, Serrasalmo, Pygocentrus, Teddyella, Roosevetiella, and Pygopristus is prohibited - discretionary permit issued by Commissioner. This statute bars fish enthusiasts from enjoying a captivating breed of fish which cause no harm to fish owners or the eco-system.
Should, for any reason, Red Bellied Piranhas make it into the Connecticut waterways, they wouldnt survive for long enough to pose as a threat, as they have very specific living conditions that wouldnt be met in cold New England waters. To survive, Red Bellied Piranhas need a consistent water temperature of near 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which would rarely, if never be obtained in the hottest days of summer, and couldnt possibly be up kept year round. A species cant thrive if it can only sustain itself for a few days over the summer. Furthermore, according to Piranha-info.com, for Piranhas to reproduce, the water conditions need to be absolutely perfect, such as their natural habitat, the waterways of South America. These conditions would be nigh impossible to achieve in Connecticut. -- I would reword this section and keep it simple, state that piranhas can survive at a lower temperature than 80 f, but they wouldn't be able to thrive and Connecticut rivers and lakes wouldn't be able to support breeding populations, therefore, if they were to be released, they would only survive til late fall when the water temps drop. I would reference a more reputable site, such as opefe.com for information like this.
You could also talk about the actual effect they would have if they were to be released... since it would be unlikely that a huge population would be released at one time, the more realistic scenario would be the rare occurence of someone dumping a small number of fish... in a small group, they would most likely be preyed upon by larger fish and birds and wouldn't get the chance to do any damage to local wildlife populations.
Unlike some exotic pets that should be banned, Red Bellied Piranhas pose little or no threat to their owners. Piranhas in aquariums are very docile some owners are disappointed in their skittishness. Also, Piranha owners have very little reason to put their hands in the tank, aside from occasional water changes,--not exactly true, most people that are new to the hobby try to avoid putting their hands in the tank, but after a short amount of time, they realize that it isn't as dangerous as they thought and, while still exercising caution, have no reservations about sticking their hands in the water to rearrange plants and decorations-- which can be done with ones hands outside of the water. I was told from an anonymous Piranha owner that "For the 5 years I have kept Red Belly Piranhas I have never seen aggression to the extent people express. They tend to be extremely skittish and spend most time hiding. Even during feeding they show extreme caution in attacks and generally take several minuets to eat the food." Many other sources, including long time Red Belly owners from leading online websites such as MonsterFishKeepers and Piranha-cove.com report their Piranhas to be more aggressive only when they havent been fed for multiple days and are incredibly hungry. However the worst injury my previously quoted 5 year Piranha veteran correspondent has suffered were playful nibbles --never heard of "playful nibbles" from piranhas... while bites from piranhas is pretty rare in the hobby, they do happen. Most piranhas will hide in the corner during tank maintenance tho. Also in a poll on Piranha-fury.com, over 1000 users agreed the most aggressive Piranha is a hungry one, so if fish Piranha users keep their fish fed, they will be in even less danger --this is pretty misleading, that's just kind of a joke poll, so i would just leave out this info. i haven't seen any difference in behavior towards me from a hungry fish as opposed to a fish that has just been fed. They may respond differently to food, but by not feeding for a few days, i don't see a piranha deciding to attack a hobbyist's hand when it enters the tank. Aggressiveness due to lack of food isnt unique to Piranhas either, my cat or dog would try to find their own food if I starved them. Frank over at opefe.com put his hand in a piranha tank in front of news cameras to show that they weren't as bloodthirsty as the media made them out to be, that would be a good story to reference.... like i said before, he is the guy to talk to on this subject because he has actually helped change the laws that outlawed piranhas in the past.
I hope youll be able to see now how the ban on Red Bellied Piranhas is a needless part of a necessary ban on some animals. Ill be tirelessly awaiting your reply to this plea for a change in statute.
Your Best,
Kevin Engel
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