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Hi There, We are looking for installation partners in your area. NO COST TO YOU. We sell PVC Marble Design Panels to homeowners and contractors. When a homeowner buys panels but is not handy enough to install them themselves, we want to be able to recommend a vetted installation company. Please check out our website to learn more and to apply for partnership: https://gpe-partners.com We are looking forward to working with you. Marc Wagner COO Great Products Enterprise

The Virginia Sierra Club supports SB1166.

Hi There, We are looking for installation partners in your area. NO COST TO YOU. We sell PVC Marble Design Panels to homeowners and contractors. When a homeowner buys panels but is not handy enough to install them themselves, we want to be able to recommend a vetted installation company. Please check out our website to learn more and to apply for partnership: https://gpe-partners.com We are looking forward to working with you. Marc Wagner COO Great Products Enterprise

Hi There, We are looking for installation partners in your area. NO COST TO YOU. We sell PVC Marble Design Panels to homeowners and contractors. When a homeowner buys panels but is not handy enough to install them themselves, we want to be able to recommend a vetted installation company. Please check out our website to learn more and to apply for partnership: https://gpe-partners.com We are looking forward to working with you. Marc Wagner COO Great Products Enterprise

I am writing to oppose this bill SB1125. This bill states bottle raising “ Mammalian Wildlife” will be made illegal in the state of Virginia which is confusing because the definition in Virginia that means any native mammalian species which inhabit various habitats across the state of Virginia, but to my surprise after hearing the discussions and testimony for this bill it seems that is not the case and it is applying to all exotic mammalian species, which is not by definition “Mammalian Wildlife”. This bill discriminates against the small privately owned zoos in the state of Virginia. I am the owner of one of those small, privately owned zoos in the state of Virginia. This bill states that AZA and ZAA zoos will be exempt. This is like saying an individual can only drive a motorized vehicle if they are apart of AAA, those who are not are not allowed to drive a motorized vehicle. Small Privately owned zoos hold the same permits and go thru the same inspections as the AZA and ZAA zoos. Bottle feeding and tube feeding is a vital animal husbandry skill that ALL zoos use. In emergency situations, we have to act fast to insure the baby animals safety, health and well being. This bill will hinder our ability to care for our animals and an untold number of animals’ lives across the commonwealth will die because of this bill when they could have been saved. Bottle raising is crucial in some situations where the mother is unable or unwilling to care for her baby. Sometimes ALL zoos will opt to bottle raise the baby to make their quality of life in captivity better, allowing for safer transport, and vet care. Some of these bottled raised animals go on to become animal ambassadors educating the future generations of kids and inspiring them to want to help protect the planet and the animals that inhabit it. Over the years my facility and staff have been called upon and we have aided accredited and non accredited facilities in how to bottle raise different animals. Small privately owned zoos might not have the sticker that says AZA or ZAA but we put in 100% dedication to our animals every single day, just like they do. To us, this is not just a business, this is our life that we live and breath 24/7 and have sacrificed ourselves for to guarantee our animals happiness and health. We have years of hands on experience in bottle raising animals and training that has not only allowed us to bottle raise our own animals successfully when needed but also other facilities non accredited and accredited AZA and ZAA facilities. Accredited and non accredited facilities hold the same permits for State and USDA and go thru the same inspections to ensure all of our animals are well cared for. The decision about an animals care should be left to the owner of the animal not the Virginia Legislature.

I am writing to request that this bill be tabled by submitting the story of Ranger. In relation to the language of this Bill we would not have been granted the ability to raise such an animal. Ranger is Bennett wallaby. Per our veterinarian we chose to raise this youngling at the weaning stage where he has become an incredible ambassador for his species. Making a decision as an unaccredited facility in correlation with our veterinarians enabled us as an organization to raise this baby to be comfortable around not only veterinary staff but the public. He has provided hundreds of opportunities for the public to learn and interact with a species they would not normally have the privilege to encounter. He is only one of numerous examples of animals that are raised as ambassadors for their species. Please take a moment to think back on an animal that impacted you at one point in your life. You may not or ever will get the opportunity to meet this animal, but you will remember the animals you do get the privilege to meet. Remember the overreach you are atempting to protect against and realize the adverse agenda you are keeping. As a law abiding citizen and compassionate animal keeper for more than 10 years please table this bill.

I would like to express my opposition to SB 1125 as it is not based on scientific evidence and goes against basic animal husbandry practices.

I am writing in opposition to Senator Boysko's Senate Bill 1125. We have our own hybrid at Fort Chiswell Animal Park--a zedonk name Pataki. These animals are often kept in zoos and can also be found on family farms. SB 1125 will effectively outlaw hybrids over time in the State of Virginia. The bill states, "It is unlawful to intentionally and for commercial purposes (i) propagate mammalian wildlife of different species, also known as hybridization, or (ii) keep or house mammalian wildlife of different species in conditions in which they could propagate." This is complete lunacy! Pataki is very happy and one of our most popular animals. Zedonks are in no way "less than" their parents. To outlaw the breeding of these animals in the future is mind-boggling. Why would anyone want to do this? It is discriminatory and parallels the concept of "pure blood" philosophy of Germany in the 1940's. If this legislation passes, we will only be one step away from the government controlling the breeding of domestic animals including mules, hinnies, etc. There are also serious questions about enforcement for owners who already own hybrids. What kind of harassment will we face as the State determines whether or not a particular law was broken? It is also worth noting that certain hybrids naturally occur in the wild. Senate Bill 1125 will also make it ILLEGAL to bottle-feed a baby zoo animal without a host of conditions including the involvement of the vet and requires that "all reasonable efforts shall be made to safely reintroduce such separated offspring to the mother following any such premature separation." It is obvious the writers of this legislation have never raised a baby on a bottle. This bill also states, "The Department, in consultation with qualified experts with formal education, expertise, and training in the species as appropriate, shall determine the natural time of weaning that is appropriate for a species." THIS LANGUAGE REVEALS PREJUDICE TOWARDS ZOO OWNERS. WE KNOW OUR ANIMALS BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE AND DO NOT NEED SOMEONE FROM AN OUTSIDE ORGANIZATION TELLING US HOW TO CARE FOR THEM. At Fort Chiswell Animal Park we usually choose to leave babies with their mothers and they wean their babies on their own schedule. However, sometimes it is NOT in the best interest of the baby to leave it with its mother. Sometimes it's the weather, sometimes a mother rejects the baby, and sometimes a baby is allergic to its mother's milk. Other times, we want to raise a specific animal for the safari. We've purchased bottle babies and reared them at the park. This was the case with Cody the Bison, Humphrey the Camel, and Scotty the Water Buffalo. These animals have lived very good lives, made thousands of people smile, and been ambassadors for their species. THIS BILL STRIKES AT THE HEART OF THE HUMAN ANIMAL BOND. Please talk to Senator Boysko and help us defeat this bill. Jeff Archer, Owner, Fort Chiswell Animal Park

Mr. Chair and Members of the Committee, The members and supporters of the Virginia Animal Owners Alliance ask that you please vote "NO" on Senate Bill 1125. This legislation--including the recent amendment--is discriminating against the alternative farmer and small zoo owner. The Senator and PETA have targeted the little guy who is simply practicing COMMON ANIMAL HUSBANDRY like the zoo keepers in the exempted accredited institutions. His only "crime" will be that he chose to remain independent. This is prejudiced and very, very wrong! The language also proves that the proponents of the bill do NOT actually believe bottle-feeding is cruel. In cases of true cruelty--such as dog fighting--an exemption would never be proposed or considered! Senate Bill 1125 will create a tremendous conflict in the code when it comes to enforcement. The game department's extremely broad definition of wildlife needs to be compared to the definitions in 2VAC5-141-10. This section of code pertains to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and states: "Cattle" means all domestic and wild members of the genera Bos, Bison, and Bubalus to include domestic cattle, yak, bison, and water buffalo (https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title2/agency5/chapter141/section10/). By putting her bill into the game department regulations, Senator Boysko is attempting to ban a common husbandry practice with certain "cattle" species, but not others. Both she and PETA are portraying bottle raising as cruel. If they targeted the industry as a whole, however, there would be tremendous push-back. So they are starting with the handful of owners who choose to own these less common animals and singled them out for legislative harassment. Senator Boysko and PETA have also decided that the breeding of animals they believe are abnormal should be outlawed. Never mind the idea of "hybrid vigor" or the many other benefits that are the result of cross-breeding. It doesn't matter to them that these are common husbandry practices with multiple species or that many hybrids naturally occur in the wild. They want their OPINIONS to become law! This legislation is also plainly targeting our veterinarians. What kind of vet will "fit the bill" to provide a medical exemption for a new baby? Owners will be required to find a veterinarian with "species-specific experience and expertise" yet the supporters of this bill fail to recognize that this language is unprecedented within the game department. The DWR DOES NOT HAVE a process to determine such certification. There are no separate or established guidelines. This language is highly subjective and is meant to build a wall between owners and their local veterinarians. This will hurt animals and their owners. SB 1125 IS DISCREDITING LICENSED AND QUALIFIED VETS AND WILL HARM SMALLER FACILITIES AS WELL AS THOSE IN RURAL AREAS. THIS BILL WILL BE AN ENFORCEMENT NIGHTMARE IF PASSED INTO LAW. There are serious questions about how this law will be enforced. Will DNA testing be required? If an accidental breeding occurs, what will happen with the "illegal" babies? Will they be destroyed by the Department? How will owners of current hybrids be protected from harassment? This bill truly defies all logic and common sense. Please stand with the animal owners of Virginia and reject this effort which is clearly nothing more than legislative harassment. Sincerely, Heidi Crosky, Virginia Animal Owners Alliance

Hi There, We are looking for installation partners in your area. NO COST TO YOU. We sell PVC Marble Design Panels to homeowners and contractors. When a homeowner buys panels but is not handy enough to install them themselves, we want to be able to recommend a vetted installation company. Please check out our website to learn more and to apply for partnership: https://gpe-partners.com We are looking forward to working with you. Marc Wagner COO Great Products Enterprise

Hi There, We are looking for installation partners in your area. NO COST TO YOU. We sell PVC Marble Design Panels to homeowners and contractors. When a homeowner buys panels but is not handy enough to install them themselves, we want to be able to recommend a vetted installation company. Please check out our website to learn more and to apply for partnership: https://gpe-partners.com We are looking forward to working with you. Marc Wagner COO Great Products Enterprise