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``Not
everyone of us up here today is a celebrity or just another
one of those talking frogs on Capitol Hill,'' said Kermit the
Frog at a news conference on Wednesday to promote a bill that
would allow Owners of larger exotic mammals to be
licensed by the Federal Government. A bill put forward by Rep.
Tom Lantos.
``I'm
a representative of the animal kingdom and we all need your
help,'' said Kermit.
After
conversing with actresses Bo Derek, Melanie Griffith and
Griffith's mother, Tippi Hedren, Kermit said, ``I, too, am
endangered. When I go home to Miss Piggy, I'm going to be in
serious trouble.''
Hedren,
an animal activist went to Rep. Tom Lantos with this idea for
legislation because a lot of people were getting attacked and
savaged by these exotic animals that were taken in as small
pets and later on not being able to control them when they got
bigger.
Hedren
said, Many are abandoned or euthanized once they become too
much of a burden to their owners.
as
many as 7,000 tigers alone are living in people's back yards
as pets or, in the case of drug dealers, guard animals to ward
off police, said Griffith.
This
new bill would require that owners of these large pets would
have to get a license from the Agriculture Department and show
that they can house and take care of them properly.
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