Lisa

During and after completing my bachelors of science from the University of California at Santa Cruz in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, I worked and volunteered through the school. Some of my jobs were the following: TA (course assistant) for genetics, microbiology and introductory molecular biology; learning assistant for college algebra and general chemistry; subject tutor for introductory biology, biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, eukaryotic cell biology, physiology, and statistics; and laboratory assistant in a biochemistry lab studying protein folding.

During my undergrad, I also spent about 1000 hours volunteering at various locations. I spent 600 hours volunteering for the Dolphin and Sea Lion Physiology Project at the Long Marine Lab in Santa Cruz, hundreds of hours working as a vet tech in exotic and small animal vet clinics, and over 100 hours volunteering at the Crossroads Safe House for battered women and children.

Right now I am continuing my education to become a chiropractic physician, and my passion remains with medicine and hermit crabs. She created CrabDr?, a Yahoo! based web group, to combine these two parts of my life for the ultimate hobby.

I have also taken on other hermit crab projects that include rescuing mall kiosk crabs, nursing them back to health, and returning them to the seller to show there is profit in proper hermit crab care. I have found that the real problem with the treatment of hermit crabs comes not from the pet stores, but from the bulk distributors. It turns out that the pet stores are receiving sick hermit crabs, many beyond any type of care, which makes it almost hopeless to get pet stores to provide excellent care when half of them will die anyway. There is no leverage to get hermit crab distributors to change their ways. It is not profitable to send healthy crabs because the pet stores would not need to order and replace as many. The only way to get the distributors to change is by passing a law.

I am trying to start a change in state laws making the definition of "animal" include hermit crabs. If hermit crabs were covered under the term "animal",they would have rights and the bulk distributors would be forced to change their ways for the better. I encourage all of you to write to your state government to have hermit crabs included in the definition of "animal". Please visit http://www.megalaw.com/top/animal.php to see what animal rights laws your state supports.

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