Due to an outbreak of monkey pox in the USA, a joint order was
issued that banned the import of several African rodents and also the transport, sale or release of pet
prairie dogs.
Zoonosis (e.g. the spread of monkeypox through
prairie dogs) and the propagation of non-native species in certain ecosystems (e.g. Burmese pythons in the Everglades) are two more
issues that Wyatt says have been used to get anti-pet legislation on government dockets.