... anudda bust ... utah ...

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regalringneck
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Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:20 am

... anudda bust ... utah ...

Post by regalringneck »

... intrsting that they took care not2 release his name.
If someone has to keep a freekn gabby, much better to do it somewhere cold like n.utah, rather then miami!


Owner could face charges for venomous snakes

July 29, 2013 1:25 pm • Associated Press

Firefighters arrived at a Utah home to put out a blaze started by a kitchen range and discovered more than flames _ 28 snakes, six of them deadly.

The man didn't have a permit for the six venomous snakes _ five rattlers and a gaboon viper _ and he may face misdemeanor charges for keeping them without a permit. The viper, native to Africa, is considered one of the most dangerous in the world with potent venom.

The snakes were inside cages in a separate room and were removed as firefighters quickly put out the blaze on Friday in Clearfield, about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City.

"I don't think firefighters were ever in danger from the snakes, except for the creep factor," said North Davis Fire Chief Mark Becraft.

The poisonous snakes were confiscated by the Utah Division of Wildlife, where Capt. Tony Wood was trying to determine their fate _ and whether to cite the owner.

"I'm just trying to wrap my head around the situation," he said Monday.

Fire and smoke damage left the man's duplex uninhabitable, Becraft said, but all the snakes survived.

The owner took his 22 other legal snakes for safekeeping to his father's house, Davis County Animal Control Director Clint Thacker said.

The seized rattlers will probably be released into the wild, and the viper could be sent to someone authorized to have it, said Jim Dix of Reptile Rescue of Tooele County.

The owner has been described variously by officials as a snake professional or breeder. Dix said the snakes were well fed, in good condition and that there was no threat to anyone in the neighborhood.

"We are seeing a big increase in illegal animals in Utah," he said. "It just goes on and on."

Dix said he was working with Utah officials to designate "amnesty" days for unlicensed owners who are willing to turn over exotic animals.

Earlier this year, Cottonwood Heights police cited a young man for failure to have an exotic pet permit and initially ordered him to get rid of all but one of his 29 boa constrictors he kept in special room in his basement with top-of-the-line cages.

The Cottonwood Heights City Council later gave him a reprieve, allowing Thomas Cobb to keep his snakes while officials revisit the city code.

Cobb still has the snakes he says are worth $12,000 apiece, and is waiting a resolution from city officials, Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Mark Askerlund said.
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AndyO'Connor
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Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: ... anudda bust ... utah ...

Post by AndyO'Connor »

Unless they have evidence that the rattlers were VERY recently wild caught, and know the exact locales in that hypothetical, isn't it illegal to release the rattlers? I didn't bother to look to see if Utah has a law about that, but even if not illegal, it's just not a good idea and I would hope that SOMEONE in the Division of Wildlife would know that. The snakes probably wouldn't survive, and would be a possible health risk to other wild snakes if he had any foreign diseases or anything in his collection...
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kricket
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Joined: July 7th, 2013, 2:19 pm
Location: Alexandria, VA

Re: ... anudda bust ... utah ...

Post by kricket »

Yeah, that's what I was going to say too - release the rattlers? That's really a terrible idea. I'd rather they stay in his house than be released. Especially since rattlers released outside of their territory tend to just head off in one direction for a long way and may end up DOR. Not to mention all the potential problems they could cause the wild population. Dumb. :?
Jimi
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Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Re: ... anudda bust ... utah ...

Post by Jimi »

isn't it illegal to release the rattlers
Why yes, as a matter of fact and of law, it is indeed. So there's no need to argue this point further. The sun rises in the east, and such releases would be illegal. Since the animals are in state possession...it ain't happening. Check please.

But look again at the story, at the source of the comment "probably will be released". Look who the "news source" isn't with. Follow me? Reporters will stick a mike in anyone's face. And they love - adore, worship, idolize - guys who say crazy things to the camera. There are no truth police, alright? Fast, cheap, or high-quality, you get 2 out of 3 on the best days. The 5 o'clock news is always fast and generally cheap. So.

The irony here is rich. Pungent, even. The "news source" mentioned above recently played a pivotal role in defeating a liberalization of rules which would have allowed this anonymous "gabby owner" to seek a permit, and thereby maybe not surprise the firemen with his clandestine collection of solenoglyphs. The pivotal role involved literally calling out the dog-catchers to complain in public meetings that such a permit system, if enacted, would endanger them and first responders such as these firemen. I argued (not with a camera in my face) that the dogcatchers had it all backwards, and that the exact-same thing their spokesmen feared was actually the situation they were upholding, and the situation they were fighting against would actually have provided them a measure of security. Oh the irony.

My very-most-favorite quote (available in video and print!) from this same "news source" in those days, arguing against effectively-regulated (vs ineffectively-banned...) hot-keeping was "face shots are usually lethal". Because, ya know, there are so many hot keepers out there, and so many of them get bit, and so many of those bites are to the face, and those "face shots" are usually fatal, and...Oh! The humanity!

Yes, the irony here is pungent. A real eye-burner, a real nose-runner. And so - we live with the consequences. Such is life. Grand? Oh yes. Sweet? Sometimes, for a while. Fair? Dream on.

Hey jerkies - don't take any face shots!
Dumb. :?
cheers,
Jimi
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