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SC-Deadly Cargo: Special Investigative Report
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by tigers9 on May 7, 2009
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Video on link
Z
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http://www.live5news.com/Global/story.asp?S=10322811
Deadly Cargo: Special Investigative Report
Posted: May 7, 2009 12:23 PM PDT
Updated: May 7, 2009 12:55 PM PDT
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Deadly Cargo
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RAW: Interview with ER doctor
11:37
RAW: Interview with snake expert
5:15
RAW: Meeting the viper
0:56
RAW: Gaboon viper eating (GRAPHIC)
3:21
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By Trey Paul - bio | email
MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - There is no law in South Carolina that makes it illegal for you to own any type of exotic animal, but how easy is it to get a deadly snake shipped right to you?
WMBF News decided to find out. We had one of the world's deadliest snakes shipped into the Myrtle Beach International Airport.
For about half a day, WMBF News Anchor Trey Paul actually owned one of the world's most venomous snakes: a gaboon viper. They have the largest fangs of any snake and some of the most venom.
All we had to do was go online. We found a website that gave us access to dozens of venomous snakes that were for sale around the world.
We picked a snake, agreed on a price of $120, gave a credit card, and that was it. No one asked an age or about experience.
We had our snake delivered to the Myrtle Beach International Airport and we went inside with hidden cameras to pick it up.
We were told it would be shipped on a Delta Cargo plane, but after talking with one of the clerks at the counter, we learned our snake, which was packaged in a box, was actually shipped on a passenger plane inside of a cargo area.
"He's all the way in the back, but if a bag were to come down and bust it open or something like that, and it gets out, then what?" asked the Delta clerk.
We didn't want to open our snake in a box on our own, so we met with a local snake expert to help us out.
"A gaboon can kill a person and is potentially fatal," said Ken Alfieri. "[It's] way more dangerous than our copperheads or cottonmouths. It's not an animal you want to get bit by and end up in the hospital with."
Alfieri is a herpetologist and is trained to handle these types of snakes. We asked him what he thought about how easy it was for us to get this snake.
"I'm sad they didn't ask your age," he commented. "That should be a requirement. Most people know what they're getting into and know what they're dealing with. It's certainly not for the beginner or novice. You hope it doesn't end up in the wrong hands."
According to a study done by researchers at the University of Florida, there are 7,000 venomous snake bites per year in the United States, 15 of which are fatal.
"If you look across the United States, nobody's ever been hurt by somebody else's venomous snake," Alfieri noted. "It's never happened in the keeping of the whole trade."
We found a 911 call from an Ohio man who was found dead after his "pet" boa constrictor wrapped around his head, and another case in 2002 in South Carolina when an 8-year old boy was bitten on the leg by his father's "pet" tiger. In Myrtle Beach, a man was cited for keeping a hyena in his backyard inside of a chain linked fence.
Dr. Jarratt Lark, an ER physician with the Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, told us that the third ever reported case of a king cobra bite also happened in Myrtle Beach.
Lark didn't treat that patient, but he did tell us that treating a venomous snake bite is not easy, especially if it's from another country, like the West African gaboon viper we purchased.
"It's kind of a chain of communication where I'd have to go down through this chain of communication, identify the venom needed, find out where the venom was, and then arrange to have the venom transferred here," Lark explained.
The federal government leaves it up to individual states and cities to decide if you can buy and keep an exotic animal. South Carolina law says you can.
"Conceivably, you could probably get a lion shipped here," says State Rep. Thad Viers (R-Horry County).
We showed Viers what we did and he called it "disturbing."
A Senate bill was introduced that would ban exotic animals, but we're told since the committee chair wasn't briefed on it, it was killed.
"Without going into the merits of why, it just seemed like it was a superficial reason why the bill did not move forward," Viers said.
South Carolina is one of nine states where you can do what we did, and our investigation proves it can happen.
Since the issue doesn't seem to be getting anywhere inside the Statehouse, Viers says he's taking a different approach. He says since the State of South Carolina gives the Department of Natural Resources the authority to regulate these types of animals, he's talking with officials about requiring training or age certification.
He says this way is a lot quicker.
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RE: SC-Deadly Cargo: Special Investigative Report
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by Cro on May 7, 2009
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"It's kind of a chain of communication where I'd have to go down through this chain of communication, identify the venom needed, find out where the venom was, and then arrange to have the venom transferred here," Lark explained.
This Dr. Lark does not sound like the person I would want treating a venomous bite. Especially, if he is looking for "venom" to treat the bite with !
Perhaps he meant to say Antivenom ?
And whats up with the 3rd King Cobra bite thing ?
Me thinks there have been a few more recorded than that.
At least, Ken Alfieri was there to hopefully give some balance to the obviously biased reporting !
I wish they had stated what nitwhit dealer they bought the Gaboon from. If they did not bother to ask any questions of the purchaser, like age and experience level, then they are working for money, and not the welfare of the animals they are selling, or the welfare of the persons purchasing the snakes. Dealers like that will be the ruin of this hobby.
You folks in SC better keep on your toes. Choose some strong leaders. They are gunning for you !
Best Regards
John Z
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RE: SC-Deadly Cargo: Special Investigative Report
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by Cro on May 7, 2009
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Just watched the 3 videos on the news site.
Again, Ken Alfieri did a super job of answering the reporters questions.
The reporter, who obviously had a anti-exotic animal agend, kept bringing up things like some nitwhit who was keeping a pet hyena, and someone else who was keeping a tiger that bit a kid at Myrtle Beach.
What does that have to do with venomous snakes ? If you want to outlaw dangerous animals, then outlaw those critters.
The videos clearly show the name of a Exotic Reptile dealer in Florida who sold the Gaboon to the reporter.
I will not mention the name of the outfit, however, hopefully, in the future, those folks will ask more questions about experience level and age, before they ship off a venomous snake to someone.
Note that shipping a venomous snake to South Carolina is NOT illegal. However, it would just be nice if the dealers would try to determine if the person buying the snake was experienced with venomous reptiles, before they shipped it off.
Best Regards
John Z
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RE: SC-Deadly Cargo: Special Investigative Report
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by tigers9 on May 7, 2009
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Cro wrote<<keeping a pet hyena, and someone else who was keeping a tiger that bit a kid at Myrtle Beach.
What does that have to do with venomous snakes ? If you want to outlaw dangerous animals, then outlaw those critters.
>>
The hyena did nothing wrong, the owner just didn't have proper permit. The kid bitten by tiger was a family member, i think son of owner, so again, not random public.This is not about dangerous animals, we all know the statistics, this is about AR propaganda being presented as public safety issue. No need to ban any exotic species/critters.
I noticed they mentioned 7000 venomosu bites, forgetting to clarify that most are wild snakes biting people, NOT captive pets.
Z
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by Cro on May 7, 2009
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I know Zuzana. Still, I have a lot more of a problem with a large mammal pet that goes roaming if it gets loose, compared to a snake, which will likely not go roaming neighborhoods.
Just today, a Chimp got loose from the Yerkes Regional Primate Center here in Atlanta. Those folks are supposed to be the experts, and still, they had a excape. If it had been a adult male chimp, it could have killed a number of folks before it was captured.
Also, who knows what kind of simian / human virus that chimp was carrying ? Ebola ? Hunta ? Bubonic Plague ?
If the professionals can not keep their animals captive, then what business does the public have owning a animal like that.
This is a tough call for me Zuzana. YOU live in the middle of the Nevada desert. If one of your pet cats get out, it probably will do no harm. If someone in the neighborhood next to me has a pet tiger get out, it is likely to kill a few folks before it is shot.
And what the heck does anyone need a pet hyena for ?
My neighbors have donkeys, goats, chickens, lambs, dogs, cats, geese, rabbits, Vietminese pigs, etc.
Is there any reason that they should be able to keep a African Hyena or say a Cheeta, or a Chimp for a pet ?
I just have a bit of a problem with pets that have to potential to kill or injure a large number of folks.
Best Regards
John Z
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by tigers9 on May 7, 2009
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I understand cro, but think about it this way.Yes, I live in the middle 0f the desert. But Las Vegas is full of big cats, yet, no tourists or residents have aver been hurt or killed by bug cat here, and we r talking millions and millions of people (mostly losers if the gamble) going thru town. The injured parties are owners trainers, such as Roy, but not the public. Roy is till alive after the tiger incident, yet Danny Gans just died in his bed few days, ago, cause of death is still not known, but it was NIOT a tiger attack, we can eliminate that.
As for predator mammalian pets, (hyena, tiger) I think more people would understand that than having a snake pet, even if non venomous, the cuddly factor ;-)
I had many kinds o f pets and still do, as multispecies owner/handler I can understand all different angles. I used to help with training/riding steeple chase horses as a teenager, I had bull and cows on my property in WA before I moved to NV, I started as reptile owners and still have all kinds (snake, lizards, chelonians)…plus mammals, but seems like some herp owners don’t get the hyena attraction and some mammal owners don’t get reptile attraction.
It is about freedoms, let others choose their pet even if t is not the one for you. :)
Z
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RE: SC-Deadly Cargo: Special Investigative Report
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by tigers9 on May 7, 2009
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PS: escaped captive non AZA big cat never killed anybody in the USA, the SF zoo incident cat was out of the cage but still on ZOO propepty, so still technically not at large.Just like with hots, the killed people (by big cats) are owners, not general public.
Few years back a tiger from USDA facility was at large for 3 weeks in CA , killed nobody, not even animal, when shot and necropsied, his stomach was empty. Captiev cats don't know how to hunt, since in the wild mom teaches them that.
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by Chance on May 8, 2009
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Dangerous animals can be kept safely if the owner follows the proper protocol. There are private keepers out there who keep elephants, hippos, etc., and you never hear about those things going nuts and rampaging through a town. That only happens at the circus right? The reason is probably because people who buy those animals spend tends of thousands of dollars on them, therefore they probably know a good deal about their proper husbandry and what it takes to keep them contained and contented. Unfortunately big cats are a bit cheaper, but still the vast majority of keepers are very knowledgeable. It's just the few idiots keeping a tiger in an apartment that get all the news, just like with our hobby it's the people who do stupid things with their hots that make the news.
The only group of animals I do personally take issue with keeping in private hands would be primates. Now if this makes me a hypocrite compared to my first paragraph, then so be it. I know there are dedicated private primate keepers out there and I commend them. But I think primates need to be regulated to the same extent, or greater, as that of raptors. You simply cannot take an animal that's damn near sentient and let just anyone keep it in a cage. I shudder to think at all the 'zoological' type facilities (roadside type zoos, not AZA) where I've seen monkeys in tiny cages that look at you with genuine sadness. Hell, there's a drive through place here in Arkansas at which I passed no less than 3 or 4 cages just PACKED with baboons! I also know of at least one broker here in the state who will sell a monkey to anyone with the cash to buy it. Fortunately, they aren't cheap. Unfortunately, they're WAY more of a handful than about 99% of the people who ever even contemplate owning them realize.
I'm not advocating that all primates be banned from captivity, but I think there should be some strict federal guidelines (to supersede state laws) to force prospective keepers to demonstrate their knowledge and commitment before bringing home a new pet primate.
Maybe it's the close relative thing? I'm not sure.
Of course the same thing can be, and has been, said about our hobby. Have some sort of country wide guidelines by which to judge the competence of someone wishing to keep venomous snakes. That's probably a good idea too! But I think even suggesting it would more likely result in a ban than regulations.
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by brandonsthaman on May 8, 2009
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Maybe everyone should email ERJ and let them know that their screening process for Venomous orders isn't quite up to par...
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by najasuphan on May 8, 2009
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My opinion is that these idiots who sell these snakes to people without asking anything about the buyer should be, at the very least, blacklisted amongst the reptile community. They should not be allowed to advertise their animals on any of the sites either, in my opinion. I'm not going to mention the name of the seller, but it is in the video. I know for certain that I will never send one cent to them or ever recommend them to anyone. This is the second news story in the last year or so where some reporter buys a venomous snake no questions asked; I think the other was somewhere out west and involved an Egyptian cobra. -Jamie
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