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Arlington rattles on about snake ban-VA
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by tigers9 on April 25, 2008
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Arlington rattles on about snake ban
April 23, 2008 - 9:03am
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Arlington County is considering banning the ownership of poisonous snakes.
The county's environmental health bureau chief says there is no existing code against venomous snakes as long as they are contained and kept in a way that doesn't endanger the public.
The issue came to officials' attention when Arlington County police and animal control officers responded to a report of several venomous snakes in a single-family home.
Fairfax and Prince William counties and the city of Falls Church have passed laws banning wild, exotic or vicious animals, including venomous snakes. Alexandria and Arlington have no such laws.
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Information from: The Washington Examiner, http://www.examiner.com
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=726&sid=1392023
http://www.sungazette.net/articles/2008/04/23/arlington/news/nws124a.txt
C. Board to Consider Narrow Prohibition on Snakes as Pets
by SCOTT McCAFFREY, Staff Writer
(Created: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 7:18 AM EDT)
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County Board members on April 22 started a process that could see poisonous snakes outlawed as pets across Arlington by summer.
But, at the same time, board members backed away from a broader ban on owning exotic or potentially dangerous pets, saying more study was needed.
Board members voted 5-0 set a May public hearing on changes to the county code to outlaw venomous pets as snakes.
“In our urban environment, venomous snakes, venomous reptiles are not appropriate,” County Board Ron Carlee told board members.
If the ban is enacted in May - as appears likely - owners of such pets would have at least 30 days, perhaps more, to find new homes for them.
The prohibition also would apply to poisonous reptiles other than snakes, such as gila monsters, but county officials say there is no evidence any such reptiles are being kept as pets in the county.
Under the legal language to be considered next month, possession of a poisonous snake or reptile would be considered a misdemeanor offense, but individuals could be charged with separate counts every day an animal is kept in violation of the adopted ordinance.
County Board members balked at advertising initial staff language that proposed an additional ban on “dangerous” but non-poisonous snakes. Such a ban would have applied to boa constrictors and pythons, among others.
Carlee agreed that limiting the scope of the ordinance to venomous snakes and reptiles was reasonable, for the time being.
“We don't have a clear definition of what 'dangerous' is,” he said.
The proposal to ban venomous reptiles was fast-tracked after one homeowner was found to have a large number of poisonous snakes, including two that escaped from the home and were in the neighborhood for some time.
How effectively a ban on snakes could be enforced remains to be seen. County officials would need probable cause and a search warrant in order to enter private property to see if snakes were being kept.
While the current proposal looks only at snakes and reptiles, Carlee said he is eager to hold conversations with his counterparts across Northern Virginia, in hopes of setting uniform standards on dangerous animals as pets.
Currently, some localities have no restrictions at all, while others have enacted stringent restrictions.
“We have a real patchwork of laws in Northern Virginia,” Carlee said.
(And a quirky patchword, it is: Fairfax bans ownership of monkeys, panthers and crocodiles, while Prince William bans owning pet bears and groundhogs, among others, Arlington officials said.)
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RE: Arlington rattles on about snake ban-VA
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by Cro on April 26, 2008
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"The proposal to ban venomous reptiles was fast-tracked after one homeowner was found to have a large number of poisonous snakes, including two that escaped from the home and were in the neighborhood for some time."
All it takes is one nitwhit to create something like this that changes the laws for a whole town.
If you are going to keep venomous snakes you have the obligation of keeping them in EXCAPE PROOF cages.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Arlington rattles on about snake ban-VA
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by tigers9 on April 26, 2008
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Please note it was Virginia Glocester county with that suspicious ferdelance in wal mart prank call and Arlington county, VA, that had that suspicious snake in coach's suitcase bite few weeks ago, anybody from Virginia or vicinity here that might want to help on educating the commissioners before the damage is done, beytter be on offense than defense.
Z
http://www.nbc4.com/news/15692929/detail.html
nbc4.com
Man Bitten By Snake Found In Suitcase Released From Hospital
POSTED: 1:55 pm EDT March 24, 2008
UPDATED: 2:04 pm EDT March 25, 2008
ARLINGTON, Va. -- A man has been treated and released from the hospital after a snake he found in his suitcase bit the palm of his hand, authorities said.
Andy Bacas was released from Inova Fairfax Hospital Tuesday morning. Doctors said he should make a full recovery.
Arlington County Fire and Rescue was called to the 3400 block of North Venice Street on Monday because of a snake bite. Fire and Rescue and animal control neutralized the snake and removed it from the scene. A fire extinguisher was used to freeze the snake.
Bacas, an Arlington County Public Schools coach, was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital in fair condition.
Bacas had just returned from a bus trip to a camp in South Carolina with the Yorktown High School boys' crew team he coaches, and the snake was in his suitcase when he opened it.
Arlington County naturalists positively identified the snake as a juvenile canebrake rattlesnake. The snakes are common in South Carolina but not in Virginia, where they are an endangered species.
Related: Watch The Report
"It does not belong here," said Arlington County senior naturalist Greg Zell. "It's not its natural habitat. They do occur in Virginia, but only in the southeast corner of Virginia."
Bacas' high school crew team spoke out about what happened to its coach.
"Those bags might have been outside for an hour," crew coach Drew Thiemann said. "I don't think it was even that long. I can only imagine that that's when that happened. Some snake came out of the woods or came out of the rocks and slithered into his bag."
"That's just something where it's one in a million chance," crew member James Herring said. "You're just unlucky."
Crew practice was canceled on Monday afternoon when the team learned of the accident.
"What we were told to do if we find a snake, just back up, not too fast," crew member Laus Schmidt-Rose said. "Leave the room and get someone to help you."
Wildlife experts said the snake was most likely seeking warmth when it slithered into Bacas' bag.
Animal control used a fire extinguisher to freeze the snake, which killed it.
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RE: Arlington rattles on about snake ban-VA
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by BigBend66 on April 27, 2008
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I am in Va and have a collection of about 50 venomous give or take a few. I have an exibiters permit so do you think I would be grand fathered in?? Your talking about $10,000 worth of snakes just to have to find a new home for....
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RE: Arlington rattles on about snake ban-VA
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by Phobos on April 27, 2008
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Let me tell you what has occurred here. I will not name who did this but the "tip/complaint" came into the Arlington authorities from someone in the Herp community who has a "bone" to pick with the homeowner involved. I will say there was never any escapes from either their cages nor home that I know of personally. If I can get real evidence on the person, then I will post details.
Just goes to show you how "disfunctional" the members of this community really are.
Al
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RE: Arlington rattles on about snake ban-VA
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by tigers9 on April 27, 2008
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BigBend66, Some laws grandfather if you if comply with new caging requirements, etc…some new laws just give you few days to months to get rid of your animals. It depends, you have better chance of getting grandfathered (if the bill doesn’t get killed) if you get involved and therefore try to influence the wording of the new proposed regulations.
Many people have been heartbroken when new laws forced them to give up their beloved sugar gliders exotic cats, monkeys, etc…then some AR and sanctuaries/scamstuaries scream they r full, but often the reason they r full is that they themselves push for these bans in the 1st place, (plus buy their own pets and ask public to support their private colesctions), anyway, where r the suddenly illegal animals supposed to go???
Al, I think the whole animal community is disfunctional, not just venomous, full of egos, estrogen drama queens and jealousy.
We r doomed (unless a miracle happens and brain transplant or at least common sense techiques r discovered soon)
Z
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RE: Arlington rattles on about snake ban-VA
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by tigers9 on May 2, 2008
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http://www.sungazette.net/articles/2008/04/24/staff_blogs/editors_notebook/bloga109k.txt
Should Snakes Be Banned?
(Created: Thursday, April 24, 2008 6:02 AM EDT)
My parents live on the west coast of Florida, an area that holds two distinctions: more lightning strikes than just about any other place on the planet (one whacked all the electronics in their house last year) and more snakes per acre than just about anyplace.
And some of those snakes are poisonous.
Honestly, I've rarely seen snakes around the neighborhood there. Most snakes are smart enough to try and stay out of the way of humans; if only most humans had as much sense, each side would be better off.
When I do see them, it's usually during my perennial trip to the classic and a bit kitschy Jungle Gardens in Bradenton. (If you're down there, I definitely recommend a stop.)
The Arlington County Board on Tuesday responded to concerns from one neighborhood in the county, and began consideration of a new ordinance to ban venomous snakes as pets.
It seems reasonable, although I think it would be patently unfair not to "grandfather" in the current pet snakes of law-abiding residents who have done nothing wrong. County officials, whipped to near hysteria by the neighborhood where some snakes got loose, appear unwilling to go that route, however.
Board members were right to rein in county staff, which wanted to hold a hearing on banning both venomous and "dangerous" snakes.
Board members struck that "dangerous" part, and for good reason -- how exactly would you define it? And, if dangerous snakes could be banned, what about all the other "dangerous" animals? Who's to decide?
Frankly, I consider Al Gore pretty dangerous -- can we get him banned from Arlington? And, as a kid, I had a guinea pig who didn't always play well with others -- would it have been banned?
(County Board member Jay Fisette noted that Fairfax County does prohibit certain animals and reptiles -- including pet crocodiles, monkeys and panthers. Guess I won't be moving back to Fairfax any time soon!)
So, County Board members, if you grandfather in existing snakes (say, two per household) and enact rules that provide penalties for homeowners who let those snakes escape, you'd have better legislation. Because, honestly, if I owned a snake that suddenly was banned, I'd keep my mouth shut and never let the government know. And I think most pet owners would feel the same way if the government suddenly started telling them they'd have to get rid of their pets.
Why make law-breakers out of people, when you don't have to?
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