HERALD-LEADER (Lexington, Kentucky) 25 August 08 Illegal trade imperils Kentucky snakes (Jim Warren)

They’re sleek and slithery, they hiss and rattle and sometimes they bite, and many people are scared to death of them.

Nevertheless, snakes are at the center of a growing illegal trade in Kentucky. It’s part of a worldwide black market in exotic and endangered wildlife that generates an estimated $10 billion a year, according to estimates by various wildlife and environmental groups.

Kentucky’s problem came to light last month, after the state Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources confiscated more than 125 venomous snakes — including some that are among the most dangerous species in the world — and charged 10 people with possessing, importing or trafficking in illegal reptiles.

The state sting followed an undercover investigation lasting nearly two years. It got considerable news coverage outside Kentucky, mainly because one of those arrested was the pastor of a Middlesboro church where a Tennessee woman was bitten by a rattlesnake during a service in 1995. She later died.

State officials say that the snake trade in Kentucky probably is fueled by people seeking venomous snakes for snake-handling as practiced in some rural churches.

But the overriding factor, experts say, is overly aggressive snake enthusiasts who are willing to skirt the law to acquire large, exotic or poisonous reptiles. Some compare it to the desire to own vicious dogs or the impulse to acquire rare art even if it’s stolen.

”There are people who keep snakes because they’re fascinated with them, and most of them do it responsibly,“ said Jim Harrison, an internationally known herpetologist and director of the Kentucky Reptile Zoo at Slade in Powell County.

”But there are a few people who want these snakes because they saw one on television, or they want to show off by having a dangerous snake. They’re a small minority,“ he said. But they make headlines ”because they get themselves bitten or they break the law.“

Harrison discounts suggestions that some of the illegal trade could be for collecting venom used in producing snakebite antidotes. Collecting and preparing venom can be done only by a few professional facilities such as his, he said.

Robert Milligan, law enforcement director for the state wildlife department, stresses that there’s also money to be made in illegally trafficking in snakes.

”They aren’t doing this just to have pets,“ Milligan said. ”There’s definitely a profit motive, because they can sell these animals for lots of money.

”What concerns us is that our ecosystem is so fragile that a wholesale, unrestricted commerce in snakes could drive some of these species into extinction.“

But the fact that a snake is endangered, or protected by law, doesn’t deter some collectors from paying hundreds or thousands of dollars to illegally possess one.

”We deal with people ... that are obsessed with having something, whether it’s the only one, the last one, or the rarest one,“ Kenny Kessler, a federal wildlife agent, told the Kansas University campus TV station last year.

Under Kentucky law, it is legal to capture and keep up to five of any species native to the state. Thus, one could legally catch and keep, say, five rattlesnakes, five copperheads and five cottonmouth moccasins.

It is illegal, however, to catch and sell native Kentucky snakes from the wild.

Captive-bred species can be purchased legally through pet stores or dealers. But dealers must have a state permit.

And certain species — such as highly venomous cobras, adders and sea snakes — are banned in Kentucky as ”inherently dangerous.“ The law exempts snakes owned by circuses, zoos and research facilities.

Although many of the snakes confiscated last month were prohibited species, many also were native to Kentucky. And wildlife officials say native snakes taken from the wild in Kentucky often do end up going to buyers in other states or countries, where they would be rarities.

Experts say that when laws protecting snakes and reptiles are violated, bad things can happen, both to the people involved and to the snakes themselves.

Harrison, who has been a consultant on Animal Planet and other television programs about snakes, notes that many snake species reach sexual maturity slowly, and reproduce only sporadically. Taking large numbers of them out of the wild literally could wipe out species in some areas, he said.

”That’s why we have laws that limit how many snakes you can take out of the wild,“ Harrison said. He noted that most species now can be bred in captivity, so there’s no need to remove snakes from the wild for commercial purposes.

Even when illegally caught wild snakes are rescued, they usually can’t be returned to their natural environment. That’s because they may have lost their natural instincts while in captivity, or they may have picked up infections that they could spread back to the wild.

Because of that, none of the snakes confiscated in last month’s Kentucky sting will ever be returned to nature. After a six-month quarantine, they’ll be distributed to accredited zoos or educational facilities, Harrison said.

Humans, too, can be at risk when wildlife laws are broken, because perpetrators often can’t or won’t take proper precautions, officials say.

Kentucky State Herpetologist John MacGregor noted that during the recent sting, officers confiscated a 5-foot cobra that was being kept in a living room terrarium, the container’s top held down by some rocks and duct tape.

And Harrison contends that many snakebite cases occur to owners who might have acquired venomous species outside the law and don’t know how to handle them safely.

”I consult on snakebites all over the country, and we get lots of calls after midnight,“ he said. ”That means the person was bitten an hour or two earlier. Why were they working the snake that late at night? Because they weren’t responsible keepers, and they weren’t smart enough to have their own snakebite antidote.“

Finally, Milligan said there’s another, practical law-enforcement reason for officers to go after the trade in snakes.

Very often, he said, people who traffic in snakes also engage in other illegal activities. For example, state officials have turned up cases of people dealing in snakes and drugs at the same time.

”Individuals who engage in this traffic almost always branch out into other illegal activities,“ he said.

Milligan said he hopes the recent sting will ”send a pretty good message“ and help deter illegal snake trafficking.

But Harrison said he fears the demand for venomous, exotic or endangered snakes will grow, encouraged in part by some shows now on TV that feature dramatic, action-filled encounters with dangerous reptiles.

”It’s just the idea of having one,“ he said. ”If it was the last one on Earth someone would want it just because they’d be able to say they have the last one on Earth.“

Trafficking case update

Ten people were arrested on misdemeanor charges of reptile trafficking in last month’s natural-resources sting. Here’s the status of those cases.

• Gregory James Coots, pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name in Middlesboro, pleaded guilty to multiple charges in Bell District Court and was fined $6,400 and placed on two years’ probation. He also pleaded guilty to similar charges in Laurel District Court and received a fine of $1,500, which was suspended.

• Brian Fryer of Berea entered a guilty plea in Madison District Court and was fined $4,840. An additional $2,840 was probated, with a directive that Fryer have no more involvement with wildlife.

• Jerrod Allen of Berea received a $1,000 fine and two years’ probation after pleading guilty in Madison District Court.

• Michael Peterson of Florence was fined $1,050 after pleading guilty to charges in Boone District Court.

• John Rowland of ­Madison County pleaded guilty in Madison District Court and was fined $1,053, with all but $700 probated.

• Joel Rowland of Madison County pleaded guilty in Madison District Court and was fined $1,053, with all but $700 probated.

• Verlin Ray Short of Mayking; Ricky Johnson and Zacharia Johnson, both of Evarts; and Roger Leo Day of Harlan County all are awaiting court appearances.
Illegal trade imperils KY snakes

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