The recent discovery of a 3- to 5-foot-long ball python on-island spurred an investigation into live snakes being illegally imported to Guam.

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The Guam Department of Agriculture's Conservation Officers, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have confiscated a number of live snakes and plans to charge individuals involved in their importation, according to a news release from the agriculture agency. Those convicted can face fines and up to a year in jail.



While some parts of the United States allow pet snakes, Guam doesn't, said agriculture department Director Paul Bassler.



The importation of any live animal to Guam requires a permit from the Department of Agriculture and some species are prohibited because they could be dangerous to the environment, the release states.



"We don't want them to be prolific in the wild -- we would have nothing to stop that, they have no predators here," Bassler said. "This is something that you have to catch early and keep aware of."



The joint investigation started with a tip about a month ago that a ball python, a nonvenomous type of snake that can grow up to six feet long, was brought into the island illegally, Bassler said. He added that the agency is asking for the public's help to find more animals smuggled into the island.



"We're looking for other illegal animals as well," Bassler said. "It would help if they let us know before we found them on our own."

http://www.guampdn.com/article/20090331/NEWS01/903310304/1002

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• DA probes illegal import of animals - EricWI, Mon Mar 30 23:30:10 2009