we keep many species of venomous snakes at my wildlife museum (native and non native). I am also a private hobbyist who enjoys having his own collection and would hate to see individual rights banned in keeping herps (including venomous). There must be a process, however, that will weed out those who really shouldn't be keeping them. Like another post said, there are some wonderfully talented private keepers that I would hire in a heart beat...and...there are some (perhaps many) on this forum that truly scare the dickens out of me in knowing that they keep venomous species (and in close proximity to the general public). I for one would have some very serious problems having some of these folks as next door neighbors. Perhaps that seems a bit hypocritical but based on comments I have heard, these people shouldn't own a garter snake much less a venomous snake. But does that make all private keeper bad? Of course not. Like everything, you have a few bad apples that seem to get the most attention. Unfortunately, the bottom line is that someone died from getting bit by t heir "pet" venomous snake (who seemed to be a knowledgeable person) showing once again, the extreme risks one takes when working with these animals; doesn't matter if you are zookeeper or private hobbyist (there are equally qualified people in both sectors). Some regulation must exist though in order to allow the responsible people to continue enjoying their hobby.



Rob Carmichael, Curator

The Wildlife Discovery Center

Lake Forest, IL

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