Reptile & Amphibian Forums

DAILY MAIL (Charleston, W Virginia) 17 June 10 Missing python drama inspires exotic animal ordinance (Jared Hunt)
Ravenswood, W.Va.: A missing python, loose in the city of Ravenswood for three weeks earlier this year, has led city leaders to formulate a new ordinance restricting ownership of exotic animals within city limits.
At their regular meeting Tuesday night, city council members conducted the first reading of an ordinance that prohibits ownership of any exotic animals without first obtaining a license or permit and paying a fee to the city.
The new ordinance follows a three-week ordeal that began in May when town resident Ty Donohew discovered his nine-foot python had gone missing from his Gallatin Street home.
Despite assurances that the snake wouldn't fatally attack people or pets, surrounding residents were left on edge and fearful.
"Until we found it, it was awful," Mayor Lucy Harbert said of the saga.
In the end, the snake was found underneath a neighbor's house, having apparently succumbed to cold overnight temperatures within a few days of going missing.
Harbert said the new resolution came to be after residents reported Donohew purchased a new pet snake.
Missing python drama inspires exotic animal ordinance

You mean to tell me, the python actually died from the cold? How could that be? And no one was harmed or injured? Incredible!
jsc
-----
"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

My thoughts exactly.

On the other hand, I hope he spent time and money to fix why the python got out in the first place!

It's scary how one incident can cause so much hysteria and pr damage.
-----
Tim Cole
www.austinherpsociety.org
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<
Conservation through Education

>>
>>It's scary how one incident can cause so much hysteria and pr damage.

Amazing, isn't it? If anything, this incident shows that pythons are NOT dangerous. But of course, instead of our so-called leaders rationally trying to calm and dispel irrational fear, they feed off of it out of their own ignorance and/or self interest.

Don't people in India live every day with pythons, cobras (and other highly venomous snakes) all around? How is it possible its population is over a billion if snakes are so dangerous?

Wasn't Maryland the northern part of that dude's global warming/python range? I seem to recall a friend of mine from that region telling this joke all the time.
He said Maryland was getting a new zoo, they were putting a fence around West Virginia.

Thank god they passed that law now no more exotic animals will be found in the wild.

Yes and if they like I have a rock that will keep tigers away!!
-----
"We don't inherate the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children"

I live in this area and it got below freezing for a whole week at night which was weird for that time of year and thats what probally killed his first snake, people in the area need to show up on july 6th at the city hall meeting to voice their disapproval of this ridicolous fee/ordinance, even if you don't like snakes this is big government trying to control little people, whats next ? no gun ownership in city limits ? if one python a year escapes and kills animals and people then ban them? but that will never happen, I don't know ty donuhue but man seems like a witch hunt against his hobby of snakes, can someone not make a mistake in ravenswood and be given a second chance ? it's not like he released his first snake on purpose, this is weird ordinance, I researched online and about 10 times more americans a year die of bee stings than "venomous snake bite" python proabally 1,000 times more rare. like the woodstock era song, "come together, right now" peoeple need to show up 100 strong against this ordiance I bet only a dozen or so old rich rav. residents are the complainers in which the mayor is the same age, that ty guy is being labeled a mothman ! p.s. type in "python ravenswood,wv" for the story of ty's first snake that includes his phone number he loves phone calls about this