This one below is from the Los Angeles Times. In the article posted by the OP above, Sharon Harvey of the Cleveland Animal Protection League(APL) claims that the APL "rescued" these snakes and also stressed that "proper care needed for these snakes could not be met in a home."
However Chris Carmichael, the Associate Professor of Biology at the Malone University said regarding the snakes, "They're actually in really good shape." This doesn't sound like the snakes needed rescueing, as described by Sharon Harvey of the APL. Charmichal also says "...the APL doesn't have the space, equipment necessary to handle this many..." It's sounding even less like a "rescue" now, when the APL doesn't even have the ability to take care of these snakes. This is really horrible.
Apparently this action was instigated by a neighbor of the snakes owner. The neighbor, Carol Flannick claims her and her husband have been living in fear to the point that they can't sleep at night and "...one of us, me or my husband, is always up watching or looking." To be blunt this just sounds like a gross exaggeration. I find it very hard to believe that they are so afraid that they actually sleep in shifts with one of them always on duty looking out the window in fear lest one of the snakes escape. Ironically the article states that "luckily for the Malone University wildlife biology and zoology students who carried them out of the home in containers, these pythons are used to humans and relatively tame." Apparently the Flannick's fears were unfounded.
The article concludes with this statement from Flannick, "We're thrilled. We're hoping that now some of these neighbors with for sale signs will maybe reconsider and stay in the neighborhood. I have to take issue here with the newspaper article's author. Here is a statement that is total heresay by Flannick implying that several homeoners in the neighborhood felt so terrorized by these snakes that they were going to actually sell their homes and move away. If true, that would certainly be a newsworthy part of this article so why didn't the journalist include any statements from these neighbors who were supposedly fleeing the pythons? It should have been very easy to contact at least some of them. If any of them really were afraid of these pythons to the point that they were trying to sell their homes, you would think they would be eager to talk to a reporter. Especially in this real estate climate because the market is way down. I would think anybody who felt forced to sell their home in this market, probably taking a huge loss or at the very least selling for alot less than they had expected, would have plenty to say.
This is my favorite part of the article: "Pythons are constrictor snakes, meaning they squeeze their prey to death. They also have lots of sharp teeth." This quote would be laughable if the circumstances of this incident weren't so unfair for the pythons owner. "They also have lots of sharp teeth." Wow! I don't really have the words to express what a lame statement that is. To me it's indicitive of the caliber of research that went into this article. Meaning, basicly no research at all.
The real story is that the python's owner was apparently a law abiding citizen up until a few weeks ago, when the Governor of Ohio decided to act like a dictator and put in place a 90 day ordinance that made this owner and possibly hunders of others, criminals virtually overnight. The real story is that these pythons were in good health and apparently well taken care of, yet organizations like the Cleveland APL are allowed to present their agenda as fact when it is really nothing more than opinion and personal morality; I'm alluding here to APL's statement that pythons cannot be cared for in the home. The real story is that while it may be true that the neighbor's had a fear of snakes and that they do have some right to feel safe in their own homes, the other side of it is that the python owner also has feelings. Since the expert from the university admitted the pythons were in excellent health, it should be indicitive that their owner almost certainly loved and cared for his or hers pets and that this is probably going to have a profound effect on their being and state of mind. Not to mention the economic impact, which has ramifications for all citizens when one's valuable property can be confiscated due to a temporary law that was enacted virtually overnight. I want to know what the government is required to do in these cases, to inform people whose property comes into jeopardy under such actions. Is this not newsworthy, the government confiscating personal property? Or is it because it's a wierdo snake owner that makes it ok? No need to question things when it only affects wierdos, I guess.
Ok, done preaching to the choir.
http://www.latimes.com/wjw-pythons-removed-from-cleveland-home-txt,0,2345950.story
CLEVELAND — Python after python was carried out of a brick home on Westdale Avenue Saturday afternoon.
About 20 carnivorous snakes, as big as 15-feet long, were found in plastic crates. The Animal Protective League says the exotic snakes are illegal to have in Cleveland.
Neighbor Carol Flannick said she has been living in fear, knowing the snakes were right next door. "We can't sleep at night, one of us, me or my husband, is always up watching or looking," Flannick said.
Flannick said she's been telling authorities about the reptile den for years, but no one has done anything, until now. "We noticed there was an alligator a couple of years ago.
They bring them out in the yard with the snakes. That's when we really started noticing what was going on over there with the illegal animals and everything," Flannick said.
Sharon Harvey, executive director of the Cleveland APL, said it is illegal to keep dangerous exotic animals in the city limits without a permit, and no one at this home had one.
Harvey also said criminal charges could be filed, but could not give any details citing the on-going investigation.
Pythons are constrictor snakes, meaning they squeeze their prey to death. They also have lots of sharp teeth.
Luckily, for the Malone University wildlife biology and zoology students who carried them out of the home in containers, these pythons are used to humans and relatively tame.
"They're actually in really good shape," Associate Professor of Biology Chris Carmichael from Malone University said, adding the snakes will have a good home.
"It's enough snakes that a lot of zoos just don't have the space or APL doesn't have the space, equipment necessary to handle this many, but we have several large serpentariums so we use them for education," Carmichael said.
"We're thrilled. We're hoping that now some of these neighbors with for sale signs will maybe reconsider and stay in the neighborhood," Flannick said.
http://www.latimes.com/wjw-pythons-removed-from-cleveland-home-txt,0,2345950.story
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