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What a sell out...

Council to take action on ordinance prohibiting 'dangerous animals,' ball pythons

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. - The Bartlesville City Council will be
considering changing a city ordinance to allow a particular species of snake within Bartlesville city limits.

During the regular meeting scheduled for Tuesday night, the Bartlesville Police Department will present to the council an ordinance amending a section of the Bartlesville municipal code pertaining to dangerous animals to allow ball pythons within city limits.

Recently Bartlesville resident Josh Tucker, who breeds and sells the species of snake, approached the city council asking the city to no longer prohibit the keeping of ball pythons within city limits.

In a letter to the council, Tucker stated the particular species of snake is small compared to other constrictors and presents little if any threat to domestic animals and children.

The police department, having been requested by the council to check into the matter, researched the snake and found the species is not dangerous and “does not present a high threat level as a domestic pet,” according to a department letter to the city attorney.

The letter further states that research showed “that one of the only cities that prohibits dangerous animals, snakes and reptiles in particular is Tulsa, Oklahoma, and their ordinance does not prohibit pythons or boas.”

The police department stated in the letter it does not object to amending the ordinance.

www.kjrh.com/dpp/bartlesvillelive/council-to-take-action-on-ordinance-prohibiting-dangerous-animals,-ball-pythons1301936745374

It truly is a shame the politically correct Ball Python will be the only Pythonidae representative available before too long. When the Beanie Babies of Herpetoculture carry the day...
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

I couldn't agree more. As long as ball pythons remain legal, most herpers couldn't care less about the other species we won't be allowed to work with.

I count disagree more! Most herpers? and how do you know this?. Its not a matter of "being aloud to own what species" then its how many, "hoarding" "being insured" "being a special person" This is why we will loose! They got you! oh yes kind gov.we'll all be happy in our Ball Python Reptile world. Can we please have an Iguana. I dont think you'll find most herpers would like the gov.telling us what we can have and what we cant have. If your right "ITS OVER" except in the underground. Make no mistake it will go underground. Reptiles will be the new statis symble for gangs and other undesirables ready to get what ever you want. It will be easer to get an Endangered species! They dont care about no stinkin paper work. The government would loose all control. Everything would be from the wild because they wouldnt be captive breeding. That takes time, hard work and brains. Its "one small compromise here, one giant step backwards for mankind". VM

Several years ago Vernon COUNTY WI, outlawed possession of all snakes over 3 ft long, EXCEPT for Ball Pythons, and Boa Constrictors. This is an entirely rural county with several small towns. I had to wonder why those two species got exceptions, especially in a county that has three native species that get 4-6 ft. long-Fox, Black Rats, and Bull Snakes. Apparently an 8 ft. boa is less dangerous than an adult fox snake.

When I resided in Baraboo a few years ago, there was a similar ordinance on the books that specifically exempted ball pythons up to 4 feet, and red tailed boas up to 8 feet. All other snakes "not indigenous to Wisconsin" were prohibited. Unlike Vernon county, however, there were two local pet shops in the area that sold reptiles (that stocked/sold mostly these two species as far as snakes went), which may have had some input on the ordinance (but I do not know for certain if this was the case).

Therefore, I was able to keep "red tail boas" up to 8 feet, but I was not legally allowed to keep a carpet python or rainbow boa, for example, of any size.

And yet one of the pet stores still sells albino Burmese pythons to this day. Go figure...