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More exotic snakes seized in Longview

By Tony Lystra / The Daily News The Daily News Online | Posted: Monday, September 5, 2011 11:50 pm

An animal control officer seized two large boa constrictors from a Longview apartment Monday, saying the snakes posed a danger to a 5-year-old boy who lived there.

Mike Nicholson, an animal control officer with the Cowlitz County Humane Society, said it was the fourth time this year that he has taken exotic reptiles away from their owners. Already this year he's seized a rattle snake, an anaconda and an alligator.

In addition to the two snakes seized Monday, Nicholson said he had been on a separate call earlier in the day searching for a missing 4-foot ball python. That snake, which escaped from a home in the in the 200 block of 22nd Avenue in Longview, has been missing for two days and still hadn't been found as of Monday evening, Nicholson said.

Nicholson said local residents are ordering the snakes online. Each of the reptile owners have been men in their 20s or early 30s, he said. He compared the trend to the popularity of pit-bulls in recent years.

Nicholson said animal control officers are cracking down on unpermitted exotic snakes because they're a threat to the public.

"I can't have a snake getting loose and killing a child," he said.

The city requires people to register exotic animals, including snakes that can grow to 10 feet or more, Nicholson said. People who don't register their snakes could find them confiscated and face citations and fines, he said.

"If you just keep these animals and hide them, we're going to take them," Nicholson said.

Nicholson said he visited an apartment at 33rd Avenue and Dorothy Street around 1 p.m. Monday where a man kept a 7-foot albino red-tailed boa constrictor as well as a 6-foot red-tailed boa constrictor.

He said the snakes, which wrap around their prey and squeeze, were kept in an aquarium in an upstairs bedroom. The owner had no locks on the enclosure, Nicholson said, adding that he feared the 5-year-old boy who lives at the apartment could have turned the snakes loose or the snakes could have escaped and turned on the child.

"These things can grow to up to 15 feet," Nicholson said. "I believe that boy was at risk."

To register or report an exotic animal, call the Humane Society's animal control division at (360) 577-0151.

http://tdn.com/news/local/article_b36aa82e-d832-11e0-afcf-001cc4c002e0.html

http://www.kval.com/news/local/129318763.html

Big snakes latest dangerous pet craze
By The Longview Daily News and KATU.com Published: Sep 6, 2011 at 11:39 AM PDT

LONGVIEW, Wash. - A new pet trend put a child at risk, Longview animal control officials said in a story published by the Daily News.

On Monday, animal control officers took two large Boa Constrictor snakes out of a home where a 5-year-old child lived.

Officers said the snake's owner did not have an exotic pet license and the child was at risk.

According to animal control officials, they are seeing a rise in the reports of snakes being kept as pets by young men who they say would have kept pit bull terriers in the past.

Mike Nicholson, an animal control officer with the Cowlitz County Humane Society, said it was the fourth time this year that he has taken exotic reptiles away from their owners, according to the newspaper.

Nicholson said the reptiles are available for purchase online

This is a prime example of outright governmental theft and corruption. No one's animals are safe...

Taken were two 6-foot red tail boa constrictors, two 8-foot carpet pythons and three ball pythons.

and

A Longview exotic animals ordinance requires owners of snakes capable of growing as long as 10 feet or more to register them with the Humane Society

and

There's no indication the snake was ever outside the residence, but Nicholson seized it anyway

Humane Society's snake roundup continues; seven more seized

Read more: http://tdn.com/news/local/article_e4b43002-d90a-11e0-b207-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1XJoZzU1N

By Tuesday, the Cowlitz County Humane Society, usually home to fuzzy cats and dogs, was virtually overrun with scaly, slithering snakes.

There are nine of them in all, curled up in plastic and glass enclosures, some of which have been quickly assembled by the facility's maintenance man.

"We've got too many," said Mike Nicholson, the Humane Society's animal control supervisor. "We're not set up for this many snakes."

Nicholson seized seven of the snakes Tuesday because, he said, their owner didn't have permits for them. Taken were two 6-foot red tail boa constrictors, two 8-foot carpet pythons and three ball pythons.

"It was like a full-on raid," said the snakes' owner, Robert Winningham, 33, of Longview. "It's pretty frustrating."

It was the second day in a row that Nicholson impounded snakes kept by Longview residents. On Monday, Nicholson seized a 7-foot albino red-tailed boa constrictor as well as a 6-foot red-tailed boa from an apartment at 33rd Avenue and Dorothy Street.

Throughout the year, Nicholson has found himself facing an increasing number of stray and illegal snakes, most of them owned by people living in Longview's Highlands neighborhood. Earlier this year he seized a rattlesnake as well as an anaconda.

On Monday, one of the big snakes, which are intimidating but not venomous, escaped and struck at Nicholson as he tried to move it.

"I hate them," Nicholson said. "I don't even like being around them."

A Longview exotic animals ordinance requires owners of snakes capable of growing as long as 10 feet or more to register them with the Humane Society, Nicholson said. He said he's finding so many unregistered snakes that he's decided to start confiscating them.

The Humane Society already has more tips about illegal snakes and plans to seize more, he said.

"We're not giving them back," Nicholson said, adding that large snakes can pose a public safety risk.

He said he has been giving the snakes to professional reptile handlers, but he isn't sure what the Humane Society will do with the nine currently in its care.

"I'm not sure if we'll send them off with some licensed person or put them down," Nicholson said.

The snakes' owners, largely men in their 20s and 30s, are ordering the animals online, Nicholson said. He said he hasn't figured out what's driving the trend.

"It's a hobby that kind of increases over time," said Winningham, who owned the seven snakes seized Tuesday. "You get more and more into it."

Winningham, who lives in the 200 block of 22nd Avenue, said he had been providing his carpet pythons to a photographer friend who had been draping them over nude female models.

He said he has owned as many as 38 snakes at one time. Following Tuesday's seizures, Winningham said he now has about 11 smaller snakes, none of which were big enough to violate the city's ordnance.

What's most frustrating, Winningham said, is that he was trying to follow the law. He said he spoke with Nicholson months ago about what kind of snakes he should own and never realized he had to register them. He also said he called the Humane Society this week after one of his snakes, 4-foot ball python, escaped its enclosure. He said he simply wanted to be conscientious and alert authorities. But that call led the Humane Society to take seven of his snakes, he said.

The python was found Tuesday, a few days after being reported missing, in the room where it was kept. There's no indication the snake was ever outside the residence, but Nicholson seized it anyway, Winningham said.

Matt Bennett, the manager of Pet Works in downtown Longview, said his store sells mostly smaller corn snakes, milk snakes and ball pythons. The store, at 1257 Commerce Ave, sometimes sells red tail boas that can reach 9 feet, Bennett said.

Bennett said he wasn't aware of the Longview ordinance requiring snakes of 10 feet or more to be registered. Still, he said the city should consider banning snakes that grow to about that size.

"People don't think when it comes to purchasing something like that - when somebody gets something that's going to get big enough to kill them," Bennett said. "I would say probably over the 10-foot mark you'd probably be looking at some trouble if it ever gets out."
tdn.com/news/local/article_e4b43002-d90a-11e0-b207-001cc4c002e0.html

"I hate them," Nicholson said. "I don't even like being around them."

And how is it that this lunatics personal snake hating agenda and his bias allow him to be a pet Nazi? There is validity in any of this...

Hello, I am Robert Winningham, I had my snakes stolen from my home yesterday. I just want to thank everyone who is behind me on this,

I did manage to get the 3 ball pythons back today but it cost me $120 in fees to get them back. My 2 "8 foot" jungle carpet pythons are retired breeders and are as big as they will ever get. but because coastal carpet pythons can get 10 ft they took mine. As for my 2 red tail boas, they were about 6 ft and I can now see how since they can violate the city ordinance by reaching 15 ft, not even 2 months ago when Officer Nicholsen seized a 4 ft green anaconda a few blocks away, he let the owner get his red tail boa and Burmese python back. so this along with local pet stores still selling red tailed boas sends mixed signals.... so if anyone knows an attorney that would want to get involved please speak up, I would love to see what my options are.

I am sorry you are going through this & that he is going after you and your animals I wish I had more to offer, but hopefully some others on this list will.

I would like to see any Boa constrictor subspecies attain lengths of 15 feet...

update: not only have I gotten my ball pythons back (with paying registration and impound fees) but today after proving that my jungle carpet pythons are not going to get over 10 ft those were also returned (with no registration or fees). so out of 7 snakes taken, in 2 days I have fought and gotten back 5 of them.

"update: not only have I gotten my ball pythons back (with paying registration and impound fees) but today after proving that my jungle carpet pythons are not going to get over 10 ft those were also returned (with no registration or fees). so out of 7 snakes taken, in 2 days I have fought and gotten back 5 of them."

Good for you!

If more people would spend the time educating folks and fighting for their hobby, it would be better for all of us.
-----
Tim Cole
www.austinherpsociety.org
www.AustinReptileExpo.com/
www.AustinReptileService.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<
Conservation through Education

so out of 7 snakes taken, in 2 days I have fought and gotten back 5 of them.

So is the newspaper/TV station going to follow up on the story? Would love to see that article.

Under what authority does a "humane society" come into someone's home and take animals?
-----
Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet

I once saw a picture of a boa constrictor (not sure of the subspecies as I have really only worked with hoggs and argentines and never really got into the rest of them or the color morph thing.) that was being held by several people. It was easily in the 14 to 15 foot range. I can remember first looking at the picture and thinking it was an unusually patterned burm. Then I realized it was a boa. As I said I am not sure of the subspecies but I want to say it was a surinam or a guyanan but it was while ago. Dennis Sargeant who is with the CFHS has that photo. If you see him at a show perhaps you can ask him about it. You could also ask Tom Crutchfield as from what I understand the snake belonged to him.
That said it is unlikely to see one that large and as we know due to size dimorphism in boids, if the snake is a male it will never get that large. Personally I think the whole thing is crap and in this day and age our limited tax resources can be better utilized. If this is all the local dog catcher has to do then perhaps they need to s-can him and spend the money used for his salary for other areas of law enforcement. Like prosecuting murders, rapists pedophiles, armed robbers and identity thieves as all of those people pose a REAL threat to our rights to life liberty and property. Not someone's pet snake.

I would agree that if that's all he does he could be let go. However he and his agency probably do other things that are a public service, ie controlling feral cats and stray dogs that could spread disease. Unfortunately it seems that once these agencies have a job providing a useful service they always want to increase their duties and hence their budget & power. It certainly isn't that they don't have enough work already because they all seem to constantly complain about being understaffed.

I remember that with the roadban in Texas, TPWD did a study which said that enforcing the roadban would not cause any significant increase in the cost of running the department. I imagine that's almost always the story they tell when they apply to the public for a new job. Then sometime in the future you will inevitably hear about how overworked they are. An example of this was in the article where it said, "Mike Nicholson, an animal control officer with the Cowlitz County Humane Society, said it was the fourth time this year that he has taken exotic reptiles away from their owners. Already this year he's seized a rattle snake, an anaconda and an alligator." By saying "Already this year..." they make it sound like herps a a big problem and they are very busy. However when you look at the numbers you see that it's actually September and they've had just four siezures the whole year. They could just have easily said "Is the public really getting it's monies worth? The year is drawing to a close, it's well into Spetember and there have only been four herp related siezures and(apparently) no incidences of herp related harm to the public." I don't know how big this town is but in some towns with similar ordinances there are probably more than four cases of loose and/or barking dogs per week, or night even.

I think it would be a great project for USARK to do to look at all these agencies and see how they have expanded their duties and to study what the cumulative cost increases have been.
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www.hcu-tx.org/

I don't know of any attorneys, but I think you’ve definitely had your liberties violated in a number of ways. In my opinion, they illegally took your property. For example, your carpet pythons; they can’t legally take your carpet pythons and only return them to you once you’ve proven they are incapable of attaining a length of 10’. They clearly are not 10’ now, and the burden is on the city to determine if the species is capable of attaining 10’ in length BEFORE they take them.

I’d love to see someone challenge these laws and start making these “law makers” and “law enforcement” people be accountable for their actions. With the statements this guy made in the press, it’d be a slam dunk in civil court. This guy uses his position to harass and persecute law abiding citizens, advancing his private agenda. I rarely say this, but I’d sue…I think you have a case.

I am not going to look it up right now but there are some websites on wolf dogs that have some advice on a lot of this type of tyranny and how to fight it. I am sure you can find some on websites dealing with bully breeds as well. One thing I can tell you is that unless they have a warrant or are in hot pursuit or have probable cause to enter your dwelling to stop a violent felony in progress you do not have to let law enforcement into your house. DO NOT EVER invite them into your house no matter what. If they force their way into your home afterwards you have grounds to sue then civilly in court for violating your rights. If you invite them in however all bets are off.
Unless police are responding to a call at your house that you placed about a crime being committed on you or your family they are not your friend when they come to your door. Dog catchers are NEVER your friend when they come to your door. You do not have to violate the law to assert your rights against unreasonable search and seizure of your private dwelling. If done properly and they then do not follow procedure you have much more legal recourse against them than you realize.

Could you please tell the forum how this guy obtained entry into your home? Did he have some form of warrant?

Good on you for fighting this!

John Manser

I was actually at work when it happened and found out when I got home. the problem started when one of the ball pythons popped the clip on her tank and was no-where to be seen, Thinking we were doing the right thing we called humane society to inform them that a ball python could be loose and if found we would come get it. The snake was found a couple days later still in the house. but we did not bother calling back. the officer showed up to issue a ticket for not having it registered exotic animal, and animal at large. My wife tried to get out of the at large ticket by showing that the snake was back in its cage. but thats when they started calling dispatch to find out the size on everything that was in the room. they took the ball pythons because they HAD and list in their office that listed them as exotics, they took the carpets because coastal carpets can get 10 ft, and they took the boas because females can get 10 ft. I have read up on the ordinance and had experts verify that my carpets are the smaller jungle carpets, these have been returned, the ball pythons were returned the day after the seizure but only after paying to register them as exotic animals and pay impound, but after doing even more homework I found out that the list they had never made it into the city ordinance so now they have to refund my money. I am suppose to talk to city council sometime this week about the mixed signals of the boa situation as there are red tailed boas on sale 50% off at petco right here in longview and no-one has done anything about that. a few months ago when a 4 ft green anaconda was seized the owner of that snake was given back his Burmese and red tail. and hopefully find or make another loophole to pull my other 2 snakes through ..... for reference here is the exact ordinance

6.06.400 Exotic animals.

(1) Except as expressly provided for in this section it is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to $1,000 fine and/or 90 days in jail, for any person to possess, breed, import, export, barter, buy, sell or attempt to buy or sell any of the following animals in the city:

(a) All nonhuman primates;

(b) All wild cats of family Felidae and their hybrid, except for the domestic cat Felis catus;

(c) All species of bear;

(d) All wild carnivores of the family Canidae and their hybrid, except for the domestic dog Canis familiaris;

(e) Venomous reptiles and amphibians;

(f) All reticulated pythons, Burmese pythons and snakes which may reach 10 feet or more in length; and

(g) All members of alligator (Alligator), crocodile (Crocodylus) and caiman (Crocodylus).

(2) All persons who possess any of the animals listed in subsection (1) of this section on the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section, or who at any time thereafter shall possess any of such animals, shall, within the earlier of 30 days following the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section or 48 hours from the time of initial possession of such animal, obtain a permit from the animal control authority allowing such party to keep and possess such animal. Such permit shall be granted only if the applicant demonstrates to the animal control authority that adequate safeguards have been instituted and will be maintained which will effectively control the dangerous or vicious propensities of such animal and provide that the keeping or maintaining of such animal shall in no way constitute a nuisance to the occupants of the surrounding area.

(3) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any facility possessing or maintaining exotic animals which is owned, operated or maintained by any city, county, state or federal government, nor shall it apply to zoos, museums, laboratories and/or research facilities maintained by scientific or educational institutions, nor to commercial activities, such as fairs or circuses; provided, that proper safeguards are taken by such parties to protect the public.

(4) Whenever it is necessary to enter upon private property or the public property of another governmental agency to enforce the provisions of this section, an official from the animal control authority or the Longview police department may apply to Longview municipal court for a warrant authorizing entry onto such property if legally required permission has been refused or cannot be readily ascertained. Whenever a violation of this section reasonably appears to constitute an imminent or immediate danger to the health or safety of the public, an official of the animal control authority or the Longview police department shall have the authority to summarily and without notice or warrant enter said property to abate or correct the same. (Ord. 3040 § 1, 2008; Ord. 2693 § 8, 1998).

All wild carnivores of the family Canidae and their hybrid, except for the domestic dog Canis familiaris; These dimwitts live in the stone ages. Dogs have not been a full species for quite a few years now. they have been classified as a subspecies of the wolf (Canis lupus familiaris).
Obviously they are trying to ban wolf dogs which technically are not a hybrid animal. It's rather late so I'm not looking that close but based on that glaring error any good lawyer could probably pick apart their exotic animal ordinance. Beyond that you should contact an attorney and see if your local dog catcher violated any of your rights according to your states laws in regards to his confiscation of your animals. In many states if an animal control officer (or any other law enforcement officer.) does violate your rights you can sue him in court and win damages against him. In many cases the governing bodies insurance will not cover him if he loses and you can hurt him worse than he hurt you.
I would absolutely do it even if I didn't get a dime and the lawyer got everything just to make him pay.

>>"I hate them," Nicholson said. "I don't even like being around them."
>>
>>And how is it that this lunatics personal snake hating agenda and his bias allow him to be a pet Nazi? There is validity in any of this...

Yeah, this guy is from the "Humane Society," yet he "hate[s]" snakes, and is likely going to kill them. Just a tad hypocritical, isn't it???

I'm telling you, if this keeps up, someone is going to push back. SOON. "Better STOP people whats that sound,every look whats going down"*csny. VM

"Nicholson said he had been on a separate call earlier in the day searching for a missing 4-foot ball python. That snake, which escaped from a home in the in the 200 block of 22nd Avenue in Longview, has been missing for two days and still hadn't been found as of Monday evening, Nicholson said."

It's mind boggling to me that in the year 2011 in one of the most scientifically advanced nations in the history of the world, a loose 4 foot ball python is even remotely newsworthy. I'd be interested in why animal control would even be called for a ball python that has been missing for at most 2 days.

I would like to see an "expert/s" who are not self proclaimed ( as I am) serve as an authority which law enforcement officers would contact via email ( everything in writing). Names which come to mind for me are the Barkers or Bells, or someone who really knows constrictors ( agreed upon authorities with real experience and not fiction writing government employees). If possible, this scenario would serve ALL of the publics good better than uninformed enforcement officers making snap decisions in the moment. With well taken digital photos, sized to scale and a good shot of the pattern and head, much of this foolishness could be avoided. Just a thought, I know it does not help your immediate situation but...... but seems plausible to me in the future.

Just wanted to add that the more proactive we all become ( not reactive ), the more we can get in front of this negative publicity and do what SUSTAINS us. O.k. now I am done. All/any criticism is appreciated.

I have questions.
1) who best to build a website law enforcement might use to properly identify a species, including regional variants, of course?
2)who best to write information on that website aimed at giving information on size, etc. to law enforcement?
I am obviously not an attorney but I do know once enforcement is in my home, they need to respect and obey the laws and claiming ignorance is not a good excuse for breaking them.
I also know all citizens will be better served once the system is streamlined and can used with the k.i.s.s. method ( keep it simple and stupid).
Do not give power to those who wish to take all of ours away. Build it right and it will last. Now I am done, I promise.

UPDATE: trying to go through proper hoops I called humane society / animal control back over to the house to check on the safety of my new cages so I could register a "new" snake that I actually have had for a while but was not being kept inside the city limits. a Yellow anaconda. Maybe it was due to the media, maybe it was due to all those who supported me by writing in to them, but... they brought back the boas and they are registered in the system at no charge, along with any other exotic snake an owner wants to register as long as the owner provides safegaurds that the snake will not get out and bother neighbors, at no charge to the owner.... maybe I should register my Retic as well before this promotion runs out.

When these regulatory agencies propose stuff like this(10 foot snake regulation) what they are really doing is asking the public for a job. I think the public would benefit themselves by asking themselves if they would really hire somebody to provide the particular service that's being offered. I think most of the time the answer would be no thank you.

There is a simple reason why insurance companies don't offer snake insurance alongside earthquake, fire, flood, etc. insurance. It's because the danger is so small that nobody would ever buy it. Yet somehow the government tricks people into thinking they need to pay them to keep them safe from the big bad snakes. These dumb laws just nickle and dime the taxpayer to death and once they are in they never go away.
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www.hcu-tx.org/

The Cowlitz County Humane Society has returned the nine exotic snakes it seized from two Longview homes to their owners, Animal Control Supervisor Mike Nicholson said.

The snakes were seized under an ordinance that requires the owners of snakes capable of growing as long as 10 feet or more to register them with the Humane Society. None of the snakes had been registered, Nicholson said.

The snakes included two 6-foot red tail boa constrictors, two 8-foot carpet pythons and three ball pythons.

Nicholson said none of the exotic animal rescue groups and snake experts the Humane Society usually works with had room for the snakes, and so he was left with the prospect of destroying the reptiles.

Instead, Nicholson said, he contacted the men from which the snakes were seized and offered them back on the condition that they register them and keep them in properly secured enclosures.

"We gave them all back," Nicholson said of the snakes. "I didn't want to put them down."

The decision represented a reversal for the Humane Society, which had previously said it would not return the snakes to their owners. Nicholson said just after the snakes were taken that the agency was cracking down on unregistered reptiles, which seemed to have increased in popularity in the community and, in some cases, had escaped or were being kept in poorly secured containers.

"We're not giving them back," Nicholson said in early September.

Still, Nicholson said late last week that the snake seizures, which were widely publicized in the press, seem to have helped spread the word that big snakes must be registered.

Local residents have licensed nearly a dozen of the reptiles since early September, he said.
tdn.com/news/local/article_96a94594-f85b-11e0-ac70-001cc4c002e0.html

I told you guys that weeks ago... when they returned the snakes to me. well all but 2 of the boas were mine. the only changes made were adding hasps with padlocks on the boas cage. the locks that were on there were just slide bolts that "anyone" could walk in my home and open. and just to really get them I "bought" my 11 ft Retic, and my 7 ft Yellow anaconda back home and registered them. I already owned them but was keeping them outside city limits at a friends house. If anyone wants a good look at my snakes feel free to look me up on Facebook.. I just opened a new page promoting my business called "Glamor Snakes" and yes I know Glamor is spelled wrong, but anyways there are tons of pictures of my larger snakes wrapped around scantily clad models... I know its a shameless plug but I need more "likes" on my page.