PLAIN DEALER (Cleveland, Ohio) 28 December 04 Playing tag with wildlife (Rena A. Koontz)
That snake your son found and is keeping as a pet could be illegal.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, in an effort to protect endangered species, wants all snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, salamanders and wood turtles native to Ohio tagged and licensed.
The regulation has landed local collectors in court for wildlife violations and irked snake enthusiasts, who say the requirement is deadly.
The state Division of Wildlife regulates the sale and possession of endangered reptiles and amphibians by requiring that reptiles - including snakes more than 18 inches long - be injected with a PIT tag.
The acronym stands for passive integrated transponder; it's similar to identification tags used on dogs and cats.
Ron Ollis, ODNR law enforcement officer, said the law is designed to protect endangered species from illegal collection and sales.
Mike Hazey, 42, knew about the ODNR regulations but said he was surprised when agents knocked on his Brunswick door. Hazey owns about 80 snakes that he often exhibits.
His collection of poisonous and nonpoisonous reptiles recently landed him in Medina Municipal Court, charged with a misdemeanor wildlife violation.
The needle used to inject the snakes is invasive and endangers the reptiles, Hazey said.
And, on principle, he objects to the regulations.
"It's a little like the gun regulations," Hazey said. "The law-abiding citizens will get their permits, but the bad guys, the ones who really need to be caught, won't." By the time Hazey appeared before Judge Dale Chase in October, all but his four venomous snakes had their PIT tags. Chase fined him $250 and gave him until the end of the year to comply, which he did last month. He said one snake died shortly after the procedure.
Many reptile collectors and hobbyists take issue with the regulations. They agree native Ohio reptiles need protection but say the law misses its mark. Ohio is the only state that requires PIT tags.
"The very people who are supposed to be protecting them are killing them," said Terry Wilkins, director of the International Herps Lobby. His group says that infections result from the tagging or that the tag could break free and float through the snake's body.
Wilkins unsuccessfully challenged the law before Franklin County Environmental Judge Harlan Hale in October. Now, his lobbying group is pushing legislators to rewrite it.
Wilkins said studies show the tags result in low reproduction rates and have caused cancer and other health problems in the reptiles. "The tags were intended for use on mammals, and even then, they don't stay put. Tagging a snake is like leaving a floating metal object in its body."
Dr. Rob Nathan of the Sharon Center Veterinary Hospital, which handles exotic animals, said problems with the chip could result from improper injection.
"If put in properly, they should not migrate," he said. "But can they travel? Absolutely. I have seen them move, but typically they should not move."
Like Hazey, Wilkins has been fined for his private collection and the animals he sells in his pet store. People who find snakes and box turtles and keep them as pets are also subject to the ODNR regulations, which Wilkins doubts most people know.
Hazey houses his newly tagged snakes in a specially renovated temperature-controlled room lined with glass cages.
"I'm waiting for the agents to come back to check the tags," Hazey said. Chuckling, he added, "I'm going to make them open the rattlesnake cages."
WCHS (Charleston-Huntington, W.Virginia) 28 December 04 Snake, frog enthusiasts think licensing law a pain
Cleveland: A state requirement to tag and license cold-blooded creatures such as some snakes that are native to Ohio is irritating collectors of the animals.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources passed the regulation to protect endangered species from illegal collection and sales.
Now the state requires endangered reptiles and amphibians to be injected with a passive integrated transponder, or PIT. The device is similar to identification tags used on dogs and cats.
Some owners of the animals say they're worried the device could injure the creatures. Plus, they say the bad guys won't follow the law anyway.
A group of enthusiasts is trying to get lawmakers to change the law.
http://www.wchstv.com/newsroom/oh/news8.shtml
Playing tag with wildlife
