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SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (California) 23 November 05 Police take boas from Fisherman's Wharf - Possession of constrictors is against the law (Steve Rubenstein)
Maggie and Rod, a pair of boa constrictors, have retired from active duty.
The 5-foot-long snakes, which used to work for tips at Fisherman's Wharf, were instead occupying new lodgings Tuesday at the San Francisco animal shelter on 15th Street after police broke up the act.
Acting on a tip, police and an animal control officer confiscated the snakes Friday and cited their owner, Michael Brown of San Francisco, for possession of wild animals.
"Boa constrictors are illegal,'' said Carl Friedman, director of San Francisco Animal Care and Control. "There were numerous complaints about this person, that he was scaring the hell out of people and creating a nuisance.''
Police Capt. James Dudley said Brown would stand on the Jefferson Street sidewalk and display the snakes, which were wrapped around his arms and neck. He would allow them to be petted or photographed, in exchange for tips in a tin can.
"We've never had a snake down there before,'' Dudley said. "Some months ago, we had a monkey that bit a child. And we have the Bush Man.''
(The Bush Man jumps out from behind his portable bush and scares tourists, in exchange for tips from onlookers.)
Brown dropped by the shelter to visit his snakes and plead his cause, but rules are rules. Friedman said Brown cannot have his snakes back unless he agrees to move to a place where they are legal and gets it in writing, and no more working the tourists at the wharf.
"If he can convince us, he may be able to get them back,'' Friedman said.
Efforts to reach Brown were unsuccessful.
For now, Friedman said, shelter workers will try to figure out when to toss Maggie and Rod another mouse. Boa constrictors eat a mouse a week, and it all depends on when Maggie and Rod got their last mice. They weren't saying.
Friedman said the snakes, if not reunited with their owner, will be given to an aquarium or zoo.
Police take boas from Fisherman's Wharf

no post
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com.

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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

Although seems like everyone involved qualified.
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com.

I work in the beer industry and go to S.F. at least once a week, the "BushMan" is hilarious as for the snake guy, he is a complete Imbecile.

Cant have ferrets, cant have boas,,,,What can you have now? Its funny cause 15yrs ago I had a friend in Ca that had boas so is this law something that has been passed since then? Kansas is good so far(no ridiculous laws yet except for pitbulls in our town)
BTW Im not saying the guy was smart or anything he should have been up on his local laws..I personally always loved the buskers at fishermans wharf,as well as the seafood and frenchbread..
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Where in Kansas are you located? I live about 20 miles outside of Wichita in a tiny little pimple sized town named Towanda.
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com.

NOTHING! Yes, the person is an idiot for having a boa out at the pier, especially since it's always pretty cold there. Does anyone care to discuss as to whether boa constrictors are actually illegal or not in California? They are after all sold in pretty much every single pet store here.

There are no laws against owning a boa where I live, but I guaran-damn-tee you if I took my big ass female boa out side the front of my house and chased the kids around, the cops would be knockin' on my door in 5 minutes from the 45 phone calls they would get in 15 minutes from terrified mommies and daddies (I have two kids 9 and 2.) You will NEVER have a constitutional right to keep an exotic pet. Discretion is all we have. Be diplomatic with your neighbors and don't "show boat" is all we have to prevent laws against our exotic pets.

n/p.

Ok, so it's illegal in SF, but not in the rest of CA. Is there a limit to the number of snakes you can have in CA before you need some sort of liscence?
Caden

Boas illegal in California? Um...exactly when did this occur? Okay, so they are illegal in San Fransisco, and the guy that owned this one was using it to make money(Along with a guy jumping from behind a bush and scaring people...for a fee?)
Idiots, yes, but to have IN PRINT, that they are illegal in the whole state is a bad omen in my book. Soon enough all the PETA organizations will be pushing to limit boas in Calif also. Sad, but inevitable. But preventable. Organize now!

Sincerely,

Fred Albury

It has always been illegal to have Boas or pythons in S.F. but the rest of CA is legal. I could not move out of CA much more beer and food selection here than almost anywhere else.

The city of San Fransisco is a great but it is it's own little world. I believe they just banned all firearms in the city not too long ago......Yikes!!

from our English friends-violent crime will rise dramatically in the next few years. Although it may be a little different here because it's totally unenforcable, (Constitution trumps local ordinances) I'm sure there will be an increase. Fear the government that fears your guns!