Keep an eye out for this SUV - and a thief screaming when he discovers the contents

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012...-reptiles?lite

That thief is in for a surprise lol.

I hope he gets his animals back :(

Could be a deadly surprise if the thief opens the tub with the rattlesnake in it.

On some level, I feel like car thieves deserve all the bad karma they can find, but on the other hand, leaving a vehicle unattended and running is sort of asking for it to be stolen. I mean, really, was it absolutely necessary to stop at Walmart while he still had the animals with him? Presuming it was absolutely necessary to stop, it's not like it's winter; I doubt the vehicle's interior would have cooled to the point where it would be dangerous to the animals if he had shut it off and locked it unless he was planning to be inside for a LONG time. I hate to be that guy, but it seems like the reptile owner made some poor decisions and is now paying for it.

Don't get me wrong - I sincerely hope his animals and his van are returned to him safely, but this seems like it was avoidable.

I hope the guy gets his animals back.

But the guy is not very bright for lleaving his car idoling.

In NJ, it is illegal to keep the car idoling for longer than 3 minutes. That is 20 mins of unneccessary exhaust pollution.

I read this a bit ago. I too believe that care thieves deserve all of the bad stuff that comes thier way, however this could be a huge black eye for the hobby if the thief gets bitten and dies or loses a limb as a result. Also, it is illegal to own venemous animals in CO without a special permit, and it doesn't sound to me like this guy would be eligible as a result of doing shows for kids (could be wrong though). Either way, it was excpetionally irresponsible to leave a venomous and potentially deadly reptile unsecured for any amount of time. I hope he gets his animals and vehicle back however I also hope that either way he learns something about doing this in the future from the incident.

Since when does leaving your vehicle running automatically mean that it is unsecured? I can lock my truck and leave it running, when it is necessary. And why would you ever shift the blame to the owner of a STOLEN vehicle for what happens to the low-life that stole it? The venemous snake was contained in an enclosure, not loose!

I assumed that the vehicle was unlocked, hence why it was stolen, and nothing in what I've read say otherwise. Also, I have been in the Army for the last ten years, and physical security is beaten in your head on a regular basis. If it isn't locked, it isn't secured. Also, if it is locked and the keys are in it, then it still ins't secured, as all you have to do to steal it is get inside. For this reason both weapons and radios require two seperate locks. As for someone getting bit by the rattlesnake - I didn't state that it would be the owner's fault, just that leaving a venomous animal unsecured was irresponsible. By leaving it in an unsecured vehicle you are leaving it unsecured, period.

I bet if we all started leaving venomous reptiles in our vehicles, incidents of car theft would start to decline!

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Originally Posted by gsarchie

I assumed that the vehicle was unlocked, hence why it was stolen, and nothing in what I've read say otherwise. Also, I have been in the Army for the last ten years, and physical security is beaten in your head on a regular basis. If it isn't locked, it isn't secured. Also, if it is locked and the keys are in it, then it still ins't secured, as all you have to do to steal it is get inside. For this reason both weapons and radios require two seperate locks. As for someone getting bit by the rattlesnake - I didn't state that it would be the owner's fault, just that leaving a venomous animal unsecured was irresponsible. By leaving it in an unsecured vehicle you are leaving it unsecured, period.

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My car is push button start, if you have the key fob. When I travel alone in the summer with my dog, and stop for a break, I leave the car running, with the AC on and the doors locked while I run in to use the restroom. My point is, not all cars require a key in the ignition to be running.

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Around me I dont know about the rest of co but if you leave your car running and you are not next to it. Like in side a store or your home you will get a ticket for it. And if some one takes the car and you left the key in it then the will give you a ticket for it also. They consider it negligence on your part.

Either way, he obviously did not know the local laws about leaving your car running, not entirely his fault but yes negligent, and the robbers will think twice about stealing a vehicle full of tubs when they come face to face with a cold angry rattler and burmese.

- - - Updated - - -

Also i do know since i have worked with venomous snakes that to legally transport venomous snakes, they must be in a snake bag and then LOCKED in a wood box marked venomous snake. So if that snake was just in a grey tub then he might lose his license.

Something else to add to things to think about - my car was stolen a couple of months after I got home from my first tour in Iraq, which makes it about 7 years ago, and I had a spare set of keys under one of the seats (I didn't keep them there, I had lost them in my car and not yet found them). When the vehcile was recovered I couldn't press charges because the spare keys were in in possesion of the indivdual driving it and even though the ingnition had been ripped out and the car could be started with a screwdriver the police said that since the individual had the keys, they could not prove that he knew it was stolen. SO... if the vehicle is recovered and the operator (if someone is driving it when it is recovered) has possession of the keys, then he will likely get off without so much as a slap on the wrist.

First I would like to share that Phil's truck and all of his animals have been recovered and all the animals are safe.

Second, some of you guys/gals post are rather disappointing.:(
Apparently the truck was locked using keyless entry.
And whether it was locked or not, how can anyone blame him for the incident? Some scum of the Earth dirt bag steals his vehicle and it's his fault!?
Temps in Colorado at that time of day were probably in the upper 50's to 60 degree range. Sure for a short period of time probably not an issue, but better safe than sorry when we are dealing with our very loved pets.
He does educational shows and travels across state lines with his animals including a venomous snake and a Burm(Lacey Act animal) so I would think he has his stuff together.
He is someone traveling, educating and sharing our hobby with people all over. Doing something GOOD for our hobby and you guys/gals want to rip on him.:colbert: C'mon!

^x2... Just because you leave yourself vulnerable doesn't mean someone needs to come and knock you down... I'm glad everything worked out. I bet the rotten thief found the crazy herps and decided he bit off more than he could chew.

Here's a link to the story

http://kdvr.com/2012/10/18/three-leg...red-in-denver/

I'm glad to hear he got his babies back!

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Originally Posted by C&H Exotic Morphs

First I would like to share that Phil's truck and all of his animals have been recovered and all the animals are safe.

Second, some of you guys/gals post are rather disappointing.:(
Apparently the truck was locked using keyless entry.
And whether it was locked or not, how can anyone blame him for the incident? Some scum of the Earth dirt bag steals his vehicle and it's his fault!?
Temps in Colorado at that time of day were probably in the upper 50's to 60 degree range. Sure for a short period of time probably not an issue, but better safe than sorry when we are dealing with our very loved pets.
He does educational shows and travels across state lines with his animals including a venomous snake and a Burm(Lacey Act animal) so I would think he has his stuff together.
He is someone traveling, educating and sharing our hobby with people all over. Doing something GOOD for our hobby and you guys/gals want to rip on him.:colbert: C'mon!

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So I take it that you know the owner of the vehicle/animals personally? I'm glad to hear that he got his property back. It is good to know that the vehicle was in fact locked and not left unlocked and running with the animals in the car. You say better safe than sorry, but I doubt if the owner felt the same way after he ended up being sorry for making the decision that he did. I think that what he does is great for the hobby and I never ripped on him in general, just on the one decision that proved to be a poor one. Had his car been unlocked then I would be standing by my comments, however since it was not I will recant my claims that he did something irresponsible and say that he did what was necessary to secure his belongings, as locking my truck is what I do to secure it and it's contents. Again, glad that he got his stuff back, as one can only guess what would have happened to the animals had he not! I've had a vehicle stolen and know how much it sucks - I can only imagine how it would feel to get my truck AND balls stolen at once. ;)