Hots seized in St Louis

[Sassafrass]

Found this in the paper last week. (Just remembered it, as I am loaded with CRS. )

28 poisonous snakes are seized from 3

05/19/2004

ST. LOUIS COUNTY

State officials on Monday seized 28 venomous snakes alleged to be illegally in the possession of three men in south St. Louis County who were selling the animals from a pet shop and their home.

The Missouri Department of Conservation had investigated the group for about two weeks.

Regional supervisor Chris Morrow said an undercover conservation agent sold a snake to the pet store owner and then another agent bought it the next day.

On Monday, an acquaintance of the pet store owner sold nine more snakes to another undercover agent from his home. The snakes were various cottonmouths, copperheads and rattlesnakes, including the endangered pigmy rattlesnake and Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake.

State law requires a class 2 dealer's license to possess Missouri-native venomous snakes. The snakes must be bought from another licensed vendor. They may not be caught in the wild, as the seized snakes were, Morrow said.

The snakes had received proper care, Morrow said.

The three men, whom authorities declined to identify, were issued state summonses for possessing the snakes without a proper license, possessing endangered species and other charges. Agents may present the case to the St. Louis County prosecutor for more charges.

The snakes will be held at the St. Louis Zoo and other zoological centers until the case is closed. They will not be released into the wild.

[Marla]

Grr. This stuff doesn't help! Do it legally or don't do it!

[Sassafrass]

'Zactly. This is the kind of stuff that makes it harder for those who WANT to do it legally.

[MrsMacWin]

I remember hearing about this and wondering who it was and what pet store. We go to an exoctic pet store in South St. Louis. They have hots displayed but said that none were for sale. Big disclaimers all over the store about it. My hubby just went to the store yesterday so I will have to ask him if he still has the hots displayed.

[gozetec02]

It's people like that who mess it up for everone else.

[elevatethis]

I'd be too scared to even think about keeping a hot as a pet. Seems like too much of a liability that I'm not in any way prepared to deal with.

[Marla]

I'm with you, Brad, with the exception of rear-fanged colubrids like hognoses.