I received a visit from Animal Control this evening. Apparently one of my neighbors complained because they saw my son on our front lawn with his ball python. Hamilton has a bylaw against owning any reptile at all. No one seems to remember that every pet store in Hamilton sells reptiles including two stores that sell exclusively reptiles. I've been ordered to eliminate all reptiles from my house by August. I'm furious!

I have snakes, geckos, and beardies who are all kept in proper habitats and are well taken care of.

Has anyone out there ever successfully fought such a bylaw? Some other (reptile-loving) neighbors suggesting setting ourselves up as a rescue centre (since we have several such animals here) or an educational centre (since we take some of our pets to locals schools). Do these sound like good ideas? I'll be calling my city council rep tomorrow but I thought I'd run it past my BP.Net friends to see if any you have ideas.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!