Update: While this bill passed the House, it did not make its way through the Senate prior to the Legislature’s adjournment.
Bill Description: If passed, this bill would strengthen existing law governing the private possession of poisonous reptiles. Existing wildlife regulations would be modified to require a permit in order to possess or transport non-indigenous live venomous snakes and live constrictor snakes. The permit requirement would not apply to circuses, zoos, and state or county officials.
[teaserbreak]
These animals by their very nature are wild and potentially dangerous and, as such, do not adjust well to a captive environment. Across the country, children have been asphyxiated by snakes. According to the University of Florida, more than 7,000 venomous snake bites are reported annually in the U.S., 15 of which result in death. When in the hands of private individuals, the animals themselves may suffer as a result of a lack of the special care, housing, diet, and maintenance that are required but which the average person cannot provide. Most of these animals are eventually euthanized, abandoned, or doomed to live in deplorable conditions.