Exotic pets
Lake County may prohibit ownership of certain reptiles
BY ANGELA D. SYKORA
STAFF WRITER
Owning reptiles as pets is a popular hobby for countless Lake County residents and a means of profit for many pet store owners. However, selling and keeping the more exotic creatures such as Burmese pythons and Gila monsters could become illegal under a proposed Lake County Health Department ordinance.
Many reptile enthusiasts, merchants, even some wildlife educators oppose the ban. They say most owners are responsible people and the ordinance unfairly targets reptiles because of the general public's perception of what constitutes a safe pet.
"There are many more problems with dogs," said Rob Carmichael, director of the Lake Forest Wildlife Discovery Center. Carmichael does not favor a ban and feels there are not enough statistics to back up claims that certain reptiles are more dangerous or life-threatening than others.
Only two snake bites were reported to the Lake County Health Department last year, said spokeswoman Leslie Piotrowski. More than 1,400 dog and cat bites were reported. "We do have a problem with dog bites, but there are around 80,000 registered dogs and cats in Lake County," she said. Reptiles do not have to be registered.
"They don't outlaw dogs (like Rottweilers and pit bulls) because people like them," said Vernon Hills veterinarian Stephen Barten.
"People like snakes too," he said. "This is a hugely popular hobby." Every spring, Barten said, the University of Chicago hosts Reptile Fest, where private owners show off their exotic reptiles. "It fills the gym," he said.
"We like and want to protect what we're familiar with," said Michael Corn, dean of Biological and Health Sciences at the College of Lake County. "When you don't see wild animals, you don't care about them. Part of it is the general public has a phobia about snakes." Corn has five snakes in his office and has kept snakes as pets in his home.
Animals targeted
If adopted as drafted, the ordinance would prohibit the sale or ownership of certain species of reptiles that are considered dangerous including Burmese pythons, African rock pythons, Gila monsters, Mexican beaded lizards, cobras, coral snakes, sea snakes, rattlesnakes, green anacondas, bird snakes, crocodiles and alligators. The only exceptions would be for animals kept in escape-proof enclosures at a properly maintained zoological park, federally licensed exhibit, circus, scientific or educational institution, research facility, veterinary hospital or animal refuge.
Serpent Safari in Gurnee Mills maintains several exotic animal exhibits and sells various reptiles, including baby Burmese pythons. Manager Joan Singer said the proposed ordinance will not affect Safari's business much as the Burmese python is the only reptile her store sells that would be prohibited.
"We have them in every so often," she said. The $99 snakes are sold when they are babies, which means they are no more than 12 to 18 inches long. They can grow up to 18-feet in length, but that does not make them especially dangerous or life-threatening, Singer said.
"They're very docile snakes. They are born in captivity and handled at a young age." Singer feels the Burmese and other exotic reptiles get a bad reputation based only on their size or appearance. Serpent Safari does not sell venomous animal, and works to educate all their customers on proper care, she said.
Corn contends it is unnecessary for the county to adopt its own ordinance when the Illinois Dangerous Animals Act already prohibits the sale and ownership of certain animals. "We do have a state law that bans venomous reptiles, which is reasonable. It's kind of come to where we should draw the line at forcing people to protect themselves," he said.
Concern builds
Piotrowski maintains the issue is at hand because of growing public concern. "We have, over the years, had some issues with exotic pets," she said. "In 1997, there was a man who found two pythons in a dumpster." The snakes measured 9 feet and 14 feet. Plastic bags were found tied around their crushed heads.
It's also not uncommon for maintenance workers to come across potentially dangerous snakes that have escaped from homes or were set free by owners who could no longer care for them because of their size or simply did not want them anymore, said Piotrowski: "Between June 1999 and September 2003, the Lake County Health Department impounded 33 reptiles.
Not all were poisonous, though.
Barten, who assisted the Health Department in compiling a list of "dangerous reptiles," said he does not believe the county is the proper entity to be regulating exotic animals. Rather, he said, definitions in the state law regarding what constitutes venomous and life-threatening animals should be tightened.
"The state law is a little vague," he said, adding the term venomous is not "black and white."
Some snakes have salivary glands called duvernays that produce toxins or venom, but are not harmful to humans, Barten said. One example is the common garter snake, which many children have encountered in their own backyards.
"How many little boys catch garter snakes?" Barten said.
Like Carmichael and Corn, Barten feels reptiles are being unfairly targeted in the proposed ordinance, and there is no text addressing the private ownership of big cats like tigers and cougars and other wild animals like bears, coyotes and wolves. "A lot of people keep foxes for pets," he noted.
Barten suggests a permit system be considered for exotic pet ownership. As a veterinarian, he worries an outright ban by the county would cause more exotic reptiles to be put to sleep, set free in the community or forced on nature preserves and wildlife refuges.
"We only have so much room to house these things," Carmichael said.
The proposed ordinance must come before the Board of Health, the Health and Human Services committee of the Lake County Board and the Lake County Board for approval, which could take months, said Piotrowski.
Angela D. Sykora can be reached at
sykora@pioneerlocal.com
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