Bismark ND - Venomous seized, shipped UPS

If this news article is accurate, Zoological Imports 2000 shipped this apparent novice a green mamba among others via UPS.
How are we supposed to gain credibility in this country and solve our shipping problems if we continue to have those from our own ranks working so hard against us?
I was surprised when the supplier was named in the article, that usually isn't the case. I'm glad they were though, such practices should be exposed to the rest of the community.

Notice the last comment by the offender, "I live near the hospital, so I wasn't worried". This attitude says a lot. I'm sure the hospital in Bismark keeps plenty of mamba, cobra, and death adder antivenin on hand for just such emergencies.

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Deadly snakes found in a local apartment

By MIKE ALBRECHT, Bismarck Tribune
Two of the deadliest snakes in the world and a cobra that can spit venom up to 8 feet were found Thursday in a Bismarck apartment.

Andrew Greff said he came home Thursday afternoon to find police officers rummaging through his apartment at 306 N. 13th St. Bismarck Police Lt. Dan Donlin said they had a search warrant to look forsix snakes that were living there in aquariums and a plastic tub.

In an interview from jail, Greff, 21, said he and a friend, Doug Feist, 27, bought an East African green mamba, a death adder, an albino monocle cobra and a yellow-bellied racer from an Internet site. UPS delivered them to his apartment. Greff and Feist also had a bullsnake and a rattlesnake that they caught south of Mandan. All but the mamba were in the apartment for more than a month.

Greff said he and the Florida company he bought the snakes from checked North Dakota state law and there was nothing prohibiting poisonous snakes. But Greff forgot to check out Bismarck's regulations.

A Bismarck ordinance prohibits "dangerous animals" in city limits. Bismarck Animal Warden Lynnette Jacobs said four poisonous snakes -- the mamba, adder, rattlesnake and cobra -- are considered dangerous and were seized. The bullsnake and the racer were not poisonous and were left behind.

Greff and Feist were charged Friday with reckless endangerment for putting their neighbors in danger, Burleigh County Assistant State's Attorney Julie Lawyer said. Greff is being held in the Burleigh County jail on a $500 cash bond, and an arrest warrant was issued for Feist.

The adder and the mamba are among the top 11deadliest snakes in the world -- police say they're ranked 10 and 11, but Greff said they're ranked two and three. Greff also disputed officers' claims that the cobra could spit venom.

Zoo Director Jerry Lincoln said he was called to help transport the animals to the zoo. Lincoln and the officers duct-taped the covers of the snake containers shut and loaded them into a pickup. The snakes are now in a secure location at the zoo, off limits to the public.

The zoo has no plans to keep the poisonous snakes or show them to the public because of strict regulations. To display poisonous snakes, the zoo would need an alarm system directly connected to a local hospital, a hospital staff properly trained to handle snake bites and anti-venom on hand.

"Visitors can't see them because it's an open court case, and we don't want to expose the public to a potentially dangerous situation," Lincoln said.

Authorities found out about the poisonous snakes from a biologist at Bismarck State College. She called the police department after her co-worker identified the green mamba for Feist.

The snakes were shipped to Bismarck from Florida by Zoological Imports 2000. The Florida company told investigators that they sold the pets to Feist.

Greff said he wants his pets back. He spent more than $1,500 on the snakes and cages, and he dished out a dollar a mouse to feed them. Greff said if he gets the snakes back, he'll move them to his parents' farm north of Mott, if his parents don't object.

Greff became interested in snakes when he and Feist caught two snakes south of Mandan and bought the exotic breeds because "they're really pretty." When asked if he ever planned to set the snakes loose, Greff said, "That would be crazy. It never crossed my mind."

He said the mamba was the only snake to escape and although it moved "really quick" Greff and Feist caught it when it went under a bed. Greff said no one has been bitten by the snakes.

"I live near the hospital, so I wasn't worried," he said.

Link to story

I added this to the tail end of the latest zoological imports thread, but nobody seemed to care enough to respond.

Either they shipped potentially deadly snakes via an overnight carrier and should be shut down. Now, regardless of history as a good guy... Or the source got it dead wrong and needs to issue a retraction and edit the page the story is currently on.

I hope it is just a matter of poor reporting. It happens frequently it seems, especially with reptile related articles which are sensationalized as a standard practice.
I did find this thread about Zoological Imports.

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...t=imports+2000

The snakes in question were king cobras and the shipping method stated by the buyer was Delta, so they do ship hots this way.
The possibility remains though that they did ship these snakes UPS perhaps at the buyers insistance. Still not acceptable.
It would be good to know the truth of the matter.

God I love the press. Since when do Albino Monacles spit venom? LOL Looks like I might wear googles now to protect myself when I work with mine. Plus I find it very hard to believe Zoological Imports would ship hots via UPS.

Here's what happened with the snakes. At least they weren't destroyed.
Once again it says they were shipped UPS, and mentions the guys total lack of experience.
Either the reporters are determined to repeat the mistake about the shipping, or it's a fact. So far it hasn't been disputed.
Merely selling snakes like this to a complete amateur is irresponsible and can do nothing whatsoever for our image. Hope the few bucks they pocketed were worth one more nail in the coffin.

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Reptile Gardens gets snakes
By Dan Daly, Journal Staff Writer

RAPID CITY — The four venomous snakes recently confiscated by police in a Bismarck, N.D., apartment are definitely not house pets, according to Terry Phillip, curator of Reptile Gardens in Rapid City — the snakes' new home.

In fact, three of the snakes — an East African green mamba, a death adder and an albino monocled cobra — are among the world's deadliest snakes. But 21-year-old Andrew Greff of Bismarck had bought the snakes through an Internet dealer in Florida and was keeping them in his apartment.

Greff also kept a prairie rattler he had caught in North Dakota, according to a story in the Bismarck Tribune. When police found out about the poisonous snakes, they raided the apartment and arrested Greff for violating a city ordinance against keeping dangerous animals in the city limits. His friend Doug Feist, 27, also faces possible charges as well.

The Bismarck zoo didn't want the snakes, so Phillip drove to Bismarck on Monday to pick them up. On Wednesday, the snakes were living in the Reptile Gardens back room. Phillip said the owner in Bismarck initially sought to keep the snakes but opted to donate them to the Rapid City attraction.

"This guy knew absolutely nothing about snakes," Phillip said. "It was stupid for him to have them."

Phillip said the scariest part of the case, however, was that the Florida dealer sold the venomous snakes to unqualified buyers in North Dakota — and shipped them by United Parcel Service in boxes marked "Lizards."

Link

Not exactly about snakes, but this is the same guy. Seems keeping hots with no experience wasn't exciting enough, he had to build pipe bombs too, and one blew his arm off.

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Men charged with having poisonous snakes now face bomb charge

Associated Press


BISMARCK, N.D. - A man accused of keeping deadly snakes in his apartment now faces a felony bomb possession charge after a pipe bomb he allegedly built and lighted exploded in his hand over the weekend.

Andrew Greff, 21, of Bismarck, was hospitalized Monday. St. Alexius Medical Center officials did not release his condition.

"From the (left) bicep down, it pretty much blew the skin and bones off in that area," said police Lt. Dan Donlin.

Police said Greff drove himself to the hospital after the incident Saturday morning south of Bismarck.

Earlier this month, Greff and a friend, Doug Feist, 27, were accused of keeping poisonous snakes in Greff's apartment. Both face felony reckless endangerment charges. The East African green mamba, a rattlesnake, death adder and spitting cobra were taken to Reptile Gardens in Rapid City, S.D.

Greff was charged Monday in the pipe bomb incident, said Burleigh County Assistant State's Attorney Leann Bertsch. His initial court appearance will be held when he is released from the hospital.

Feist also was charged with felony bomb possession. Donlin said Feist allegedly helped make the pipe bombs and that Feist and Greff were attaching them to propane tanks.

"I haven't done anything wrong," Feist told The Bismarck Tribune in an interview from the Burleigh County jail. "I never helped build the pipe bombs."

Feist was being held on a $5,000 cash bond.

Link

I'm still waiting to hear if Mario sent those snakes UPS. I doubt it, given his reputation and the reputations of those vouching for him but don't know him well enough to call his business to ask about this.

If anyone does... I know some of you Florida folks must... could you maybe ask him to post on Fauna and explain it? Just set the issue to rest once and for all...

I know this is an old story now, but it's still going on. Thought I'd go ahead and post this update.
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Man charged in snakes and pipe bomb cases headed for trial

A Bismarck man accused of illegally keeping poisonous snakes and helping to build a pipe bomb is headed for trial, after a judge rejected a plea bargain.

Twenty-eight-year-old Douglas Feist was to be sentenced yesterday. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless endangerment in the snake case and to a felony charge of possessing an explosive device.

Judge Sonna Anderson said she would accept the plea agreement in the snake case, but not in the other case. That would have given Feist a two-year sentence with all but six months suspended.

Anderson said Feist had been given help in the past, but had not changed his behavior.

Feist then withdrew his guilty pleas. His attorney, Ralph Vinje, says Feist will take both cases to trial.

Link