I am in Brunswick, Ga.
The current laws are by far outdated and certainly in need of change to reflect the current populations' attitudes.
30years ago, the thought of keeping snakes was veiwed as "evil"or "cult driven" or, worse, the animals were kept by "satan worshippers".
Today, people of all walks of life keep these beautiful serpents. We are a hobby of varied, professional backgrounds. Every walk of life has been touched by, or influenced by, reptiles.
I wish I had the time to draft a bill to send to the senate floor updating the current laws.
Think of this: A harmless snake is illegal. You cannot have it because it, or one of its relatives came from the wild. By keeping such an animal, you are disturbing the balance of nature--- or at the very least, endorse the disturbance. This is what made Hitler famous. Propaganda. Plain and simple.
But, on the other hand, if you kept a venomous snake, you are not upsetting the balance. You are providing a service, secret service, if you will. You have taken something so vile, so dangerous from nature. And that is ok.
Go figure.......
The DNR has "requested" that roundups be terminated. Why were there no demands???? It is a political " I'll stroke yours, if you stroke mine" game. Claxton claims they need the extra income the roundups bring. Hmmmmm, ok, lets' trade the balance of nature for revenue. Sounds good to me. Prime example of backward ass, country bumkin thinkin'.
Another point to consider: You can have venomous snakes in Ga. But, when the Family and Children Services discover that you have them.. Watch out. You can and will be brought up on charges of "child abuse", "child neglect", and "child endangerment". You can lose your kids. But, they will not tell you that you cannot have the animals. If you chose to have snakes, they will force you sign a "saftey plan" which forbids you of having any snake that can exceed 5ft or is venomous.
Refuse to sign, lose the kids. But, again, they will tell you this is voluntary-- you do not have to sign. You decide. It is your right as a Georgia citizen.
An idea for a new law would, and should, include a well scribted plan for the keeping of venomous. All venomous should also be registered with the local DNR office and have minimun caging standards. Permits should be issued at a reasonable cost, say $50.00 per year for the COLLECTION-not per animal. Keepers should also have to provide homeowners insurance. As for species normally found Ga, non-venomous should have a non-venomous permit and venomous should have venomous permits that cover venomous and non-venomous species. Collection size should only be limited by what the person can reasonably afford. We certainly do not want welfare reciepents housing 400 snakes, do we?
Age requirements should follow with the drinking age. A bit extreme, yes, but do we want a 16 year old playing with cobras in the front yard? We want someone that is of age mentally to have these.
Before South Carolina updated the states' current laws, I spoke with the commissioner about what should and should not be made law. He was very polite and cheerful to discuss this issue with me. Many hours of conversation were spent on the phone. Our veiws were different, but ran paralell. What we discussed is now law. I feel good about that. It is there, but not restrictive. Permits now cost money, but are affordable. I do not live there, but am told the laws a very fair.
If only I could do something about Ga, now. But, the "good ol' boy" system is working against me. I have had many conversations with the DNR here and the guys and gals in the field agree with my plans. Herpers agree with my plans. The closed minded individuals in the office refuse to hear any of it. Why??? I think there are some kickbacks and backroom stroking going on. They refuse to change anything. Why? They have nothing to gain, or lose................. or do they??????
Michael Parkinson
