Georgia state law issues

[old guy]

What I find strange

is that in Georgia you can't sell anything related to native species even morphs and maybe hybrids < ( don't know this for sure ), but they have the rattlesnake roundups still although dying out ? What i would like to know does the non-in state selling apply to on-line selling ?.............

 

[JohnHarper]

Re: Find this strange

I am pretty sure that online selling applys too. I know that it does not matter if the animal is cpative bred , or wild caught with the Dnr here in Georgia. The origin does not matter to them even if comes from a different state if its native to Georgia we can't own them. I tried to get a few people to help get the laws changed here but there was not enough of a following. In fact I am planning on moving hopefully in less than 2 years.


john campbell

 

[scalesnstuff]

I was reading the post here and wanted to add my own quip. If you are a teacher you can get a special liscence to possess corn snakes and eastern kingnsnakes. If you have the time to go through special permits you can get a license to have corn snakes and king snakes. If you are traveling through the state of GA according to their laws you have to have a permit to get through legally. If you find a rattle snake, its yours to keep no questions asked. If you find a corn snake walk away.
The state of GA claims that their laws are to protect their animals, but you cannot go down a rural road with out seeing about 5 freshly killed corn snakes on the road. It is ok to kill the snake but not to keep it. If you have a rehab license for reptiles you can also keep corn snakes but only if you register them with DNR.

There is a petition out right now, if you were to google ga corn snakes permit you should find it.

 

[FunkyRes]

First off, I think the video is a great idea.

However, since you admit you have an agenda, it would be incorrect to call it a "documentary".

Very old post, I know - but documentaries very often have an agenda, and very often declare such an agenda.

A documentary does not need to be unbiased.

 

[jsrocket]

Very old post, I know - but documentaries very often have an agenda, and very often declare such an agenda.

A documentary does not need to be unbiased.

That is right, Micheal, but documentaries that take an unbiased view carry a lot more credibility.

I totally agree with the filmmakers viewpoint, but if it comes off as propaganda, most people will take it with a grain of salt, if they even watch it at all.

 

[snowgyre]

HELP OUTLAW RATTLESNAKE ROUNDUPS IN GEORGIA!

Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, gopher tortoises, and more than 350 other wildlife species in Georgia are threatened by the gassing of gopher tortoise burrows to catch snakes for "rattlesnake roundups." Roundups are senseless killing contests that need to be outlawed, but current Georgia state law specifically exempts venomous snakes from any legal protection. Please contact Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and your state senator and representative and ask them to amend state law and make rattlesnake roundups illegal.

To have the most impact, mail a letter to Governor Perdue at 203 State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334. Alternatively, send Governor Perdue an email through this form on his Web site: http://gov.georgia.gov/00/gov/contact_us/0,2657,78006749_94820188,00.html

Please also mail a letter to your state senator and representative asking them to amend state law to ban roundups. You can find your state elected officials and their contact information through this site: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/state/main/?state=GA

A sample letter is below. For more information, contact [email protected].

Sample letter:

I am writing to ask that the state of Georgia enact legislation to outlaw "rattlesnake roundups." The roundups are annual contests in which hunters bring in as many snakes as they can catch in a year to be butchered, and are responsible for depleting populations of eastern diamondback rattlesnakes in the southeastern United States. This once-common species is now being pushed toward extinction: A study analyzing 50 years of roundup data found that the total number of snakes and the size of individual snakes have declined, and that hunters must travel farther to catch snakes for the event.

Two of these events take place annually in Georgia, in Whigham and Claxton. One of the justifications for the continuation of these killing contests is the generation of community revenue, but other communities that used to hold roundups have successfully changed the focus of their annual event. For example, San Antonio, Florida changed its roundup to a Rattlesnake Festival where there is no collection contest and snakes are not killed. Similarly, the town of Fitzgerald, Georgia replaced its roundup with a Wild Chicken Festival, which organizers say has been an enormous success.

The roundups are environmentally harmful. Snakes are commonly caught by the gassing of gopher tortoise burrows, which is harmful to 350 other wildlife species which use the burrows, including some federally listed species. Last week, an enforcement officer from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources apprehended four men who confessed to having gassed more than 50 tortoise burrows to catch snakes for the Whigham roundup. If roundups are allowed to continue, both the eastern diamondback rattlesnake and the gopher tortoise may require Endangered Species Act protection.

Another justification for roundups is the extraction of venom that is purportedly sold for medical purposes, but producers of rattlesnake antivenin have stated that venom from roundups is unusable and that they do not purchase it. Wildlife education is also a supposed benefit of the roundups, but it is undeniable that the educational value of the roundups would be far greater if snakes were not collected and killed, and the importance of saving native species was emphasized.

The roundups are not necessary to protect the public from the danger of rattlesnake bites. Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are considered to be a gentle species, and the majority of bites occur when humans try to capture or kill the snake. In the United States, there are six times more annual fatalities from lightning strikes or bee stings than from venomous snake bites.

Under Georgia state law § 27-1-28, venomous states are exempted from regulation by the Department of Natural Resources. This law needs to amended and rattlesnake roundups need to outlawed to protect gopher tortoises, rattlesnakes, and wild Georgia ecosystems.

 

[Heart and Soul Reptiles]

Can anyone tell me what the stipulations, if there are any in georgia for owning burms, retics and boas? We are looking at a house near Atlanta. Thanks in advance!

 

[snowgyre]

Kylie, I don't think there are any. I see burms, retics, and boas for sale all the time at Atlanta reptile shows, and they're pretty commonly listed on the Atlanta craigslist as well, not that that means much.

 

[BURMTIC]

Reptile wise you can own pretty much anything non native except non native Hots, crocks, aliigators, caimen or anything considered "Dangerous" which Burms and retics are not on that list. Which i hope stays like that.

 

[RDLinATL]

Hi I have been thinking about getting into hots recently again and had some questions for my dnr that I could not find. Here's the q&a.


Jensen, John
Hide details
From: Jensen, John <[email protected]>
To: Hayes, Melissa <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Request from DNR Website
Date: Tue 5/06/14 9:04 AM
Hi Richard:
You can do just about whatever you want (including sell them, breed them, possess them, etc.) with native venomous snake species within GA without any permits. You cannot release previously captive snakes, though, and you cannot export or import them without an import/export permit, and would not be eligible for the permit for the purpose of pets or pet trade. Subspecies do not matter - if it is a native venomous SPECIES, regardless of the subspecies, it is legal to possess in GA, but getting a non-native subspecies of a native species across state lines would require the aforementioned permit that is not eligible for pet use.

On May 6, 2014, at 7:53 AM, "Hayes, Melissa" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> Submitted from Department of Natural Resources
>
> Category: Wildlife
> Phone number: 7068791781
>
>
> Richard writes:
>
> Hi I had a number of questions regarding native venomous snakes of GA
> (particularly southern copperheads or Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix) that
> I could not find specific information about. Also I'm a native to GA. If I've
> interpreted the law correctly it is in fact legal to find and keep as a pet
> native ga venomous snakes without a permit so my questions would be the
> following:
>
> Am I allowed to receive, as a gift, a wild caught venomous snake native to GA
> from a native of GA without a permit?
>
> What about the same situation with a captive bred snake?
>
> Would I be allowed to buy or sell native GA venomous snakes (wild caught or
> captive bred) from or to another GA native without a permit?
>
> Am I allowed to breed two wild caught or captive bred native GA venomous
> snakes without a permit?
>
> If I had two native GA venomous snakes (wild caught or captive bred) and they
> happened to breed without intention what would be proper protocol (have to
> keep them, set them free, have them confiscated, give them away).
>
> Am I allowed to get as a gift, or buy a captive bred (species native in GA)
> venomous snake from another state and bring it to GA (ex: a southern
> copperhead raised and born in SC) without a permit.
>
> What about the same situation with a wild caught (captured in another state
> but species native to GA) venomous snake?
>
> Is it legal to go to another state to capture a (native GA species) venomous
> snake and bring it back to GA as a pet?
>
> Would I be able to legally keep a sub species of a venomous snake (where the
> species is native to GA but the sub species is not) in GA without a permit
> (ex: broadband copperhead or Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus)?
>
> Would I legally be able to keep a hybrid of two native GA venomous snakes
> (ex: southern copperhead x water mocassin or "cottonhead") if I happen to
> find one in GA without a permit?
>
> Could I get one without a permit as a gift or buy one from a ga native?
>
> What about from another state?
>
> Would having a permit change the answer to any of these questions? If so,
> which ones?
>
> Can anybody get a permit

 

[RDLinATL]

It turned out a lot better than I expected. I'm glad I can legally own broadband copperheads here in ga if I find a native dealer. I'm also very happy I can buy, sell, and breed all I like within GA. Lacey act still sucks though

 

[hoppingherps]

If your talking about the broadbanded copperhead-Laticinctus(I believe the range is from kansas to texas) it is illegal to keep unless you obtain an exotic venomous permit. Also any native non-venomous snake is illegal to keep, or breed including cornsnakes(morphs included). I do recall a repticon show(smallest one I have ever been to in the back of an antiques mall) that had a young man running a table, and it did not take long for him to reach in the back of his table to pull out a 9 inch deli slap full of baby corns of various morphs. Just goes to show how easy it is for someone to break the law just to make a quick buck.

 

[RDLinATL]

If your talking about the broadbanded copperhead-Laticinctus(I believe the range is from kansas to texas) it is illegal to keep unless you obtain an exotic venomous permit.

No it's perfectly legal. Refer to my conversation via email with ga dnr on the previous page. They made sure to emphasize the fact it was legal as long as it's not brought from out of state because they're the same species.

 

[hoppingherps]

First I have heard of this. Used to do talks to 4-h and had dnr snooping through on multiple occasions to make sure all was legal. I always was under the assumption that A.C. Contortrix was different then A.C. Laticinctus. I will email my buddy that works for the DNR to get him to clarify.

 

[RDLinATL]

They are different. Most snakes only go as far down as species (which is why I'm sure the law was made as such) but a small percentage in the species class are vaguely different enough genetically and well enough established to go down to the subspecies levels such as copperheads and pygmy rattlesnakes.

I thought the same thing as you a few weeks ago when a guy offered me a broadband and I had to turn him down for legal reasons and he swore it was legal. I mean common sense would dictate that if "only ga native venomous snakes are legal" a snake native to Texas or Pennsylvania wouldn't cut it but apparently not so. In which case I'm not complaining. Broadbands and Carolina pygmys are gorgeous.

I have no idea how it works with non venomous snakes or other venomous or poisonous reptiles though. Funny how they're so much more high strung about cornsnakes then eastern diamond backs

I would be happy to hear a confirmation from your friend though. If he has a different interpretation of the law then what I received don't tell me, that ga gov email inquiry is my "get out of jail free" card lol

 

[Crunkelton]

I agree with not taking wild specimens, but I know that as long as there is a law making it illegal there will always be a market for whatever is illegal. The price and the crime drops nearly overnight. Ask any smuggler or drug dealer or anyone that is in illegal activity. These laws are oxymorons. By creating a law it puts these animals in danger. Also I have family born in Georgia and I lived here the past 11 years and I would like to say the cops here are on straight power trips.

 

[LittleGrayTiger]

Has anyone actually considered getting the ball rolling on changing the GA laws concerning native nonvenomous snakes? I see no reason why the law shouldn't be amended to include at the bare minimum the kinds of blatant color morphs that simply don't exist in the wild, if not also localities that do not naturally occur in GA (such as the Miami phase). Corn snakes are bred in such huge numbers in captivity that I sincerely doubt legalizing morphs would cause much if any uptick in illegal wild take of corns. I also find it completely ludicrous that the law has been written in such a way that someone's 15 year old wholly domestic Snow corn snake can be confiscated while the owner is fined $1000 to "protect wildlife". I mean come on.

If I move to that state this summer (strong possibility) I'd like to contact DNR and speak with them on it. I'd love to get a pair of corn snakes, but I will have to wait until my living situation is certain.

Has anyone gotten the educational permit? Any idea of what's required (like hours, how to get said hours, etc)?

 

[RDLinATL]

pretty much in ga it's impossible to get any permit for residents. and even if you wanted to start or had a business it's uncommon to actually obtain a permit.

 

[JohnHarper]

I know of a few that have the educational permits but I cant remember how much it cost per year also you have do 12 hours of edcuation per month and document the hours per month on a form and send it to dnr periodically
oddly enough recently i was online looking to see if the laws have changed any and i saw a list and corns and eastern kings was not on it but then i also saw one that they was both on every year the dnr meets in atl at certain times of the year to discuss what laws need to be changed and I have heard the native non venomous has came up a alot but it keeps getting put on the back burner

 

[LittleGrayTiger]

Do you have any idea if the public is welcome at these DNR meetings? I would love to go and discuss changes. My degree is in wildlife biology so I recognize their need to keep local native species from being collected/decimated, but I also want there to be fewer restrictions. I could have rescued some corn snakes but once we knew we were moving to GA that option became closed to us.

I've read over the permits and I find their procedures VERY excessive for species with abundant populations. Lots of documentation about where they came from, who sent them, what their enclosures are, and any new animals on that permit must be documented immediately. I could see this for endangered species, but not Least Concern. Especially since no one should have them without the permit/educational hours.

I'd at least like to see the compromise of allowing morph animals; New Jersey does this. If the point is to prevent animals being taken from the wild I'm pretty sure a Lava Lavender Stripe corn is obviously captive bred. Same for kings, pine snakes, etc.