Live poisonous snakes found at N.Y. fire

[Guest]

Live poisonous snakes found at N.Y. fire

9-16-06

 

NEW YORK (AP) -- Firefighters responding to a burning New York City home found more than smoke and flames. Inside a set of plastic containers, they discovered five poisonous snakes.

State officials on Friday were investigating the origin of the three venomous copperheads and two timber rattlesnakes, which were confiscated by police and taken to an animal rescue facility following Wednesday's fire.

Venomous snakes are illegal to own without a license in New York.

Richard Gentles, a spokesman for Animal Care & Control of New York City, said the organization would be looking for a new home for the reptiles, perhaps at a licensed sanctuary. They might also be released into the wilderness in an area where others of their species are normally found.

"They are beautiful and they are in excellent condition, and they are healthy," he said.

A spokeswoman for the state's Department of Environmental Conservation said the agency is trying to learn who owned the snakes and whether that person was licensed to have them.

Timber rattlesnakes, which can grow up to four feet (1.20 meters) long, are found wild in pockets of New York State and southern New Jersey, but are considered a threatened species. Copperheads can be up to three feet (1 meter) long and are also native to New York.

Details of the fire were not immediately known.

[10-Buff-4 0]

That's a story you don't hear every day. Most Rattlers in this area tend to be found in Northwestern Jersey. I saw a Rattler in the wild once, almost 10 years ago.

I hope the First Due Companies at the Staten Island Zoo keep Anti-Venin on hand, because the S.I. Zoo has quite the collection of Venomous Snakes, including the most dangerous snake in America, the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.

Stay Safe... and look out for the 10-75 on Broadway in Staten Island!

-Da Buff

[Guest aussiegeorge]

over here in sydney australia some companys get calls to snake in house or snake in yard on the odd occasion,as we have 7 0f the worlds 10 most deadly snakes over here.crews in areas of high incident of this call have done snake handling courses,but it is up to the companys officer if they attend(its not really a fire dept job).i live out of the city on 100 acres and see lots of snakes,and i 'll tell you i'm no steve erwin the croc hunter so i give them a wide birth,which is hard sometimes as they love hanging aroud my horse stables(but they keep the mice problem away)and i have had them in the house lots of times.

cheers from down under.

[res6cue 67]

Interesting. There are quite a lot of copperheads and rattlesnakes around here in Rockland, especially up north and west along the edge of all the parkland. I used to live off 202 right alongside Kakiat Park and saw them all the time. Even took a video of a rattlesnake sunbathing in my backyard. I used to find the molted skins all over the yard.

[ny10570 745]

I hope the First Due Companies at the Staten Island Zoo keep Anti-Venin on hand, because the S.I. Zoo has quite the collection of Venomous Snakes, including the most dangerous snake in America, the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.

Stay Safe... and look out for the 10-75 on Broadway in Staten Island!

-Da Buff

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CAn't keep anti-venom on hand, but Jacobi is the regional snakebite center. Thanks to the Bronx zoo they have a very impressive collection of anti-venoms.