Vic wildlife officers seize snake

[News Bot]

A 1.5 metre boa constrictor has been seized from a home in Melbourne's southeast.

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Published On: 10-Jul-13 04:29 PM
Source: via NEWS.com.au

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[sharky]

It is so sad how common these stories are becoming

 

[Jacknife]

Good.

 

[dragonlover1]

for once the rangers haul is good news

 

[paultheo]

pity they have to euth it tho, should get tested for any health issues and if given a clean bill of health put in a zoo for the rest of its life.

 

[Rohdawg]

Yeah why would they kill it :/

 

[Klaery]

Sad fact that there are a heap of boas here and most zoos have their fill I would assume.

 

[Tobe404]

Very sad... I still don't see why illegal imports (once given a clean bill of health) can't be rehomed somehow. Zoo/rescue centre/ballot. Just... something.

 

[RubberDucky]

I was about to ask what they do with them. That's really disappointing they don't take the initiative to find it somewhere where it can belong. Such as a designated collector/caregiver who takes care of healthy, foreign snakes under the supervision of the government, where it can be displayed.

I think it's a darn waste of life to have such a beautiful creature put down on the mere fact it was illegally brought here. It's not fair - they didn't exactly choose to be taken.

 

[OldestMagician]

It'd be quite young at 1.5 metres wouldn't it?

 

[Jacknife]

Not to upset anyone, but if I were overseas I'd drool at the chance to own one of these, however living here the first thing I'd do if I came across one is brick it.
They simply do not belong, especially in private collections.
The only place they should be is zoological collections where they actually serve a purpose.

 

[RubberDucky]

Perhaps it would be better to euthanize appropriately then brick it then.

 

[Tesla]

Not to upset anyone, but if I were overseas I'd drool at the chance to own one of these, however living here the first thing I'd do if I came across one is brick it.

Wow, you're tough!

 

[snakeprincess]

It's a shame they can't just send it to a person in a country that is allowed to keep them. I would love a Albino Burmese but agree that they should not be allowed in our country.

 

[crocodile_dan]

Zoos do occasionally take such animals but most don't go to zoos.

From a zoo's perspective a foreign reptile with unknown history would pose a massive risk to not only their collection but also the entire Australasian regions collections of reptile species that are apart of breeding programs. Sure quarantine would be necessary but even with stringent quarantine protocol there is the potential of human error jeopardizing small scale zoo collections or on the larger scale the entire Australasian regions collection where animal transfers and breeding programs are concerned. Why would zoos take on such animals when most of the "common" exotics are already well represented in the zoological industry?

 

[Shotta]

what amazes me is how they manage to smuggle them from overseas

 

[BeZaKa]

what amazes me is how they manage to smuggle them from overseas

When they see that big a bulge down the front of their pants, with a prehensile tail, they should be asking questions in my humble opinion:shock:

 

[Snowman]

what amazes me is how they manage to smuggle them from overseas

as hatchies... they are quite small... Plus in shipping containers it would be very hard to find.

 

[Zanks]

Perhaps it would be better to euthanize appropriately then brick it then.

Crushed skull IS the appropriate way to euthanase a reptile

 

[RedFox]

Blunt force trauma if done correctly is a very quick and humane way to die.

Good to see something actually being done about exotics.

Unfortunately, although it's never the exotics choice to be smuggled or bred in Australia euthanasia was the right action to take. Sadly it is the animals that have to pay for the decisions people make.