21ST ST. NE, 200 block, March 29. A woman reported that she could not leave her apartment because a three-foot white snake was in the hallway. An animal control officer found an albino rat snake, which is native to the area and eats mice, rats and bugs. The snake was injured; it was taken to the shelter for evaluation and later to a rehabilitation center.
Getting high on lizard liquor
MUAR:It is not a drink for just anybody. Some Vietnamese workers employed at furniture factories here are causing a stir with their special brew — homemade liquor fermented with the carcass of monitor lizards.
They claim that the concoction strengthened their kidneys, and best of all, improved their libido.
Locals, keen to make some extra cash, are supplying the workers with the monitor lizards (Varanus salvator) which is the essential ingredient of the drink.
“The Vietnamese workers seem to be willing to pay a rather high price for the reptile,” said a monitor lizard supplier who wished to remain anonymous.
The choice lizard for the brewing process are those weighing under three kilogrammes. They cost between RM20 and RM30 each.
The reptile would be placed alive into a container filled with the liquor.
The drink would then be sold to other foreign workers at RM5 per glass.
Several foreign workers in Bakri near here yesterday said they drank the “tonic” to get extra energy to carry out their strenuous jobs.
“It is really good. The drink is also supposed to improve our sexual prowess,” said a 24-year-old Vietnamese worker who wanted to be identified as Min.
He said some of his fellow workers also knew how to prepare the drink and sometimes, they shared the cost of brewing it themselves.
Min said the “special” ingredient was accidently discovered last year when a monitor lizard, which entered the workers’ quarters, fell into a container of the liquor and drowned.
He said the workers enjoyed the taste of that liquor and it had since become a craze among them.
The workers also bought bigger monitor lizards but the animal would be cooked and eaten after brewing the liquor.
However, it is illegal to brew the liquor, known by locals as samsu biawak.
On Feb 25, about 12.30am, a police team raided a single-storey terrace house in Bakri which a group of Vietnamese workers were renting.
They discovered a container filled with the liquor and a monitor lizard carcass inside it.
Three of the workers were detained to facilitate investigations for preparing the drink.
King snake slithers into Watchet garden
A WATCHET man had the shock of his life when he discovered a foot-long snake while doing some gardening.
The man, who has not been named, found the slithering serpent yesterday afternoon.
After researching on the internet, the man realised it was a king snake – a native of the USA – and took it to keepers at Tropiquaria Zoo, near Watchet, who confirmed its identity.
Zoological director Chris Moiser said: “Despite the cold weather which lingered on until recently, the animal was in good health and was well able to defend itself. In fact it was one of the wildest that I have ever met.
“This one both strikes and shakes its tail, which will this species is a classic threat sign.”
Although indigenous to America, king snakes are one of the most popular snakes to be kept as pets in the UK.
Anyone who thinks the snake could belong to them is asked to contact Tropiquaria on 01984-640688.
Rhode Island’s New Reptile Laws Take Effect
The new laws define all animals as one of three categories: Domestic Animals, Exempt Exotic Animals and Exotic Animals. Only animals classified as Exotic Animals, which includes any animal not on either of the other lists, will require a permit. Under the new laws, a Domestic Animal is any animal that has been bred to a degree that makes it distinguishable from wild individuals of their species.
An Exotic Animal is defined as “any vertebrate or invertebrate other than those defined as domestic animals, native wildlife, or exempt exotic animals under this regulation”. Any animals imported or possessed that does not fall under the Domestic Animal or Exempt Exotic Animals lists and does not have a permit can be confiscated. Permits will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will require that the animal is in a position where it can not escape.
Any amphibian that is “kept, housed or maintained” outdoors will require a permit. Indoor amphibians will no longer require a permit, as in an earlier draft, but all retail amphibian vendors must provide written notification to purchasers of the permit requirement and keep a sales log that includes the name and address of the buyer, and details of the species purchased. All species of turtles can be kept without a permit except endangered species, the red-eared slider turtle, the Argentina or Chaco tortoise; gopher tortoise and pancake tortoises.
All venomous snakes require a permit, except for boa and python species other than the emerald tree boa, green tree python, African rock python, reticulated python and all species of anaconda. Permits are also not required for some species of snake in the families Uropeltidae, Xenopeltidae, Typhlopidae, Leptotyphlopidae, Anomalepidae and Colubridae. Most species of lizard require that the owner has a permit, except for some species of skink, girdle-tailed lizards, geckos, iguanis lizards, agamid lizards and night lizards.
Snake hunt ends in tragedy
Berlin – A major three-week search operation for a venomous snake lurking in a house in Germany that has gripped the nation ended on Thursday with the reptile’s death and a painful bill for its owner.
“Everything has had a happy end,” said a spokesman for the town of Muelheim in western Germany.
“Not for the snake but for us.”
The young, 30-centimetre monocle cobra, which as adults can grow to 1,5 metres, slithered out of sight three weeks ago, prompting an evacuation and the fire brigade ripping up floorboards.
In the end the snake, which has not been named, got stuck in one of several traps set by the fire brigade and expired from exhaustion.
Its owner, 19, now has to pay up to €100 000 in costs, the town’s spokesman said.
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Missing Olathe Boa Constrictor Found
OLATHE, Kan. – A six-foot long boa constrictor that went missing from an Olathe townhouse for a week has been found. The Olathe Police Department reports that the snake was found in a small space inside the residence.
The owners notified Animal Control that the red-tailed boa was missing. According to experts, these types of snakes can crawl into very small spaces. Dan Lekie with the Johnson County K-State Research and Extension office advised that “a boa constrictor of this size can pose a threat to small animals; usually mice, rats or rabbits, but other small animals or pets would not be out of the question”.