Daily Reptile News

2 charged with illegally catching alligator.

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Two men are charged in St. Lucie County with illegally catching an alligator after a woman jumped on its back.

The arrest affidavits says 27-year-old Donald Herchenroder, a firefighter and paramedic, and 25-year-old Peter Berger were arrested Wednesday. They each face a felony charge of unlawful taking of an alligator.

Authorities say the men and the 18-year-old woman were seen trying to catch the reptile, which bit the woman as she jumped on its back.

The woman also faces charges.

Herchenroder and Berger were released Wednesday from the St. Lucie County jail on $2,500 bail each. It wasn’t immediately known if either has an attorney.

Firefighters capture 5-foot black rat snake in Lebanon County living room

The Mount Gretna Volunteer Fire Company was called to assist police with the report of a black rat snake in a West Cornwall Township residence on Wednesday, Assistant Chief Shawn Philip said. When they arrived, they found the 5-foot-long “intruder” in the living room of the home and captured it by hand.

The snake was transported a half mile away from the home and was released.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission reports that black rat snakes are one of the most common species found in or around buildings.

Child bitten by snake near Fort Collins

A child was bitten by a snake about 10 a.m. today six miles northwest of Fort Collins on private property, according to the Poudre Fire Authority.

The child was treated at the scene and taken to the Poudre Valley Hospital.

According to a statement from Fire Captain Holger Durre, the condition of the patient is not known.

Durre said that although there is an increased presence of snakes during the summer, it is rare that snake bites occur.

He said that residents of the Fort Collins area should be cautious on the trails and recreational sites during the summer months.

Restaurant violates health code with snakes

An Altavista restaurant committed a critical violation of the health code by having snakes in the building, according to the Central Virginia Health District Environmental Health Manager Steve Simpson.

Napoli’s Italian Restaurant, located on Main Street, was ordered to remove two snakes from its building July 29, he said. Two snakes in containers were in the manager’s office, said Simpson.

Having live animals anywhere in a restaurant is not allowed, with exceptions, he said.

Section 12 VAC 5-421-3310 of the Virginia food regulations lists the exceptions, such as edible or decorative fish in aquariums and service dogs for disabled persons.

Simpson said the health department was contacted about snakes being in the restaurant. He sent two environmental health specialists to Altavista, and they were escorted to the restaurant by two Altavista police officers.

Simpson said the restaurant removed the snakes as ordered. The restaurant was not closed because the staff did cooperate, he said.

Environmental health specialists will do a follow-up inspection at the restaurant on Aug. 4, he said.

Simpson said, “Reptiles have salmonella all over them.”

Cross contamination could occur if restaurant workers handled the snakes and then handled food without washing their hands, he said.

“This is a first for me,” Simpson said about having a case of snakes in a restaurant.

A manager at Napoli’s declined to comment on the incident on Friday.

Altavista Police Department Deputy Chief Ken Walsh did not escort the health department officials to the restaurant, but he said the snakes were pythons, one about five feet long and one about one foot long.

MECA vet got a shock in reptile seizure

When Dr. Marla Lichtenberger, head of the Milwaukee Emergency Center for Animals, got a call for help from the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission last May, she didn’t know it would lead to “the most astonishing thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Lichtenberger was being asked to examine and treat more than 250 reptiles seized from reptile-keeper Terry Cullen.

She told me in a recent interview that she found herself “opening plastic containers and peeking inside” to see what was peering back at her. She was never sure what it would be: a croc, a gator, or an anaconda.  The snapping turtle she found was feeling, well, snappish.

“We had to figure out what these animals needed right away,” Lichtenberger told me. “We’d call out: ‘He needs lettuce. He needs water!”

The staff at MECA and MADACC worked long hours to save as many of the animals as possible. They even went out to buya  horse trough to keep the anaconda in desperately needed water.

Major US zoos had loaned dozens of these endangered species animals  to Cullen for safekeeping, as I report in a story today. Many of these animals were found dead, ill, or injured.

The sight of the animals as they were found “made my heart sink, ” said Lichtenberger.  Here’s a video she made about her experiences.

Mystery Snake Identified by DNR

SAUK CENTRE, Minn. – A nearly six foot long snake found its way into a Sauk Centre neighborhood leaving residents baffled.

“This lady comes out frantic saying, there’s a snake in your bush,” resident Vanessa Keppers said.

A huge black snake had slid into a bush in the Keppers family’s front yard.

The Keppers wasted no time to take action. Nick Keppers grabbed a large ice pick and was able to kill the snake before it could leave the bush.

“We were lucky that Nick got the snake before the snake got him,” Nick’s brother Zachary Keppers said in his front yard.

“It was hissing. It was spitting, it was just angry,” Vanessa said.

With the snake dead the question is, where did this thing come from and what is it?

“Not being in a zoo, that’s probably the largest snake that I’ve seen on someone’s property in the city of Sauk Centre,” Sauk Centre Police Chief Brian Friedrichs said. “I don’t know if it was a native Minnesota snake, or if it was an exotic one that was brought in.”

The Keppers said they contacted the DNR but they say the DNR were unable to respond to the incident.

The large snake entering the neighborhood has caused the Keppers to investigate the reptile themselves and they are pretty confident they know what slithered into their yard.

“It’s a Black Mamba,” Vanessa said. “They’re poisonous; they have a black underside which this snake did, and then it has a full black body.”

Black Mambas are native to Africa and are considered to be one of the most poisonous and dangerous snakes on the planet.

KSAX contacted the Sauk Rapids DNR to try and figure out what the mystery snake actually was.

“At this point we’re leaning towards a rat snake but were still not 100 percent positive,” DNR Wildlife Manager Fred Bengtson said. “Rat snakes are a species of special concern, they’re fairly uncommon in Minnesota and they normally occur in extreme south eastern Minnesota,”

The DNR also said that there has never been a documented natural rat snake in Stearns County. This means if the snake was natural, it would be the first of it’s kind in that area.

Stolen Snakes Recovered After Arrest Of Sand Springs Man

TULSA, OK — Tulsa County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a Sand Springs man and recovered snakes stolen from Safari’s Interactive Animal Sanctuary after Wagoner County authorities got several tips on the location of those snakes.

Deputies went to the home of 21-year-old Ryan Haney late Monday to serve an arrest warrant involving an assault and battery conviction from earlier in the year.

The home is located in the 5800 block of South 16100 West Avenue.

Sheriff’s deputies were invited inside to talk with Ryan Haney’s parents, when Ryan Haney ran upstairs.

Deputies say Haney tried to destroy evidence by throwing an eight-foot python out an upstairs bedroom window.

They say Haney resisted arrest by refusing to be handcuffed. They say Haney attacked them with a pool cue, but a deputy used a taser to subdue him.

A Tulsa County Sheriff’s Sergeant was injured on the hand during the altercation.

Wagoner County authorities say someone broke into Safari’s Interactive Animal Sanctuary east of Broken Arrow late Monday night or early Tuesday morning and stole six snakes and money from the cash register.

After obtaining a search warrant, Wagoner County Sheriff’s deputies identified the snakes which were located in a back bedroom of Haney’s residence.

All of the snakes were returned safely to Safari’s Interactive Animal Sanctuary.

Safari’s Interactive Animal Sanctuary issued a statement Wednesday morning:

Safari’s is truly excited about the return of our snakes.  We wish we could have recovered the safe, but that remains to be seen.

The person accused of the crime has a criminal past and had done community service at Safari’s for one of his previous crimes.

There’s nothing like striking back at those that try to help you.

Safari’s is currently reviewing the process for accepting community service workers.

I can guarantee you that ID’s will be checked and a public records check will be a minimum for ANYONE needing to do community service time at Safari’s.

None of the money stolen from the park was recovered.

Haney was taken to the Tulsa County jail where he is being held on complaints of stolen property, attempting to destroy stolen property, resisting arrest and assault and battery on a police officer.

Haney’s bond is set at $13,000.

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