BATON ROUGE — People who want to keep extremely large or venomous snakes soon will have to get a permit.
State Rep. Dorothy Sue Hill, D-Dry Creek, got House concurrence for House Bill 1354, which requires anyone who keeps a snake that’s at least 8 feet long or venomous to get a permit from the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Hill’s bill was the result of concerns of residents who live near High End Herps, a constrictor breeding business near Oakdale. A police raid of the business found 22 boas that exceeded the 12-foot limit for which permits currently are required but no poisonous snakes.
Hill’s bill lowers the maximum length before a permit is needed. It also was amended in the Senate not to apply to turtles.
Zoos, aquariums and other facilities that display large snakes are exempt from the permit requirement.