NC Senate leader: No on zebra cobra bill

The Senate's top Republican says he doesn't want to wade in on new animal regulations.

Posted 5:33 p.m. Jul 22, 2021 — Updated 5:45 p.m. Jul 22, 2021

Travis Fain

, WRAL statehouse reporter

RALEIGH, N.C. — Don't expect statewide legislation cracking down on exotic animals in the wake of Raleigh's zebra cobra scare, the North Carolina Senate's top leader said Thursday.

"I don't see us getting into that snake pit," Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger told reporters after the Senate's early afternoon session.

A pair of Wake County Democrats proposed legislation earlier this month to prohibit the possession of non-native snakes. It would grandfather in current owners but require them to register and carry $1 million in liability insurance. The two senators, and other officials, plan a town hall Thursday evening on exotic animal regulations.

Berger, R-Rockingham, said he's heard only from Wake County about the issue, and he noted there are 100 counties in the state.

"For me, there's just a general reluctance to get too involved in animal legislation," he said. "It seems not to be an issue anywhere else."

The zebra cobra incident set parts of Raleigh on edge as authorities, media and neighbors searched for the deadly snake, which can spit venom up to 9 feet. Authorities eventually said the snake had been out for months, and they seized it and some 70 other snakes from a local home.

The snake's owner now faces 40 charges.

"He was already doing something illegal," Berger said Thursday. "Why do we need to legislate it?"

As the head of the state Senate's Republican majority, Berger's comments all but guarantee statewide legislation won't move. The city of Raleigh and other local governments still could pass ordinances restricting exotic animals.

A Raleigh City Council member has said he's working on one, and the chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners said the county may consider similar measures.

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