Lawmakers draft bill to crack down on venomous reptile ownership after 75 snakes seized from Raleigh home
Seventy-five snakes, some venomous, were seized from a home in Raleigh connected to a missing cobra, according to officials.
Neighbors of the Raleigh man found a deadly zebra cobra from Africa on their front porch last week. Officials said the cobra had been missing since November.
Christopher Michael Gifford, 21, is facing 40 misdemeanor charges regarding the ownership of venomous reptiles. The zebra cobra that escaped from his home is deadly and can spit venom up to 9 feet.
Democratic state Sens. Wiley Nickel and Jay Chaudhuri are putting together a bill that would prohibit the possession of non-native snakes. Because there has been no regulation, Chaudhuri said, there have been "incidents that have presented a threat to public safety."
“North Carolina has virtually no regulations for the keeping of venomous snakes and dangerous animals. The lack of adequate regulation has recently put the citizens of Wake County in danger," Nickel, D-Wake, said.
Right now, they're trying to see if this bill could get added on to current legislation.
Current owners would be grandfathered in but would have to register their snakes with the state and carry $1 million in liability insurance.
Bills that would have banned inherently dangerous animals, including venomous reptiles, stalled in the legislature in 2007. A house bill to restrict ownership of dangerous large animals came to a standstill in a Senate committee in 20 to 19.
The two state senators plan to hold a virtual town hall on July 22 with Raleigh City Councilman David Knight to talk about venomous snake laws.
Knight said Tuesday that he is working on a local ordinance to ban private ownership of venomous snakes in Raleigh.
Reptile community nervous about possible ban
Local experts and snake owners blasted Gifford and his social media accounts, calling him irresponsible. The reptile community is concerned that one person could ruin the joy of owning reptiles for everyone.
"It'd be a shame to see things get banned more so or make things harder when there are so many people who are dedicated to their animals," said Mike Dean, Repticon show manager.
The event for reptile-lovers will take place in Raleigh next month, but no venomous reptiles are present.
