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SALT LAKE CITY — A reptile rescuer said he has removed an increasing number of illegal, deadly snakes and even alligators from homes in Utah.
Utah Reptile Rescue employee, James Dix, said that he removed a cobra, six venomous snakes and five alligators from homes throughout the state this summer. He said the reptiles are getting easier to keep as pets, but that they are still illegal.
Dix said that the a West Valley man gave up his four-foot Caiman that he had owned for 20 years for his grandchildren's sake.
"It could have grabbed one, pulled him back into the pond, the kid could drown or the alligator could bite off and arm or a leg," Dix said. "It could puncture a main artery and the child could bleed to death."
Dix has removed five alligators, some babies, during the month of August.
"There was a gentleman who was selling them, and he got a citation for selling them in Draper," Dix said. "And there was another baby that someone dropped off. The lady said her son owned it and he went off to college." According to Dix, the woman didn't know the alligator was illegal and she didn't know how to care for it.
Dix said people are finding the illegal reptiles online and learning secrets to take care of them. However, Utah requires a license to keep several of the reptile species. The owner of Utah Reptile Rescue said Utah contains very few anti-venoms, and an owner of an illegal snake could receive murder charges if their serpent killed someone.
Dix is trying to organize a free, reptile collection day in the Salt Lake Valley in the next two months where owners won't be punished be surrendering their pets. For more information, call 801-860-2497.
