Sioux Falls Man Fined for Allowing Pet Snakes to Roam Free in Public
Anyone familiar with the cult classic movie Snakes on a Plane, otherwise known as (SOAP) by its fans, know there are some classic quotes from that flick. Most of them are uttered by Sam L. Jackson's character Neville Flynn.
If Mr. Jackson were in Sioux Falls right about now, he'd probably take the same stance the city is, and say something to the effect of, "Enough is enough! I have had it with these mother (bleeping) snakes in the mother (bleeping) city!"
That's more or less what the city of Sioux Falls is telling Jerry Kimball regarding taking his pet snakes out in public.
Kimball, a Sioux Falls resident, is the owner of nine pet snakes. Much like any pet owner, he's proud of them and likes to take them out in public to show them off.
The city is not too crazy about that idea. Especially when the snakes are not contained in some way.
KDLT News is reporting that Kimball was cited nearly $200 last weekend after he took two of his ball pythons to Falls Park and let them run around at large in the grass.
Needless to say, that action drew quite a large crowd. One person that happened to be in the crowd was a Sioux Falls animal control officer, who promptly informed Kimball that his snakes were not allowed to roam freely throughout the park, and they must be put on a leash.
Snakes on a leash, now that would be interesting to see.
Julie DeJong, Supervisor with Sioux Falls Animal Control, told KDLT News in the case of Mr. Kimball's snakes, they either needed to be held or kept inside a container. There's a city ordinance that does not allow for them to roam freely in public.
According to DeJong, "That means you as a pet owner can’t take your dog to the park and let it run around without a leash on. The same thing holds for any other animal that you want to take to the park, you have to have it restrained in some way.”
The animal control workers comment has left Kimball somewhat confused. Kimball said, “I’m not the most educated man on the world, but I have 20 years experience and I’m smart enough to know you can’t physically put a snake on a leash.”
Kimball plans to fight the two $95 citations he received. His hope is to work with the city to find a better solution that will allow him to showcase his snakes in public.
Kimball admits that snakes are often "misunderstood." His main mission in taking his pets out in public is to allow them to interact with curious bystanders. His objective is to help ease the fear some people have when it comes to snakes.
Source: KDLT TV
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