Bernson Seeks to Tighten Restrictions on Ownership of Snakes

In the wake of two highly publicized snake attacks in Southern California in the past week, Los Angeles City Councilman Hal Bernson has proposed toughening restrictions on ownership of the reptiles and increasing penalties for those who fail to keep their pets secured.

“There is no excuse for these snakes wandering around the city,” Bernson said. “There is no excuse for the owners of these snakes to be irresponsible in controlling their pets.”

On Wednesday, Bernson introduced a motion calling for a ban on pet snakes unless the owner files a special permit with the Department of Animal Regulation.

Bernson’s motion was sent to the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, which, along with Animal Regulation, will review the motion and make recommendations on enforcement and fines, aides to Bernson said.

Calling snake attacks a “disturbing trend,” Bernson said it was time to make city law, which already requires permits for exotic or dangerous animals, more explicit when it comes to snakes.

“I’m not suggesting an outright ban on all snakes,” Bernson said. “We just need to make sure that the owners are being responsible.”

On Monday, a 10-year-old Anaheim boy who went to give his pet python a bowl of water was trapped when the 12-foot snake latched onto his hand and coiled tightly around his arm. The boy escaped with minor injuries, but only after paramedics decapitated the snake.

That incident followed one last weekend, when 74-year-old Jackie Torgerson of West Hills witnessed her pet Chihuahua being devoured by a 7 1/2-foot boa constrictor that had escaped from its owner’s home.

Torgerson said she would circulate petitions to outlaw exotic animals in residential neighborhoods.

“I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else. It could have gone after someone’s kid,” Torgerson said.

Peter Persic, a spokesman for the Department of Animal Regulation, said attacks by pet snakes are extremely rare in Los Angeles.

“This is not to diminish what happened, but these are isolated occurrences. When you compare snakes to dogs, which attack people and kill pets all the time, it’s really an aberration,” Persic said.

“We have people who have been in this department for 30 years and they can’t remember another incident where a snake ate someone’s pet,” Persic said.

Current city law requires the owners of all “exotic, dangerous or nondomestic animals or reptiles” to apply to Animal Regulation for permits.

“When we evaluate the permits, we look at the potential threat to health and public safety,” Persic said, adding that his department is bound by guidelines established by the California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Department of Wildlife.

“We have an exotic animal law, but I don’t know that it pertains to snakes,” said Bernson, who suggested that the city identify the most dangerous breeds of snake to aid its evaluation of permit applications.

Persic said his department would review Bernson’s motion in conjunction with the Public Safety Committee and prepare a report for the council.