There are a lot of very crazy laws out there that are on the
books. Often, these relate to how you can care for or remove
wild animals that are found on your property. For example, in
many states it is illegal for you to capture or kill a bat
because these have become threatened animals. It may seem crazy
that such a hideous and even dangerous animal would be protected
in this way, but because of the threat to the species in
general, many states have taken the precaution of ensuring the
survival of these flying mammals.
The list of odd laws does not limit itself to bats, and it is
important that you do some research before tackling any kind of
animal, either by deciding to capture it or to kill it. For
example, many wonder if it is legal for them to catch a venomous
snake? The answer, sadly, is not as simple as you would like it
to be.
Venomous snakes come in many different kinds of species. There
are many that you are quite familiar with, such as the
rattlesnake or the copperhead, but there are also water bound
snakes that are dangerous as well, such as the water moccasin.
These can be quite deadly to anyone or anything that is bitten
by them, including yourself, your family members, and your pets.
All of them risk being harmed, maybe even killed, by being
bitten by one of the snakes, and this is why so many seek to
keep them off of their property.
The problem is that taking any kind of action to remove these
reptiles from your property may get you in trouble with law
enforcement officials. As crazy as it may seem that you cannot
trap or kill a venomous snake on your property, the reality is
that in some areas of the country this can be illegal.
For example, in Georgia it is illegal for you to capture water
moccasins that are native to the state. This can result in a
rather large fine. Oddly enough, it is not a legal if you were
to capture water moccasins in the state that were not native to
Georgia. This is considered completely legal.
In the state of Maryland, some venomous snakes are protected
because they are on the endangered species list. This includes
both the northern copperhead and the timber rattlesnake, both of
which are facing almost certain extinction if they are not
protected by state and federal officials.
Many of you will read this article and think to yourself that it
seems absolutely crazy that animals that pose such a severe risk
to human beings would be protected by the very creatures home
they threaten. However, this is exactly what happens.
In many states throughout the country snakes are finding
themselves on an ever increasing list of endangered animals
threatened by human intervention and hunting. To protect these
animals rather severe steps have been taking to ensure that
their continued success on the planet is maintained by making it
illegal for people to catch or harm the reptiles in any way.
If you have an issue with a venomous snake on your property than
the most sensible thing to do is to consult your local animal
control agency to find if that snake is on some kind of
protected list. If it is, then you are likely to find that they
will come out and capture the animal for you, thus removing it
from your property. They want to ensure its survival and moving
it may do just that.
For more information about Is it legal for me to catch a
venomous snake?, go to my Snake
Removal - How to Get Rid of Snakes home page.
Is it legal for me to catch a
venomous snake?