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Officers await antidote before seizing St.
John's snake:[Final Edition] |
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People: |
Sampson,
Les |
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Author(s): |
Will
Hilliard |
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Article
types: |
Crime |
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Section: |
News |
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Publication
title: |
Telegram. St.
John's, Nfld.: May 24, 2003. pg. A.1.FRO |
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Source
Type: |
Newspaper |
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ISSN/ISBN: |
14876019 |
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ProQuest
document ID: |
590999601 |
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Text
Word Count |
516 |
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Article
URL: |
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Abstract (Article Summary) |
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"That
snake has 35 milligrams of venom; and to be fatal you need 25 mg," [Les
Sampson] said. "It's fortunate that nothing bad happened." The man kept
the snake in a large aquarium, which the officers said was a suitable home,
and fed it mice a couple of time a month, a normal diet for a snake in
captivity, they said. The mice were probably purchased at a pet store, said
the officers. Sampson said
the snake will be returned to the wilds of Ontario if it is deemed to be
healthy enough, or it may wind up as a resident of the Toronto zoo. |
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Full Text (516 words) |
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(Copyright THE TELEGRAM (ST. JOHN'S) 2003) A St. John's
man is facing charges after federal game officers seized a venomous
rattlesnake from his home Friday. The man told
the officers he'd found the snake in Ontario when it was a baby seven years
ago, and brought it to Newfoundland a short while later and raised it as a
pet, said the officers. Officers
waited for an antidote to the snake's venom to be flown in from Niagara
Falls, Ont., before they and provincial officers swooped down on the
residence with a search warrant Friday morning. Les Sampson, a
federal game officer from Nova Scotia, said there's no antidote in this
province, which has no poisonous snakes. Officers
suggested there were young children living in the house. "That
snake has 35 milligrams of venom; and to be fatal you need 25 mg," Sampson
said. "It's fortunate that nothing bad happened." Sampson said a
person would probably die six hours after receiving a bite from this kind of
rattlesnake -- an eastern massasauga. The option would be for doctors to
amputate the affected limb to buy time for an antidote to arrive, he said. They said the
man acknowledged he realized, as the snake matured, that it was venomous. The officers
would not release the man's name because the charges are pending. They say he'll
be charged with importing the wild snake to the province, which is prohibited
under federal law. If convicted,
he could face fines of up to $25,000, said Guy Lafranchise, senior
enforcement officer, wildlife trade, from the Canadian Wildlife Service's New
Brunswick office. The man couldn't
be reached for comment Friday evening. However his
preteen daughter, who was outside the home, said losing the family pet didn't
bother her. "I couldn't stand it," she said. The animal was
confiscated after a three-month investigation by the Canadian Wildlife
Service, Atlantic region. OFFICERS
TIPPED OFF Lafranchise
says the investigation started after his office received a tip from a local
person. He said the
Eastern massasaugas are becoming increasingly rare in North America and are
now considered threatened in Ontario and throughout much of their range. The
massasauga's most distinguishing feature is the rattle at the end of its
blunt tail. When the snake
vibrates its tail, interconnected segments of the rattle produce an
insect-like buzz. Many species
of rattlesnakes will vibrate their tails when upset. Sampson said
they confiscated the snake without any resistance. The man wasn't at home at
the time but seemed surprised when he arrived, he said. The man kept
the snake in a large aquarium, which the officers said was a suitable home,
and fed it mice a couple of time a month, a normal diet for a snake in
captivity, they said. The mice were probably purchased at a pet store, said
the officers. Sampson said
the snake will be returned to the wilds of Ontario if it is deemed to be
healthy enough, or it may wind up as a resident of the Toronto zoo.
Credit: The
Telegram |