Article: LAW REQUIRES PERMIT FOR VENOMOUS SNAKE.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: KATE GURNETT Staff writer

ALBANY -- County legislators voted unanimously Monday night to outlaw venomous snakes countywide unless the owner has a permit.

The new law drew one protest from a member of the Upstate Herpetological Association, who called it ``knee-jerk legislation'' that will hamper amateur reptile enthusiasts.

``There are no incidents where people have been injured by reptiles,'' said Michael Lopuch. ``It's basically a non-event.'' It is lay people who have contributed most to the study of snakes, he added, citing Raymond Ditmars, an amateur who started the existing snake collection at the Bronx Zoo.

The law makes ...

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