Nearly three dozen venomous snakes were seized from a Boise home Wednesday.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game seized nearly three dozen venomous snakes following an investigation. Officials found many Great Basin rattlesnakes, which are native to Idaho, but many exotic species from southeast Asia, Africa and Central and South America, according to Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG).
IDFG officers and Boise Police Department obtained a search warrant for the residence for Sept. 5 and seized snakes including Indian cobra, Indochina spitting cobra, a flat-nosed pit viper, two Vogel's pit vipers, two Cape Coral cobras, two hog-nosed pit vipers, a green bush viper, a zebra spitting cobra, two monocled cobras and a massasauga rattlesnake, according to IDFG.
“We were more than a bit surprised by what we discovered,” IDFG Conservation Officer Charlie Justus said in a news release.
No charges have been filed against the 25-year-old suspect until evidence has been reviewed, officials said.
Exotic reptiles and amphibians require an import permit and a health certificate from a veterinarian, according to IDFG. Wild-caught specimens from other states also need a permit and a certificate before they can be brought back to Idaho. The suspect had neither document for the snakes.
"If you can purchase a specimen at the local pet store, no permit is needed,” Justus said in the release. “If you are looking to purchase a specimen online or from an out of state retailer, it’s best to ask IDFG first.”
