CRAWLIES! MAN TOLD TO LEASH HIS SNAKE

SIOUX FALLS, S. D. A man who was fined for allowing his pet snake to slither freely in a South Dakota park said an animal control officer suggested he use a leash.

Jerry Kimball said he initially thought the recommendation was a joke because it was April Fool’s Day when he was fined US$ 190 and ticketed for “animals running at large,” he said. “He was literally asking me to put a rope around my snake,” Kimball said.

Kimball was approached by the officer after a woman complained that his Fire Bee Ball Python was roaming freely. Animal control supervisor Julie DeJong said pet snakes can be held or kept in a container to comply. “If it’s in public and it’s not on a leash, it’s at large. The ordinance doesn’t really distinguish between animals,” she said.

Kimball said he considers it his mission to rid the public’s fear of snakes.

“That’s my purpose in life: To let people know that snakes aren’t killers,” he said. “What better way to give back than to help people understand these misunderstood creatures?”