PETSALIKE.COM

A Malaysian man attempted to smuggle 95 boas, 2 vipers, and 1 matamata turtle from Malaysia to Indonesia.

One of his bags broke and the staff at the Kuala Lumpur airport found the reptiles inside trying to be illegally transported.

Anson Wong�pleaded guilty and will be fined 100,000 ringgit ($61,000) and spend six months in prison.� The wildlife trade monitoring organization, TRAFFIC, is criticizing the Malaysian government for not getting tough on Wong.� Wong could have faced up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $32,000 per snake.

Governments need to make it clear that the smuggling of animals is illegal and they mean business.

Malaysian Man Jailed for Smuggling Reptiles originally appeared on About.com Exotic Pets on Monday, September 6th, 2010 at 22:57:12.

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I don't think keeping venomous snakes as pets is a good idea and this latest incident says why.

The owner of a Gaboon viper was bit on his index finger in his home in Florida.� After driving himself to the hospital and discussing the situation with an investigator from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Jamie DePriest was�slapped with eight second-degree misdemeanor charges relating to owning the viper.

He apparently didn't have a permit to own the snake plus lived with his wife and two children which raises other safety concerns.�

He could have lost his life, children, and still be fined thousands of dollars and face prison time.� Was it really worth it?

Pet Viper Bites Owner in Florida originally appeared on About.com Exotic Pets on Saturday, September 4th, 2010 at 00:00:33.

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Rhode Island is on the alert for a pet