Man Arrested for importing snakes.<< Interesting.

[maddy]

Spotted this on the bbc site.. thought it was entertaining.. some people go to some extrems.


BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Customs find snakes taped to man

heh wonder where else they are hidden.....

[madshawty]

I just saw this and was about to post the link!
What a nutter!!

[Natrix]

Originally Posted by madshawty

I just saw this and was about to post the link!
What a nutter!!

Or is he just a genuine reptile lover that has had the misfortune to live in a country where all reptiles are banned?

How many people on here have said they wouldn't give up their hobby even if the Anties got the Government to ban reptile keeping?

He will now be severely punished as will the animals he was bringing in. Going on similar past events in Norway the animals may well already be dead.

The post below appeared on several forums about four years ago and might help put the above story into perspective.

I've not heard from or of Våålen since.

Natrix

Dear Group

I am sorry for cross posting this over various mailing lists, forums and
bothering you with off topic threads. The below text is a description of the
legislation around herptiles in Norway and the implications of getting
caught with illegal animals.
As you may know, herptiles are illegal to keep, breed, import and export in
Norway. Norway is 1 out of 2-3 countries in the world where herptiles are illegal. For what reasons?
In Hawaii herptiles are illegal (as far as I understand) because animals who
escape from private collections are likely to reproduce and may cause a
potential threat to native flora and fauna. This is in my opinion a
reasonable reason for banning herptiles in Hawaii.
In Norway the situation is totally different, here the winter is long, cold
and there are extremely few herptile species that can survive the harsh
climatic condition of the Norway country-region. Why reptiles are illegal in my country?
Your guess is as good as mine, probably due to prejudice against herptiles
from the part of politicians uneducated on the matter.
Animals confiscated by the Norwegian government are put to death (perhaps
with very rare exceptions in the cases of extremely rare and endangered
species).
Thursday the police came knocking on my door and all my animals are now
considered confiscated. My house is sealed off with police tape and no one
is allowed to go into it.
On Monday the police will return to my house with the district veterinary to
confiscate my animals. At a near point in the future my animals will most
likely be put to death and there is little I can do about it except hiring a
lawyer and hoping for a miracle. This is not a call for help for my part,
but on behalf of herptiles and herpetoculturists in my country.
I have started a roll call and hope to gather as many signatures as possible
as a peaceful protest, protest against the Norwegian government?s persecution
of herpetoculturists in Norway. I believe that the legislation in my country
is wrong and that all herptile species are not unjustifiable to keep as
captives. The Norwegian herpetological association has struggled for 12
years to lift the ban on herpetoculture in my country without success so
far. We can,t seem to put enough pressure on our government to make thingshappen.
The roll call I have initiated is also a protest and sharp criticism against
animals being confiscated and put to death as a consequence of the Norwegian
legislation.
If you agree that governments shouldn’’t be so restrictive as to ban all
herpetoculture within a country, please take the time to visit the below
link and sign the roll call.
Link now gone
Please feel free to pass
this post onto other relevant mailing lists and forums so that as many
people as possible may sign this role call if they wish.
Again I am sorry to occupy your time with this kind of inquiry, have a nice
day.
Best regards
Våålen Gåånev (forum name obeligz)
Committee member of the Norwegian Herpetological Association

[My_SnAkE_rUlEs]

lol just read this in the sun!!!
it even says there king pythons...
there royals...
stupid media cant even do reaserch proply! lol

[madshawty]

i meant more he was a nutter taping them to his body like that... ouch!!

Athough now you've said about them being banned etc. what would the point be taking all those reps into a country where they are banned? Surely its like sealing the fate of the animals?

[volly]

Originally Posted by madshawty

i meant more he was a nutter taping them to his body like that... ouch!!

Athough now you've said about them being banned etc. what would the point be taking all those reps into a country where they are banned? Surely its like sealing the fate of the animals?

Not really - the 'black market' for anything illegal in any country is huge.

If he had managed to get them through customs, he would have probably made a small fortune selling them on to enthusiasts.

Look at illegal drugs - a big NO NO but still a huge demand for them ( and that's in no way supposed to be an advert for drug taking, lol )

[madshawty]

Yeah and i spose they would be harder to find once sold on to loads of seperate people in different areas instead of one bloke having them attached to him all at once!!

[tigger79]

Is that a snake in your pocket? | The Sun |News

very interesteing

[Meko]

Originally Posted by My_SnAkE_rUlEs

lol just read this in the sun!!!
it even says there king pythons...
there royals...
stupid media cant even do reaserch proply! lol

neither do forum members. He was caught in Norway, it's a Norweigan story....

[MissCat]

Originally Posted by Natrix

I've not heard from or of Våålen since.

A quick google search reveals he (or at least a reptile enthusiast with the same name) was accused of stealing a crocodile from a zoo/aquarium place in april 2008, in protest of the disgusting living arrangements the croc was living in.
I can't find anything to say whether he was charged with the theft though.

Stolen croc re-emerges: News24: World: News