A request to change a municipal bylaw and allow local breeding and keeping of ball pythons as pets was denied during Monday’s town council meeting.
The discussion was first prompted during the April 13 council meeting when lifelong Fort Frances resident Kaya Hammond submitted a letter requesting the bylaw amendment. In her letter, Hammond noted the popularity of ball pythons as household pets and their small size.
The ball python is the most common snake kept as a pet in many areas in Canada and the U.S., due to their relatively small adult size of one to 1.5 metres (three to five feet) in full length, docile behaviour and slow movement. Although the exception was turned down, it wasn’t due to a disdain for snakes.
Rather, council denied the request due to a lack of facilities necessary to support reptile needs in northern communities, according to an administrative report from Bylaw Enforcement Officer Clinton Gray.
“A significant concern relates to animal welfare and the availability of appropriate care resources,” Gray said in the report. “Ball pythons require specialized housing, heating, humidity regulation, feeding and veterinary services that are not commonly available in smaller or northern municipalities. In situations where an animal is surrendered, abandoned, escapes or the owner becomes unable to provide proper care, the municipality has limited capacity to respond appropriately. The Fort Frances shelter and pound facility is not equipped to house or care for exotic reptiles, and access to veterinarians specializing in reptiles and exotic animals may be limited or unavailable.”
Council agreed with the points made in the report.
“It’s tough to deal with reptiles in a small area like this,” Coun. Bill Morrison Jr. said. “I, at one time, was a reptile owner. It was a bad decision on my part because when it all of a sudden needed veterinary services, it was really difficult to find anything. We’re just not set up for that in this area that I know of.”
Though she is disappointed by the council’s decision, Hammond said she hopes that maybe highlighting the lack of available services for rural areas can help encourage people to fill the role of veterinary services for exotic animals.
A near identical situation occurred in Thunder Bay, last February. Some residents wanted a change made to allow snakes of the breed to be kept as pets; however, the city’s council decided in favour of a report in opposition to any bylaw changes or exemptions.
This report similarly cited the animal’s welfare being a primary concern, along with environmental impacts, public safety and enforcement challenges.
